Rose started going around the village, finding all the bones and clothes lying on the ground. She picked them up and gathered them in one place. She didn't know whose remains they were, so she gathered all of them in the center so that they could build a simple memorial for all of them.
Unfortunately, there was no telling which one was her father. Rose felt dejected, but there was nothing she could do.
She ended up gathering everyone in that one tomb.
Noel was helping her by digging the soil for all of them, cutting some wood, and bringing some stones for the grave.
While paying his respect, Noel couldn't help but recall what happened in his parents' execution.
…
One year ago.
"Father, Mother!" Noel was running into the city's plaza while being chased by the soldiers the Royal Family had dispatched.
There was a wooden platform in the plaza. They only erected it when they were about to execute a dangerous criminal.
But this time, the ones kneeling on the platform were none other than his parents. Their appearance wasn't a mess. There were some wrinkles on their clothes, but they didn't seem to have been tortured.
The townspeople surrounded the platform. Most of them had sad expressions as if they didn't want this to happen. Some couldn't even bear to watch the execution.
It showed a lot about what kind of leader Luke Ardagan was. He was kind to people and his people loved him.
Yet, it didn't change his fate. He had to be executed.
Their hands and neck had been locked by wooden stocks and their feet had been chained to the platform, preventing them from escaping.
There were two executioners, both wielding a sharp glaive.
They were wearing a helmet, so no one could see their faces.
"Father, Mother!" Noel kept screaming while pushing away the people, trying to reach his parents.
But because the people were slowing him down, he got caught by the soldiers.
One of the soldiers grabbed his head and slammed his body to the ground while the other pinned his ankles down.
The people were confused at the moment and when they saw Noel, the sole heir of the Ardagan Family, they couldn't help but slightly back away as if trying to let Noel go through the mass.
Unfortunately, with the soldiers pinning him down, he couldn't do anything but watch his parents executed.
"Start!"
"Father, Mother!" Noel struggled to set him free but to no avail. To his surprise, his parents didn't say anything to him.
They only looked at him and gave their best smiles as the sharp blades sliced their necks.
This was the first time Noel felt the excruciating pain in his heart. He had been doing everything at his own pace, so he enjoyed most of his life.
But with the death of his parents, he finally realized how helpless he was without them. The memories about them resurfaced in his mind, making him realize he hadn't done anything for them before they left her.
All the sadness, pain, and regret were swelling in his heart.
There wasn't a single word exchanged between them. The only thing Noel realized was the soldiers were dragging him away so that they could send him to the Demon Banner Army.
Back then, he didn't know that those people were not his parents. The reason why they didn't say anything was to avoid making people notice the change in their voices. They might have the same face, but it was with the help of cosmetics. And cosmetics didn't change their voices.
So, Noel still recognized them as his parents at that time.
Now that he knew everything, he started to wonder what was happening at that time. Where were his parents? What were they doing?
In a sense, Noel had some similarities with Rose. He couldn't help but take a few peeks at her face to see what kind of emotion she had and what she wanted to do after this.
Though, he soon stopped and focused on the burial.
As soon as they finished giving them a proper burial, Rose took a deep breath as if trying to push away all the matters in the past.
Noel gave her the water bottle, which she needed the most to calm her down.
Rose made a wry smile and felt grateful that Noel was here. Although it would mean she had shown her weak side to Noel, it didn't change the fact that Noel was all the support she needed to go through all this.
"Thank you, Noel. For everything you've done…" Rose looked at the houses around before saying, "I'm going to guide you to my house. What you said earlier made some sense…
"This village is quite remote, so there should be no reason for the Supreme Devil Organization to attack us.
"And when the raid happened, the people should go to the center like usual. Yet, my father sent me away as if he knew what was happening.
"It felt like my father knew about something that the villagers didn't." Rose gave the last glance at the furthest house from them. "If we want to know about the secret, the only way to do it is to go to my house…"
Noel nodded. He didn't say anything since there was no need for an additional emotion invoked by Noel's voice.
Rose guided Noel to the house while trying to remember every detail of when she lived with her parents.
It felt like her father possessed something the Supreme Devil Organization wanted.
"I can't help but wonder now…" Rose frowned as if she remembered something. "My father had never told me anything about the outside world. However, his body was muscular enough even though he was always inside the house, handling all kinds of matters.
"I never saw him training his body. Now that I had tried to look back, it felt like my father knew some manners, unlike normal villagers…
"And I think I know what my father is hiding…"
