Free Web NovelChapter 549: A Farewell Beneath the Snow (II)
The moment the plant witch finished making the soil in front of the house rich and fertile, Edmund and Leofric carefully lowered the coffin from the carriage and carried it to the grave the soldiers had dug earlier.
Leofric opened the coffin and stared at Lorelle’s lifeless body. There was something in his eyes, but it was hard to tell exactly what he was feeling.
"You’ll be cold if we bury you without a coffin," he murmured.
Lorelle, who was standing beside Primrose, immediately rolled her eyes. "That body is already dead, so how could I possibly feel cold?"
[I even left it buried under ice for days. Seriously, what is wrong with him?]
Leofric had hidden his thoughts, so Primrose couldn’t read his mind. Even so, anyone could see that he looked like a man burying the real Lorelle, just as he had done in her past lives.
"The coffin would stop the soil from absorbing the nutrients from her body," Primrose finally said.
Leofric nearly choked. Even though that was exactly what they had planned to do, he still didn’t like hearing it said so directly.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty?" he asked in disbelief. "You don’t have to make it that obvious."
Before Edmund could step in and interrupt their petty conversation, Primrose continued calmly. "All this time, Lorelle believed her body was slowly dying. But now..." She looked at the body inside the coffin. "Somehow, that dying body can become a source of life for others."
She paused for a moment before continuing. "As her body returns to the earth, it will feed the seeds we plant. Those seeds will grow into a tree, and that tree will give clean air, shade, and life to the people around it."
She lifted her head and looked straight at Leofric. "That’s why, Sir Leofric, this funeral ceremony is so important to Lorelle. I hope you can take her wishes seriously, because this isn’t about you. It’s about her."
Leofric fell silent. For a long moment, he simply stood there beside the coffin, his eyes fixed on the pale face that no longer belonged to the woman he knew.
The truth was that he understood what Primrose was trying to say. This funeral was not meant to ease his guilt, it was not meant to comfort Edmund, and it certainly was not meant to satisfy them.
It was for Lorelle.
For the woman who had spent countless years trapped in a cycle of suffering and death. For the woman who, despite everything, had still chosen to leave behind something good.
Leofric slowly lowered his gaze. "I understand," he said in a low voice.
Beside Primrose, Lorelle blinked in surprise because for once he wasn’t arguing and for once, he wasn’t trying to insist that he knew what was best for her.
A faint smile appeared on Primrose’s face. "I’m glad."
Leofric took a deep breath before reaching into the coffin. His movements were careful, almost gentle, as he adjusted the blanket covering Lorelle’s body one last time. "Then let’s do it properly," he said.
Edmund was about to help him take Lorelle’s body out of the coffin, but Leofric stopped him. "Let me do it."
Edmund glanced at him for a moment, then simply nodded. "Alright."
He stepped back and moved to stand beside his wife. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, his hand reached for hers. Primrose’s fingers instinctively slipped into his, and neither of them seemed to notice when they ended up holding hands.
Meanwhile, Leofric carefully climbed down into the grave with Lorelle’s lifeless body in his arms. His movements were slow and gentle, as though he were afraid of hurting her.
Once he reached the bottom, he adjusted the white gown she was wearing. He smoothed out every wrinkle he could find and carefully arranged her hair, making sure she looked beautiful for the last time.
"I’m not dead, Leofric," Lorelle reminded him. She stood at the edge of the grave and looked down at her own body. "You don’t have to be this sad."
Leofric let out a chuckle. "It’s not a sin to cry at a funeral, Lorelle," he said lightly. His tone sounded playful, but she knew he meant every word. "Especially at your funeral."
Lorelle opened her mouth to argue, but no words came out. For a moment, she simply watched him kneel beside her body, carefully fixing a loose strand of hair that had fallen across her cheek.
The gesture was so gentle that it made her chest tighten. Even now, after everything that had happened, Leofric still couldn’t bring himself to treat that body as nothing more than an empty shell.
"Thank you for trying your best to keep living for so long," Leofric whispered to the body. "You can rest now."
A warm smile appeared on his face as he gently brushed his thumb across her cheek, as if she were only asleep.
His eyes slowly lowered. For a moment, he simply looked at her in silence, taking in every detail of the face he had seen countless times before.
When a tear slipped from the corner of his eye, Leofric quickly wiped it away with the back of his hand, almost as though he didn’t want anyone to see it.
After taking a slow breath, he gave her one last look before finally turning around and climbing out of the grave.
"Alright." Leofric nodded to himself before turning to the priest, who had been patiently waiting for a signal. "We can begin the funeral now."
The priest lowered his head respectfully. "As you wish."
With the ceremony finally beginning, everyone gathered around the grave fell silent. The gentle breeze that had been blowing through the field seemed to quiet down as well, leaving only the soft rustling of leaves in the distance.
Leofric stepped back and stood beside Lorelle. Meanwhile, the priest walked toward the edge of the grave and opened the worn book in his hands.
"Today, we gather here to honor the life of Lorelle Darnell," he began. "We bid farewell to a woman who endured more suffering than most could ever imagine, yet still chose to leave behind kindness, hope, and love."
