Victor was stunned. Clarisse had never been one to raise her voice at him, in fact, they rarely ever had arguments. Realising his wife's anger, Victor could not continue acting like the foul and gloomy individual he had been, especially in front of his wife.
"I miss my uncle, but that is not the reason for this. It was my fault that he died. It was my fault that my grandparents lost their only son. It was my fault that Harys lost his last remaining parent. I sent 100 of my most loyal soldiers to be butchered. This is the first serious blunder of my life and it cost me the lives of many loyal and cherished people." Victor explained.
Queen Clarisse rushed to hug him as he finished speaking. The pain in his voice, the look of guilt in his eyes, it hurt her to see her husband like that. "I am sorry, my love. I had no idea you were feeling like this. But that should not be an excuse for you to drastically change. Many of your advisors were worried, Veronica and myself included. You are a king, you must not let yourself stoop to this level, you are a leader of a nation. Act accordingly."
Victor did not speak but rested his head on his wife's shoulder. No words needed to be said, he had bottled his feelings up and ultimately become a person unrecognisable to anyone else. For the rest of the evening, Clarisse comforted her husband as he lay there, reflecting on himself.
After opening up to his wife, Victor slowly began to fall back into his usual self. The mass outbursts of rage, indifference and despair were beginning to occur less and less. This was good timing as the funeral for Larys Cassell quickly came about.
The day of the funeral was overcast, but thankfully no rain had come. All the streets leading from the palace to the Luxenberg War Museum were cleared and many garrison soldiers lined the streets as guards.
Larys's coffin was loaded onto the back of a lavishly decorated flatbed cart, which had four horses pulling it. In the funeral procession was the majority of the Royal Guard as well as the Royal Family, who were in multiple carriages behind the coffin.
Just before mid-day, the procession left the palace, leading the way were cavalrymen of the Royal Guard, followed by a battalion of Royal Guard infantrymen. Behind them was the cart carrying the coffin and the Royal Family carriages, with another battalion of Royal Guard infantrymen finishing off the procession.
Citizens of the city lined the streets and threw flowers as the coffin made its way past. Military musicians in the Royal Guard were playing their flutes and drums throughout the entire precession.
Once the procession reached the Luxenberg War Museum, members of the Royal Guard infantry unloaded the Larys's coffin and carried it ceremoniously towards where he would be enshrined in the museum.
All the Royal Guard soldiers in the procession stood vigil outside the museum while the funeral ceremony was attended by the Royal Family, commanders, officials and some prominent figures within the city.
Bishop Pompallier began the funeral service, by acknowledging who Larys was and what he meant to the people closest to him. He then followed up with a few passages from the bible before relinquishing the floor to anyone who had prepared a eulogy.
There were three people who had prepared eulogies for Larys's funeral: Lucious Cassell, Harys Cassell and King Victor Luxenberg. The first one to read their eulogy was Harys, he opened by recounting his childhood and the fond memories he and his father shared during those times. He made sure to attribute his success and who he had become as a man to his father.
Lucious Cassell was next and he gave a tear-jerking eulogy. With his emotions stirring inside of him, Lucious present his eulogy with such passion and love. His son was his greatest achievement, he had gone through so much and would have made a great successor for the Dukedom of Cassell. In the end, he made a special mention of Harys, saying how proud his father would be and that he was more than ready to fill his father's shoes.
Finally, it was Victor's turn. "My uncle was a great man. He had been with me since the beginning of my journey. From the small military camp to the coup that saw me take power. He rode with the Cassell Army to reinforce me in the war against the Grand Duchy of Maximillian."
"He was loyal, kind, intelligent and was a brilliant man in general. Uncle Larys was taken from us far too soon. He died on a mission representing our kingdom. He willingly accepted the mission, even when he knew the risks. Now that he has been taken from us, the kingdom has lost one of its staunchest servants. I will always remember him."
Everyone bowed their heads as Victor said his last line. The coffin was then enshrined in its designated section with Bishop Pompallier finishing with some closing remarks. With the funeral complete, the funeral party returned to the palace for lunch and to reminisce about Larys Cassell's life.
Although many were still devastated by the loss of Larys Cassell, the mood was a lot better than it was a week ago. There was no murderous rage or utter despair. People were properly digesting this loss and grieving together.
As the party extended into the evening, a soldier ran frantically into the palace lounge. His face was pale like a ghost and he was shaking. Victor stood up from his seat and made his way over to the soldier to calm him down.
"What is the matter, soldier? Are you alright?" Victor said with a concerned expression. The soldier did not say anything, only handing over a piece of paper with a message on it. As Victor's eyes carefully scanned the paper, his heart raced, and he himself began to look like the soldier.
The piece of paper read, 'Gu ships have been sighted a week away off the coast of Osterbon. Their numbers are at least 100 ships. Our small patrol fleet will most likely be sunk. Send help.'