Chapter 02
Looking back now, it’s strange how little time it took from when I first met my husband to when we married.
Dochilia had lost the war.
That devastating news came on an early winter morning when I had finally fallen asleep after worrying about my father, who had gone to fight.
Knock, knock.
I woke up to the sound of knocking and, still half-asleep, opened the door to greet an unexpected visitor.
“Who…?”
A crisp white uniform, gold buttons, and a stiff collar reached up to his neck.
It was a navy uniform.
As soon as I saw it, a bright smile spread across my face.
“Father?”
I quickly looked up, but before I could fully embrace the joy, my face darkened.
The man standing before me was not my father.
His face was stiff beneath his navy cap, his posture rigid.
A bad feeling crept up my spine, chasing away any trace of sleep. Instinct told me—this soldier was here to deliver terrible news.
The man removed his cap, revealing his sharp features. His blue eyes, reflecting the morning light, shone like the sea.
His tightly shut lips parted slowly.
“Are you Edith Prim, the only daughter of Isaac Prim?”
“…Yes.”
My eyelids trembled. Without realizing it, I clutched my clothes tightly, trying to keep my emotions in check.
After confirming my identity, the man spoke in a flat, indifferent voice.
“I’m here to deliver the sad news. Navy Sergeant Isaac Prim of Dochilia passed away on December 18, 1824, at approximately 2:15 PM after battling illness on the battlefield.”
His cold, detached tone matched the cruel words he spoke.
I blinked slowly.
What… did I just hear?
The world around me darkened, and the noise of the streets faded into silence.
“What did you just say…?”
It had to be a mistake. It had to be. Maybe I had misheard in my drowsy state.
Taking a deep breath, I asked again.
“I think I misheard you. Could you repeat that?”
“I’m sorry to bring you such news.”
But there was no mistake. No correction. No hope.
“That… that can’t be right. How could my father…”
He always wrote to me.
He always told me he was safe.
That Dochilia was losing, but he would come back to see me soon.
So how… how could this be?
Everything turned white. My legs lost strength, and I nearly collapsed.
“Careful.”
The man grabbed my arm, steadying me with a firm grip.
Only when I managed to stand on my own did he let go?
“…Thank you.”
I didn’t even know what I was saying. It came out automatically.
When I finally looked up, the man was watching me closely. He spoke in the same dry tone.
“The body is being kept at the navy headquarters.
You need to verify his identity and apply for the death benefits. Please report to Mussen Port’s navy headquarters within a week.”
Forcing myself to nod was the only thing I could do.
Everything went black. I closed the door in a daze.
“This can’t be happening…”
Now alone, I slowly sank to the floor.
That was how I first met my future husband, Johannes Schultz.
After hearing about my father’s death, I was barely functional.
Half of me knew I had to go confirm his body. The other half feared that doing so would mean accepting his death as real.
So I stayed locked in my house for as long as I could.
But the week the man had given me passed faster than I expected.
It was both a long and short time.
I had no energy to check my appearance. Forcing myself to pull myself together, I threw on some clothes and stepped outside.
The streets were quieter than usual. Normally, I would have noticed something strange, but I was too numb to care.
“The navy headquarters should be…”
I followed the directions the man had given me.
As I neared my destination, the loud chatter of a crowd filled the air.
“How disgraceful. In this day and age…”
“He got what he deserved.”
People were whispering things I didn’t understand.
Ahead, a massive crowd had gathered near the port.
Were they all here to identify the bodies of fallen soldiers?
It made sense—after all, we had lost the war.
Looking around, I spotted a line of Navy officers standing along the street.
And among them, I saw him.
The man who had delivered my father’s death notice.
He stood there with an expressionless face, staring straight ahead.
Just as I was watching him, he turned his head.
The gold navy insignia on his cap gleamed under the sunlight.
I lowered my gaze, squinting, only to meet his sharp blue eyes.
It was him.
Now that I had found someone who could help, there was no reason to delay.
I quickly approached him.
“Excuse me, where is the navy head qua—”
Before I could finish my sentence—
“Ah—!”
The crowd surged, and I lost my balance.
Before I could be swept away, the man grabbed me and pulled me toward him.
I found myself pressed against his chest, but with so many people pushing around me, I couldn’t move away.
“T-Thank you.”
“The navy headquarters is in the opposite direction. But it’s dangerous to move right now. Wait a bit.”
“…Huh?”
I looked up at him in confusion, but he had already turned his gaze toward the port.
I followed his line of sight—and my eyes widened.
A public execution…?
Standing beneath a rusty guillotine was a middle-aged man.
His clothes were made from fine but simple fabric. His neatly styled hair and unmarked skin suggested he had lived a comfortable life.
Public executions had been abolished long ago as a relic of a cruel past.
So why…?
I was too shocked to even be embarrassed about being held by a stranger.
Then, the man above me spoke in a low voice.
“Duke Schultz.”
“What? Why is the Duke—”
I didn’t need him to answer. The murmuring crowd already had.
“A public execution just for embezzlement? Isn’t that too much?”
“Too much? He stole an amount equal to the entire national budget for a year! And no one even knows where the money went!”
I swallowed hard.
A year’s worth of the national budget was an unimaginable sum. And the money was missing?
Duke Schultz was known as a respected figure, not just in Mussen but also in the capital, Baden.
Had he committed such a terrible crime?
The kingdom had lost the war—perhaps the royal family was making an example of him.
But…
“The Duke would never…”
“The royal family officially announced it. Everyone believes it.”
The man beside me spoke dryly, while the crowd continued debating.
“The poor young Duke… At least they’re leaving him alone.
They say he won many victories in the war. He should be returning from the battlefield soon. I wonder if he knows about his father’s fate yet.”
I felt lightheaded.
A year’s worth of the national budget… Was it possible?
Schultz had always been seen as a loyal nobleman.
If he was guilty, why did his face look so… calm?
Not guilty. Not resentful. Just… accepting.
My hands turned cold.
‘He’s innocent…’
But no one believed him.
And even if I did, what could I do?
‘Just go home.’
There was nothing I could do to save him.
“I should go. The navy headquarters—”
Just then, he gripped my wrist tighter.
“It’s too dangerous to leave now.”
Before I could argue—
A sharp trumpet blast silenced the crowd.
Soldiers marched onto the platform.
The execution was beginning.
“Don’t watch.”
The man reached out—
And covered my eyes.
Then—
A sickening crack.
A single, horrifying sound echoed through the harbor.
