freenovelworld Chapter 248 The Funeral
Chapter 248 The Funeral
Chapter 248 The Funeral
Many people attended the funeral.
All the nobles, both high and low, from the Montero Hills attended the funeral.
This also includes the Duke of Lyotard Montero.
Many nobles from outside the hills also came.
Lady Peyton and her Earl husband also rushed back.
Dick also knew that Pena had recently received a lot of letters.
The letters mostly expressed condolences for the death of the loyal dog and apologies for not being able to attend the funeral in person.
Incidentally, I would also like to congratulate Pena on becoming the next Earl of Chau Harbour.
Although, in Dick's view, Pena now has a firm grip on power.
Barring any major unforeseen events, nothing will be able to shake his position.
However, his succession ceremony has not yet begun, and the word "earn" cannot yet be added after his name.
But this happened in the last couple of days.
After the funeral, Pena will become the new count.
Dick, fully armed, led a small team and stood guard at the funeral site.
A true rider must always be vigilant.
To prevent anyone from using funerals for assassination, someone must be in charge of oversight.
The Peyton family cemetery is not lavishly constructed; if one were to accidentally wander into it, one would never imagine that countless noble titles are buried beneath this land.
The funeral was presided over by old Horney, which was the duty of the herald.
After the eulogy was read, the coffin containing Hubert's remains was placed in the tomb.
Afterwards, members of the Payton family stood to one side of the tombstone and bowed to express their gratitude to those who came forward individually to lay flowers and pay their respects to the loyal dog.
Dick watched the scene from afar, not daring to be careless in the slightest.
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened, and in the blink of an eye, only a small number of people were left without anyone to mourn them.
Just then, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.
He turned around and immediately recognized the other person.
He bowed and said, "Master Horney, is there something you need?"
"Do you plan to pay your respects to Lord Hubert alone at the funeral?" Horney asked, standing in front of Dick.
Dick shook his head: "I have a mission. I must maintain order at the scene to ensure the safety of everyone present."
“I agree with your caution,” Horney nodded, “but wouldn’t it be better to fulfill your mission to go to all the ‘Paytons,’ to be closer to them, to pay tribute to them?”
Horney is right, but:
"But I am merely an unqualified knight whom Hubert has granted the title of. My status is too low to be worthy of participating in such a ceremony."
"You underestimate yourself too much, Sir Dick."
Horney patted Dick on the shoulder.
"You were personally trained by Lord Hubert, and it's no exaggeration to say you were his confidant. You witnessed and accompanied him through the last part of his life, and you are more qualified than anyone else to mourn him."
The word "confidant" was a bit too harsh, but Dick knew, of course, that it was Horney praising him.
But at that time he was just an attendant of an adult. Can an attendant really be called a "confidant"?
However, Dick did want to commemorate the loyal dog at the funeral.
He cautiously inquired, "What about Lord Pena—would he be displeased by my abrupt approach?"
"You have earned his trust these days, and he must feel your loyalty to Lord Hubert. He will certainly approve."
Hearing this, Dick was finally convinced.
After bowing to Horney again to express his gratitude, he took a bouquet of flowers and walked towards the loyal dog's tombstone. When he arrived at the tombstone, Pena nodded gently to him.
Dick bowed in response, then knelt on one knee in front of the tombstone.
Staring at the soft, damp ground beneath his knees, Dick couldn't utter a single word.
He didn't spend a long time with his loyal dog, but they went through a lot together.
It felt as if my entire past life hadn't been as exciting as this short year.
Despite this, he had very little interaction with his loyal dog.
Loyal Dog doesn't like to talk nonsense, and he won't easily disturb Loyal Dog; this is the tacit understanding between the two of them.
And right now, it seems that tacit understanding is continuing.
A loyal dog never needs sympathy or promises; it trusts its own eyes more than the words of others.
Dick is kneeling here right now. If the soul of a loyal dog were lingering nearby, he would surely understand Dick's loyalty and sorrow at this moment.
After this continued for a while, Dick got up, walked behind the tombstone, and threw the bouquet of flowers in his hand onto the coffin.
