The funeral was going to be very solemn; only servants that had served the family and survived the tragedy were allowed to attend. Since only loyal servants were allowed to participate, it felt safer for the Queen to come with her two grandsons and some guards.
They stood next to Elizabella as they were going to be buried. Elizabella had not really cried since everything happened but has been looking very listless. Now that she was finally saying goodbye for the last time to her family, she felt overwhelmed.
She still did not cry or wail out loud, but her eyes were red behind her dark shades. The Queen had also noticed that she seemed thinner than the last time she saw her, which worried her. The two Princes stood next to her and silently cried.
The two Princes were very well acquainted with her family since they would play together when they were much younger. The two Princes grew up believing that her family would become their in-laws one day, so they always maintained a friendly stance when they were alive.
As young lads, their Royal Grandmother would often say to them and their late father that it would be great if one of them would grow up to marry a Blakeloch. More specifically, Elizabella. Their late father had brought up the topic to Marquess Blakeloch when they were younger, but soon after, he passed away. All such talks disappeared or were forgotten with her family.
However, as kids, they had an excellent relationship and even liked the idea of marriage. The problem was that both wanted her enough to continue to pursue the idea of marriage. Hence, why they were both extra polite to her family.
During their childhood, Elizabella always enjoyed playing with them, but she never once thought they would marry. Her father had never even mentioned that he wanted to match her with any of the Princes, so her playing with them was never more than just pure friendship.
Seeing them next to her, mourning her family, brought some comfort to her, knowing that her family at least had people that cared. After her family's death, she started wondering who could have hated her family enough to just kill them off.
She never knew anyone who had any problems with her family, so she started to wonder if there were any secrets that her family held. These thoughts made her quite paranoid, and she asked herself if there was anyone she could really trust or, worse, could trust her family at this point.
General Griffon's report was not given to her yet, so she decided to pass her own judgment until then. That was one of the reasons that she felt she could not cry like everyone else. She thought that if she understood the truth of the situation, she would come to terms with what had happened.
The funeral proceeded on, with their final farewells given and the bodies being laid to rest. The cold winds made it hard for the guests to stay out for too long, even though they had set up a heated tent where they were under.
After being placed in the hole, Elizabella led the guests to drop flowers into the hole on top of the coffins. Her father having the larger casket, and her younger five siblings having the much smaller caskets. They were all quietly buried as Elizabella watched, and the guests wept and dried their tears.
Once it was done, they were all led inside the ancestral family mansion for some refreshments and to warm up. The Queen sat next to Elizabella as her two grandsons sat next to her.
"How are you holding up, dear?" asked the Queen as she held Elizabella's hands in her own.
"I believe I am doing alright, I just want to understand how everything played out, and the thought of the results scare me. I have asked myself, 'why?' so often; it seems to be the only thing I think about these days. I wish I could just get past this," said Elizabella as she sighed sadly while the Queen and the two Princes listened to her.
"It will be alright, eventually. You just cannot give up on life, and you must look forward. We are here for you. Everyone in this room is next to you. We just do not want you to feel that you are alone. Remember that there are people that still care about you that surround you constantly," said the Queen trying to make Elizabella feel better; hearing her words made her sigh.
"I understand, Your Majesty. Your words are full of wisdom and counseling. I am forever grateful for your kindness," said Elizabella as she bowed her head politely to the Queen sitting next to her.
"It is good that you understand. We hope that you continue to stay your cheerful self and continue onwards," said the Queen as she smiled and suddenly felt tired after all these days of worrying and trying to figure out what had happened. "Bella, dear, may you forgive Us, but We are feeling a little tired after all that has happened. We should get going, but the two Princes can stay and keep you company for now."
"Alright, we shall see you out, Your Majesty," said Elizabella as she stood up and helped the Queen up with her two grandsons.
They walked her out directly to her vehicle. She hugged Elizabella lightly and left. Everyone stayed watching until she was no longer in view, then went back inside to the mansion. This mansion was not the one in the capital where the family would stay most of the year. If it had been, the Queen may have stayed later as her Palace would be close by.
This particular mansion was located in a different province, mostly known as the ancestral family mansion. The family never really used it unless they were in town for business or when an important family gathering was needed.
The mansion where everyone perished was located in this same province but a different location for formal and grand events. It was larger to house everyone comfortably, whereas the ancestral family mansion was mostly for the family's head and his immediate family.
On most days, the larger mansion was used as a getaway for other nobles as the area was tranquil and private with many luxury amenities, both outdoor and indoor. Every year, they would close their doors for their annual charity event, and now that will no longer happen.
In the family mansion, Elizabella went back to her seat with the two Princes sitting next to her on each side. The eldest Prince was twenty while the younger was eighteen. They looked very similar, just that Prince Arnez-William Danyel Glanmor VII, the elder Prince, had a warm smile when he did and Prince Andrion Gilmyn Glanmor, the younger Prince, had a more childish charming smile.
Their hair was a darker auburn color that had recently been cut to fit in with their military troops. As soon as they turned eighteen, they joined the military as was the tradition for the royal males to join and tour for four years. They were tanner than before, but because it was getting colder, their tan was going away.
"How are you really feeling, Bella?" asked Prince Andrion while looking at Elizabella, who had her head down as she scrunched up her handkerchief in her hands.
"Really sad. I do not know how else to describe this feeling. I feel sad that this had to happen, I feel sad that anyone would ever think to harm my loved ones, I feel sad that I will never see them again, and I feel sad that my mother is still missing," said Elizabella as she dabbed the corner of her eyes. At the same time, she tried not to cry in front of the Princes. "She last told me that she was not feeling well and had suspected before that she may be pregnant again, but it was too early to tell. I am sad that I will never know if she really was expecting or just caught a bug. I am just sad."
"It is alright to be sad in these moments," said Prince Arnez-William as he placed an arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer. "But it is not good that you do not release it healthily. If you want to cry, you are allowed to cry. If you want to shout, just shout. Who cares if it is not ladylike if you do. I am sure that even Royal Grandmother would not mind if you had in front of her before she had left."
"Thank you, Prince Ar-Will, but I am sure that she would have felt most uncomfortable. I would hate to be the one that puts her in that position," said Elizabella as she imagined how that would play, and it made her smile a little, making the two Princes watching her smile back and glanced up at each other.
"Bella, dear, we have wanted to speak to you about something that could impact our futures. We had actually hoped to even have your parents around to speak to them, but this happened," said Prince Andrion as he sighed and then swallowed as he felt nervous over what he and his older brother would talk to her about.
"Oh? What about?" said Elizabella as her eyes seemed to be in more grief at the mention of her parents.
"Ahem. It is like this, Bella. Our grandmother has always liked you, a lot," started Prince Andrion before pausing, leaving Prince Arnez-William to continue for him.
"She likes you so much that it is her biggest wish for one of us to marry you. We are not saying that we would marry soon since you will turn seventeen next month, just that we wanted you to think about which one of us you would want to marry in the future," said Prince Arnez-William, making Elizabella freeze in shock at their suggestion.
"Actually, it is not just grandmother that likes you; we like you as well, to the point that we like grandmother's suggestion of marriage. I do not know if you remember, but our fathers spoke of having us marry when we were older. However, as you know, we lost our father when we were younger," said Prince Andrion as he gave a sad sigh, while his brother also seemed upset at the mention of his deceased father.
"We hope that you will think about your decision on who to choose...-" said Prince Arnez-William before he was interrupted by Elizabella.
"I am sorry, but I have never once felt that way about either of you. I even have a boyfriend that has already met my parents. I cannot leave him for you two."