It was the time the sun was about to set, casting a warm, orange hue across the sky. In this moment, the Turner family was engulfed in chaos, a scene of profound grief.
Two lifeless bodies lay on the front yard, and the anguished cries of the Turner family echoed through the air, catching the attention of many of the household’s servants.
Haley Turner, her face contorted with sorrow and tears streaming down her once-beautiful visage, clutched the body of her son, Henry Turner, tightly against her chest, her cries of despair piercing the air.
“W-Wahhhhhh!!! WHO DID THIS TO YOUUU… MY SONNN….AHHHH!!”
Her heart-wrenching wails filled the air as she held her deceased son’s body, her grief too overwhelming to contain.
While she held her son’s body, she turned tearfully to her husband and whispered brokenly, “D-D-Dear… L-L-Look at what happened to our son… S-S-Someone cut off his neck… Killed our son… Killed my Henry…!”
Tears streamed down her face as she spoke, her voice laced with agony and disbelief, shattered by the sight of her son’s lifeless body with its head severed from its frame.
Looking at his wife, her heartbroken face etched with tears and sorrow as she mourned their son, Lord Harrison’s expression grew complicated. A solitary tear escaped his eye, his emotions too tangled to find the right words to console her.
‘W-Who?! Who could be so audacious as to kill my son within our own village? I will hunt down whoever is responsible, without a shred of mercy!’ Lord Harrison’s thoughts seethed with anger and determination, his heart consumed by the loss of his eldest son, Henry.
Beside him, Butler Geoffrey, who had played a significant role in raising the Young Lord, battled his own emotions. His eyes welled with tears, a single droplet escaping his stern facade, a testament to the depth of his grief.
‘Oh, my dear Lord! Even in my wildest dreams, I could never have foreseen this day – the day when I would witness the death of the young boy I watched grow into a man… What kind of cruel fate is this?’ Butler Geoffrey’s heart weighed heavily with sorrow, his usually composed demeanor momentarily faltering.
“Dear… Please calm down! Please listen to me and calm down!” Lord Harrison’s voice trembled with pain as he reached out to comfort his wife, his arms encircling her in a tender embrace.
“M-My son is dead! Our son is dead! D-Do you think I can calm down?… My Henry is gone….” Madam Haley’s tears flowed anew as she clung to her husband’s hand, the weight of her grief almost breaking her.
“You must find the strength to calm yourself, my love. Not for my sake, but for Henry’s sake, for our son’s sake. How would he feel if he could see you like this from heaven, dear? Would he want to see you in such agony?” Lord Harrison’s voice was filled with sorrow and empathy, an attempt to console his wife, who was on the brink of an emotional precipice.
Hearing this, Madam Haley fell into her husband’s arms, her sobs echoing in the air as she found solace in his embrace.
A few minutes later, Lord Harrison managed to soothe his wife, offering her unwavering support. Although her sobs subsided, tears still flowed down her cheeks.
“Don’t worry, my love. I won’t allow those who are responsible for our son’s death to escape justice. Even if it means resorting to unconventional methods…” Lord Harrison whispered gently into his wife’s ear, trying his best to bring her some comfort.
“I-I want to see them suffer as my son did… I want to see their heads severed just like they did to him…” Madam Haley’s voice quivered, her words filled with both anguish and determination, her face buried in her husband’s chest.
“Of course, my dear… Whoever brought this upon our son, they will face the consequences! I WILL END THEM AND ANY WHO SUPPORT THEM!!! I WILL MAKE THEM PAY!!!” Lord Harrison’s voice thundered with anger, his mana pressure erupting in a torrent of fury.
“Father, I want to help punish them too! I want justice for my big brother’s horrific end!” Richard’s voice wavered as he spoke through his sobs, clinging to his parents.
But Lord Harrison remained silent, his emotions turbulent, his grip tightening around his wife and son. Tears welled in his eyes, his gaze locked on his eldest son’s lifeless form sprawled before them.
Staring at the lifeless body of his son, Lord Harrison’s eyes burned with fury, a storm of vengeance raging within him. His gaze was relentless, fueled by his thirst for retribution against those responsible for his son’s brutal demise.
Butler Geoffrey sensed his Lord’s seething rage, an impotent fury he couldn’t quell. He understood the depth of Lord Harrison’s pain, having lost the center of his world. The butler felt powerless in the face of such grief.