Rest in peace, Lord Hubert—Dick swore in his heart—"Your subject will not fail in his mission!"
After bowing to Pena again, Dick returned to his post.
After all the guests had finished their condolences, Pena said some words of thanks and announced the end of the funeral.
He asked everyone to stay in Chau Harbour for a day to attend his succession ceremony the following day.
Afterwards, the guests gradually left the cemetery.
Dick and his team naturally had to stay until the end.
When most of the people had left, Dick saw a man lying on the loyal dog's tombstone.
That was none other than Peggy Payton.
"Of all my siblings, Peggy was the closest to our father."
At that moment, Peña suddenly came to Dick's side and watched Peggy's figure from afar with him.
Dick bowed to him: "My lord."
"Yes," Pena nodded. "My eldest sister was my father's first child, but that was the busiest time of his life, and he had very little time to spend with his family. Therefore, my eldest sister was not actually very close to my father."
"Because Payne and I were men, our father always adhered to a strict educational philosophy, so we received far more scolding than care."
"When Peggy was born, her father had just returned from the naval battle against the naval leaders and entered a relatively quiet period."
"After that, although he would occasionally travel far away due to war or negotiations, the frequency decreased significantly compared to the past."
"Starting a few years ago, he stopped leaving the territory altogether, devoting all his time to domestic affairs and his family."
"This also led to Peggy receiving the most companionship and love from her father, and by this time, his reputation as a loyal dog had spread far and wide. With such an outstanding father by her side, one can imagine how close Peggy was to her father."
So, Miss Peggy, Dick wondered, was that why she was so heartbroken?
"I understand my sister is very sad right now, but she is a grown woman," Pena continued.
And I will officially become a count starting tomorrow.
"I need to be responsible for any member of the Peyton family and must consider the interests of the family."
Peggy's marriage is a very important event that is just around the corner.
"Peggy needs to learn to cope with her grief, and you can't keep dragging this on. You said you'd talk to her after the funeral. Now that the funeral is over, Dick, I need an answer from you as soon as possible."
Dick nodded: "Yes, sir."
He looked ahead at the sorrowful figure, and exhaled a sigh of melancholy.
"I'm leaving. Peggy's safety is your responsibility."
After saying that, Pena left.
Soon, only Miss Peggy remained in the cemetery.
Dick said to his subordinates, "You may all leave. I'll guard this place."
After the soldiers saluted, they left the cemetery.
Dick approached Peggy quietly so as not to disturb her.
He stopped less than ten steps away from Peggy.
And so, quietly, we waited for the last mourner.
After a long time, Peggy finally noticed Dick's presence.
She turned around and saw Dick, her body frozen for a few seconds.
He then turned around and stroked the loyal dog's tombstone.
The sky grew increasingly dark; perhaps it was time to advise the young lady before me to return to the castle.
But Dick hesitated for some reason, and in the end he chose to stand still and wait silently.
As the last rays of the setting sun faded, Peggy finally stood up.
Then, ignoring Dick's presence, she brushed past him.
After she had taken five steps, Dick followed.
Peggy seemed to have noticed her; she suddenly quickened her pace, then suddenly slowed down.
However, this change in pace was completely unable to shake off Dick, who had just graduated from the Knight Academy.
Finally, Peggy stopped and turned around angrily:
Why are you following me?!
"I must escort you back to the castle."
"I don't need your protection, don't follow me!"
After saying that, Peggy turned and continued walking.
But Dick followed as usual.
After walking a while longer, Peggy stopped again:
"I already told you, don't follow me!"
"This is Lord Pena's order."
Peggy seemed very angry; she bit her lower lip and glared fiercely at Dick.
Dick wanted to comply with the young lady's wishes, but an order was an order, and a knight had to remember his mission. Soon, they were not far from the castle gates.
Peggy stopped again, but this time, she didn't turn around:
"You witnessed my father's death?"
"Yes," Dick replied.
"Describe it to me."
"Didn't Lord Pena tell you that?"
"You are a witness, and I would like to hear your side of the story."
