the Villainess they took for granted

Chapter 179: Chapter 179: the report

Adrian was preparing to leave for the funeral when Lord Merrow returned.

The palace had grown quieter in the minutes before the procession.

The Emperor’s coffin was ready.

The Imperial Guard was in position.

Outside, the bells continued to ring.

Adrian stood beside his desk, fastening the final button of his coat, when there was a knock.

"Enter."

Merrow stepped inside.

He closed the door behind him.

Adrian looked up.

"Merrow."

"Your Majesty."

Adrian studied his face.

There was something different in his expression.

"What happened?"

Merrow approached the desk.

"There has been an incident involving the Duke of Ashford."

Adrian said nothing.

He waited.

"The Duke was escorted from the outer security point as arranged."

"And?"

"He resisted the escort."

Adrian’s expression did not change.

"Why?"

"He attempted to leave the assigned route."

Merrow’s voice remained measured.

"When the guards attempted to stop him, he fought them."

Adrian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"How many?"

"Eight men were involved."

"And the Duke?"

"He managed to break through them."

Adrian leaned back.

"He escaped?"

"For a short distance."

Merrow paused.

"Then he fell."

The room became quiet.

"Where?"

"A ravine beyond the northern road."

Adrian stared at him.

"Did anyone see the fall?"

"Yes."

"His body?"

"We searched."

"And?"

"Nothing."

Adrian remained silent.

"How long?"

"Since the incident."

"Search again."

Merrow nodded.

"We already have."

"Again."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Adrian looked down at the desk.

There was no satisfaction in his expression.

No triumph.

Only calculation.

"Was anyone else present?"

"No civilians."

"Then the official account?"

Merrow understood.

"The Duke resisted Imperial security and attempted to flee. During the pursuit, he fell into the ravine. His body has not been recovered."

Adrian’s gaze remained fixed on him.

"And the guards?"

"Two sustained injuries."

"Serious?"

"No."

"Good."

He paused.

"Nothing is to be said beyond what is necessary."

"Of course."

Adrian looked toward the window.

The bells continued outside.

His father’s funeral was about to begin.

And now Cassian was gone.

Perhaps dead.

Perhaps not.

Adrian did not know.

For the first time since Merrow entered, something faint shifted in his expression.

Not relief.

Not disappointment.

Simply uncertainty.

"Continue the search."

Merrow nodded.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"If he is alive, I want to know."

Merrow hesitated for only a fraction of a second.

"Understood."

Adrian returned his attention to the matter before him.

"Until his death is confirmed, the Duke remains missing."

"Yes."

"And there will be no declaration of his death."

"Not yet."

Adrian nodded.

That was all.

Merrow turned to leave.

"Merrow."

The minister stopped.

Adrian looked at him.

"The funeral."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Nothing changes."

"Of course."

Adrian dismissed him.

The door closed.

He remained alone.

For several moments, he did not move.

Cassian was gone.

That was all he knew.

There was no body.

No certainty.

No finality.

But there was also no reason for Adrian to dwell on it now.

His father was being buried.

That was what mattered.

He looked toward the window.

The Imperial banners hanging across the palace grounds moved gently in the wind.

His father had spent his entire life serving the Empire.

Adrian would do the same.

He would bury him properly.

He would stand before the people.

He would accept their mourning.

And when the funeral was over, the Empire would begin its next Chapter.

Adrian straightened.

He was no longer simply the son standing beside his father’s coffin.

He was the Emperor.

He had a duty to perform.

--

The news reached Valmont House before the funeral procession began.

Marian was sitting with her father when he entered the room.

She looked up immediately.

Something in his expression made her stomach tighten.

"What happened?"

Duke Valmont closed the door behind him.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then he looked at her.

"There has been news of Cassian."

Marian rose at once.

"What news?"

"He attempted to enter the capital under Imperial escort."

Her heart gave a painful beat.

"He did?"

"Yes."

"He came back?"

Her father nodded.

Relief flashed across her face so quickly that it almost hurt.

"He’s here?"

"He was."

The relief disappeared.

Marian stared at him.

"What do you mean?"

"There was an incident."

Her father’s voice was careful.

"An altercation occurred between Cassian and the Imperial guards accompanying him."

Marian shook her head immediately.