‘Sigh! There’s nothing I can do to ease their pain, not when they’ve lost the very heart of their family… How did this tragedy befall us?’ Butler Geoffrey sighed inwardly, a heavy sadness settling upon him as he observed the sorrow-stricken family.
“My Lord, My Lady, time is passing, and we must prepare for the young lord’s burial. While his passing is a heart-wrenching blow, we must focus on the future,” Butler Geoffrey’s voice was laced with sorrow as he spoke, attempting to guide them through this difficult time.
“It’s time already…” Lord Harrison’s words were a whisper, carrying a weight of sorrow as he gazed at his son’s lifeless form and the stars in the night sky, lost in his thoughts.
Later, Lord Harrison gave the order for a burial plot to be prepared within the family cemetery, a final resting place among their ancestors. He watched in disbelief as the grave was prepared, a surreal reality he never fathomed.
‘I could never have imagined this – arranging a final resting place for my own son… Have I incurred some unseen wrath to deserve such a fate?’ Lord Harrison pondered, his gaze fixed on the night sky, his mind adrift.
When the grave was ready, Henry’s body was gently placed into a grand coffin. After a brief ceremony, the coffin was lowered into the grave, a somber silence settling over the gathering.
Returning to the manor, heavy-hearted, the group moved in silence. The mansion, once bustling with life, now stood quiet and mournful, an echo of the tragedy that had befallen the Turner family.
The atmosphere within the manor was thick with tension, and even the servants dared not make a sound. They understood the gravity of the situation, especially considering Lord Harrison’s notorious temper and the fact that his son had been murdered within their territory by an unknown assailant.
Seated in the living hall, the entire Turner family remained in solemn silence, the air punctuated only by sporadic sobs. The weight of the tragedy hung heavily over them all.
Breaking the quiet, Lord Harrison turned to his loyal butler, Geoffrey, and spoke in a hushed tone, “Old man, do you have any inkling as to who could have dared to murder my son within our territory, without us being any the wiser?”
It was inconceivable to him that someone had managed to kill his son on their land without anyone detecting it. His keen sense of control over his domain made the news all the more perplexing.
‘I can’t accept that no one in this village saw the murderer’s face when they killed my son. This is our territory; it’s unbelievable that we were left unaware of such a horrific act happening under our noses… especially involving my own son. How is it possible that I had no inkling of this?’ Lord Harrison’s thoughts raced, his expression deep in contemplation.
Refusing to believe that the murder had occurred without a single witness, Lord Harrison’s mind churned, seeking an explanation for this heinous crime.
“I apologize, My Lord. I have no information on the identity of the murderer. I do know that the young lord visited the Monroe family. He went to inquire about Miss Rose’s health. Unfortunately, she was recovering from battle and asleep during his morning visit. He returned later in the day with a basket of high-quality fruit, but he never returned home… we all know what followed.” Butler Geoffrey’s voice carried a solemn tone as he explained.
He continued, “He went to visit Rose to show his concern and goodwill. But, as we all now painfully know, he met a gruesome fate.”
A heavy sigh escaped Lord Harrison’s lips as he processed the butler’s words, his expression weighed down by sorrow and frustration.
“Father, could it be possible that the Monroe family is somehow involved in my brother’s death? After all, he was last seen there, and that’s where he met his end…Right? ”
Richard cautiously voiced his thoughts, his voice tinged with anxiety. He feared his father’s reprimand for making such a bold assumption without solid evidence to back it up.
However, considering the circumstances, they couldn’t simply accuse the Monroe family without concrete proof.
The Monroes held significant sway over the village, as they governed it benevolently, which had garnered them substantial support from the villagers.
A minute later, Lord Harrison turned his attention to Butler Geoffrey, his voice a mix of concern and suspicion, “Do you believe the Monroe family could be involved in this, Old Man?”
Geoffrey paused briefly, then responded, “Given that the last place Young Lord visited before his demise was the Monroe family, there’s a significant chance they might be connected. However, considering Lord Monroe’s current frail health and their overall situation, it seems unlikely that they had any involvement, My Lord.”
Lord Harrison’s face contorted with a mixture of emotions. He weighed the information carefully, his mind racing through the possibilities.
“But let’s not disregard that cunning woman, Layla. She’s the puppeteer behind the scenes in the Monroe family. Were it not for her, this village would have long been under my control, and I wouldn’t have needed to feign friendship with that Monroe scoundrel for so many years.” His voice dripped with disgust and a profound sense of loathing, his disdain for the Monroe family evident in every word he uttered.