Dick thought for a moment and replied:
"Lord Hubert's hands were destroyed by the Navigator, rendering him unable to fight. Therefore, he asked the Navigator to cut off his head. The thought of fleeing never crossed his mind for a moment; he upheld his honor as a warrior."
The rustling of the evening breeze brushed past Dick's ears and would also be heard by Peggy ahead.
Peggy remained silent for a long time before finally speaking:
"You know what? I hate you."
Dick guessed: "I'm sorry, miss."
However, Peggy continued:
"But my reason for hating you isn't that I wanted to marry you. It's because you brought news of my father's death. And you were his servant, so why are you alive when my father is dead? You're the one who deserves to die, Dick Buchanan!"
Upon hearing this, Dick froze on the spot.
But Peggy suddenly ran forward, and Dick instinctively chased after her.
Dick stopped walking as Peggy's figure passed through the castle gates, watching her gradually disappear.
That evening, Dick ate the dinner provided by the castle in a dull manner.
He finally realized that Peggy truly loved her father.
Dick was unable to empathize with this.
His own father was always frowning over the management of the territory, and he could sense that his father did not like him.
Much later, Dick learned that his father must have hoped he would be a girl.
In this way, the family can gain some benefits.
Large families all hope to have male offspring, but small families do the opposite.
But he approves of Peggy hating him because even he hates himself.
At that moment, he should have disregarded the loyal dog's orders and, even if it meant betraying his own and the dog's honor, fought the navigator to the very end.
Rather than avenging Lord Hubert afterwards.
But more than that, Dick was surprised that Peggy remembered his name.
After the meal, Dick went to the training ground as usual and began his daily sword practice.
After a while, he felt again that someone was watching him.
He turned and looked towards Peggy's room.
Absolutely right, it was Peggy who was monitoring him.
Dick didn't understand why Peggy wanted to watch him train.
But let her be, Dick continued to swing his sword.
The next day, Peyton officially inherited everything from the loyal dog, becoming the new master of the Peyton family and the Trough Harbor.
This should ease the tense atmosphere within the port.
Count Pena hosted a banquet for all the guests and invited them to stay the following night.
Another day passed, and the guests gradually left the harbor.
Dick was also returned to command, and Master Horney suggested to Pena that Dick be given a formal, long-term position as soon as possible.
Pena brushed it off, but gave Dick a final warning:
"My patience is limited, Dick. You must finish talking to my sister in the next couple of days!"
If it's an order, Dick has no choice but to comply.
After leaving the Earl's study, Dick decided to immediately carry out his new master's orders.
He asked around and learned that Peggy had to attend classes during the day.
The old nanny taught her about needlework and ladylike etiquette, while Horney or other officials taught her history and current affairs.
In addition, there are dance teachers and painting teachers.
In short, the life of a noblewoman was more demanding than Dick had imagined.
Dick also had an older sister, but she had never seen her father arrange so many classes for her.
Peggy's daytime classes have been very busy these past two days.
Therefore, Dick could only choose to complete the task that Pena had given him at night.
After dinner, Dick continued practicing his swordplay on the training ground.
When that feeling of being watched returned, Dick immediately guessed that Miss Peggy had already gone back to her room.
He turned around and stared at the window of Miss Peggy's room.
Then, after putting away the sword, he entered the castle.
He arrived at Peggy's room and knocked on her door.
Soon, the door opened a crack.
Peggy stood behind the crack in the door, looking surprised that it was Dick who was knocking.
Dick bowed and said, "Miss Peggy, I'm sorry to bother you."
Peggy raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is it?"
"I want to talk to you."
"I have nothing to talk to you about."
After saying that, Peggy slammed the door shut.
Dick had anticipated this outcome, so he remained unmoved and knocked on the door again.
After Peggy opened the door, she said impatiently:
"I told you, we have nothing to talk about!"
"It was Lord Pena's order, so I—"
"Don't use my brother to intimidate me!"
Peggy yelled angrily, startling Dick.
"Are all knights so insincere?"
Hearing this, Dick finally realized he had made a mistake:
"I'm sorry, miss, this has nothing to do with anyone else; I just want to talk to you."
Peggy's expression softened considerably.
"That's more like it, so—what do you want to talk to me about?"