With hours that continued to run, everyone who belonged to the high and low society heard the news about Duke Noah Sullivan's death. Many of them held sorrow for the loss of such a kind and remarkable man, hoping he was at peace wherever he was.
The day Noah's body was going to be buried, Vincent and Eve left the Moriarty mansion in their carriage and reached the cemetery located in Woodlock. Mr. Briggs pulled the reins of the carriage, and once the horses stopped, he got down and opened the carriage door.
Vincent was the first to step down from the carriage, and he turned around, offering his hand to Eve as she placed her feet on the ground.
"There are a lot of people outside the cemetery," Eve said in a low voice on seeing the crowd that had formed.
"Noah left a mark on the people. It has been a while since I last saw so many people attending the funeral. Come," Vincent said to Eve, who put her hand around his arm before they started to walk.
There was a continuous murmur among the people who didn't dare to enter the cemetery as it was made for only the known people of Woodlock, and common people weren't allowed inside. When they got closer to where the grave had been dug out, Eve's eyes fell on Anaya, the Head Council, and a few more councilmen who stood with her parents.
Lady Anaya's face held a sullen expression, who stared at the dug ground and the coffin placed next to it, inside which lay Noah. Eve's eyes shifted from the she-wolf to look at Noah dressed in a black suit and a white in-shirt. His black hair was combed, and for a moment, it felt like he was still alive and only sleeping.
On one corner, Lady Hilda was held by her husband, Jeffry Sullivan, who supported her during this hard time of losing their son at such a young age.
Soon the priest said loudly for everyone around to hear,
"We are here today to bid the kind soul of Noah Sullivan. It is a day of sorrow for us, knowing we lost a good man. As everyone knows, Noah Sullivan was the son of former Duke Jeffry Sullivan and Lady Hilda. He turned into a Duke with his splendid qualities and hardwork. There is barely anyone who will have any complaints against the man, and I say this knowing the man closely..."
The priest continued to speak before opening the book to read a few verses, while everyone listened to him.
Once the priest finished speaking, he said, "Now I would like to call upon a few to speak a few words about the deceased man, to remember him for who he was. Mr. Jeffry Sullivan."
Jeffry Sullivan stood next to the priest, and he continued to hold his wife's waist. Like many others in the cemetery, Eve noticed how heartbroken Jeffry looked, and he said,
"Noah... Noah was not just our son, but he was someone who was meant to do great things. Since Noah was born, we have been blessed to have him and he always stood for the right. I cannot say how hard it is for our family... to lose a son," he paused before continuing, "Whoever did this to him, they will pay back for it. For stealing our son away from us. God will not forgive the person," he shook his head. "He was a kind person. I don't know why anyone went as far as to murder him. I can only hope and pray that Noah is at peace."
Lady Hilda couldn't help but break down there and turned to hide her tears in her husband's arms.
The priest said, "Thank you, Mr. Sullivan. Let us all hope that Noah's soul will reach heaven, and to make it possible, it is time to pray and send him with our blessings."
As they weren't family of the Sullivans or not directly involved with the family, apart from Vincent and Anaya, no one was aware of the closeness between Eve and Noah.
Eve watched the priest sprinkle holy water before muttering something under his breath. This was added with a werewolf custom where a bone was broken and dusted away at the side. She turned to look at Vincent, who was watching the funeral take place with a serious expression on his face.
Vincent patted the back of Eve's hand and said, "Sometimes things happen for a reason. It is hard to understand now, but one day, let us hope it will."
Eve wondered if Noah's death would ever make sense to her the way Vincent told. She watched his coffin descend into the dug ground, and soon the coffin's lid was placed above to enclose it. The heaviness in her heart continued to grow as if ready to pull her below the ground as she watched mud being pushed back into the ground.
Within a few minutes, the ground was evened, and the headstone was placed, which now read-- Duke Noah Sullivan. A good son.
Soon people started to pay their respect to Noah's grave, and some went to talk to the parents, while some left. Once the people moved away from the grave, and Vincent went to talk to one of the councilman, Eve walked up in front of the grave.
There were a lot of things Eve wanted to talk to Noah about, and it felt like until two days ago, she would be able to converse and clear any possible misunderstanding that was going on between the Sullivans and the Moriarty family. But life didn't wait for anyone, and people who were meant to die were taken away without a hint, Eve thought.
"Strange, isn't it?"
Eve turned and saw Anaya coming to where she stood. She replied, "It is. Feels like it is all a bad dream. How are you holding up, Anaya?" It was because she knew about the lady's feelings towards the late Duke.
"Truthfully? Not good," Anaya turned her gaze to look at Noah's headstone. She said, "I thought that I wouldn't feel too bad, because I had gone back to my life. But I was wrong," she sighed with a heaviness that Eve could relate to. She shook her head before asking, "How about you? It must be worse for you, Eve. Knowing you both were close," she said in a low voice.
Eve's eyes moistened, but she held back her tears, unlike Anaya, who quickly wiped out the tear from her cheek. She said, "It's just hard to fathom that he died." Noah had always been a great friend who was there when she needed his kind words and patience. "I wish there was a way to turn back time to fix it."
Anaya's hand reached for Eve, and they squeezed each other's hands to support each other. The she-wolf said, "I know what you mean. If I knew this was going to happen, I would have never left Woodlock. I would have stayed back."
Eve watched the regret in Anaya's eyes. There was pain and sorrow that blazed inside of her, but there was nothing that they could do. As if the opportunity was gone. Anaya took a deep breath as if trying to control her emotions as they were in a public setting. She said,
"I am sorry I didn't see you before I left for my town. I should have written to you at least."
"You don't have to be, Anaya," Eve shook her head and turned to face the woman. "I understand, and you don't have to explain it to me." Anaya nodded.
Before Eve had been hoping to give her wedding bouquet to Anaya. Though it wasn't in the same condition anymore, she doubted she could ever give it. When she knew that the man Anaya wanted to marry was no more.
Author's Note: Readers who want to take a peek at the new book, you will find it on patreon application or website.