"No."

"He apparently resisted them."

"No."

Her voice came sharper this time.

"Cassian wouldn’t do that."

Her father did not argue.

He simply continued.

"He fled from the escort."

Marian stared at him.

"Why?"

"We don’t know."

"Then how—"

"He fell."

Her father paused.

"From a ravine."

Marian went completely still.

The room seemed to lose all sound.

"What?"

"He fell while trying to escape."

"No."

The word came out barely above a whisper.

Her father looked at her.

"They searched for him."

Marian’s eyes filled.

"And?"

"They haven’t found him."

She stared at him.

"They haven’t found him?"

"No."

"Then he isn’t dead."

Her father’s expression tightened.

"We don’t know that."

"But they haven’t found him."

Her voice trembled.

"No body."

"Marian—"

"No."

She shook her head.

"No. If they haven’t found him, then they don’t know."

Her tears spilled over.

"He could be somewhere."

"He could be injured."

"He could be—"

Her voice broke.

She pressed a hand over her mouth, trying to steady herself.

Her father stepped toward her.

Marian shook her head again.

"No. No, he wouldn’t..."

She couldn’t finish.

Cassian.

He had come back.

He had actually come back.

He had been so close to her.

And now they were telling her that he had fallen from a ravine and disappeared.

It couldn’t be true.

Not like this.

Not after everything.

Not when he had promised her.

Marian’s knees weakened.

She sank back into her chair, tears running freely down her face.

Her father remained beside her.

"He may still be alive," he said quietly.

Marian looked up at him.

"You don’t know."

"No."

"Then we don’t say he’s dead."

Her father was silent.

Marian wiped desperately at her tears, but more followed.

"He promised me he would come back."

Her voice broke again.

"He promised."

She lowered her head.

"He was supposed to come home."

Her shoulders began to shake.

For weeks, she had imagined the moment she would finally see him again.

She had imagined him walking through the doors.

She had imagined running to him.

She had imagined telling him everything that had happened while they had been apart.

Now she couldn’t even know where he was.

He could be dead.

Or he could be somewhere alone, injured and unable to reach anyone.

And that possibility was almost unbearable.

Marian lifted her head again.

"They’re still searching?"

"Yes."

"Then they have to keep searching."

"They will."

"Until they find him."

Her father looked at her.

"Yes."

Marian nodded, as though that settled something.

She clung to the only certainty she had left.

No body had been found.

Cassian was missing.

That was all.

Not dead.

Not yet.

Until someone could prove otherwise, she would believe he was alive.

Because she knew him.

Because he had promised to return.

And because she could not accept that the man she loved had disappeared from the world without even giving her the chance to say goodbye.

--

The bells began.

The funeral procession was moving.

Marian wiped her tears and stood.

Her father waited for her.

Neither of them spoke.

They joined the other mourners.

Outside, the capital had fallen silent.

The Emperor’s coffin emerged from the palace beneath the Imperial standard.

Adrian walked at the front.

He wore black.

There was no crown upon his head.

Only the insignia of the Emperor.

His face was composed, but the grief in his eyes was unmistakable.

Marian watched from among the Valmont family.

Her gaze remained fixed on the coffin.

She tried not to think about Cassian.

But she couldn’t.

He should have been there.

He should have been walking among the Imperial family.

He should have stood beside Adrian.

He should have been there to say goodbye to the man who had been his uncle.

Instead, his place was empty.

Marian’s throat tightened.

She lowered her gaze.

He’s alive.

She repeated it silently.

He has to be.

The ceremony continued.

Prayers were spoken.

The Imperial rites were observed.

The bells rang again.

When the coffin was finally lowered, Adrian stood completely still.

His hands were clasped behind his back.

For several moments, he did not move.

Then he lowered his head.

His father was gone.

There would never be another conversation.

Another morning in which he could walk into his father’s study and hear his voice.

Adrian swallowed.

He had spent his entire life preparing to become Emperor.

Nothing had prepared him to become one without his father.

He remained there until the final rites were completed.

Only then did he step away.

The funeral was over.

The Empire had buried its Emperor.

And somewhere beyond the capital, Cassian Ashford was missing.

No body had been found.

For Marian, that was enough.

She would wait.

For now, that was all she could do.

--

Tbc

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