"Who do you think is responsible for this?"

"Honestly, I don't know." replied James, as he was not sure who or what was behind this assassination attempt on him. Also, the strangest thing was Lucas, who was also here in this castle with tight security around his room, was now acting like nothing happened in the carriage.

No matter how many times he asked about his situation in the carriage, the answer was always unclear. His most prominent answer was he panicked, followed by all those reactions which were believable if James hadn't seen him from the very beginning.

He started getting paranoid since they boarded the carriage, which was too odd. His actions only suggested one thing, and that was he was expecting something like this to happen.

So was he the one who tried to kill him? And even if he was, then why he didn't kill him after Hansh left the carriage? It was a golden opportunity, but he kept panicking, doing nothing.

"So you know nothing?" inquired the duke.

Heinrich had already ordered a thorough investigation on the matter, which was going as planned. Every notable evidence was getting collected from the region where this damn thing took place. The sole survivor of this conflict, Hansh was able to provide them with some key information regarding the count's son's weird behavior & presence of unidentified soldiers.

And the biggest thing of all was there was another survivor. The leader of the group who attacked the carriage was now getting treated behind the bars. He was in no condition to talk because of severe blood loss, but after getting treated, he was going to talk or they would make him talk.

"Actually, I think I know something."

"Explain it then."

Leon explained what he saw on the carriage, from Hansh's behavior to Lucas's panicking, which was the exact thing Heinrich had already heard from the report he received. Each & every word was the same.

Lucas really was expecting something to happen & then something happened, which claimed the lives of 20 soldiers. Every evidence showed that the man named Lucas was behind this, so the next logical step was to interrogate him with all his family members from where they could get something valuable.

Still, there was one question left. Why would Count Palatine's son tried to kill a duke's son? Anyone would answer that he wanted to gain power or destabilize the region by harming family members of the ruler, which was plausible, but was not that simple.

Palatine was a man who held his moral & rule before anything. This trait was in their family's blood, as the previous count of the region was also a good person who thought of the wellbeing of his people.

Judging from this point, Lucas also had to hold his moral before anything, as it was definitely taught by his father. And the most bizarre thing was he held onto his principles throughout the years. Like his father, he too thought about his people, helped them in many ways.

Also he had no track record of being someone like Leon. So accusing him as the one who did all this would not be a wise decision except they had some concrete evidence to back it.

"So you think Lucas did all this?"

"I don't know. His behavior was odd & that's the only thing I saw."

Henrich nodded, saying nothing as he got up from his seat & following him, everyone did the same except Adeline, who was still lying on the bed.

"You mother & I need to talk so excuse us?" saying that the duke began to leave but Leon called from behind asking a question he never asked.

"What about the soldiers?"

"What about them?"

"They died."

"So..."

"They are dead because of me." said James with an expression full of sadness. His guilt & being unable to do anything was slowly eating him from inside. He was on the verge of forgetting who he was or what he was supposed to do. He needed someone to tell him what he should do now.

James was desperately searching for the light in the dark path he was slowly walking into.

He had no close contact with any soldiers who died, but knew the meaning of death. James knew what followed after it. He knew what their families were now going through, cause he was just in the same place as them.

And all this happened because he wanted to fix a problem? Was he really fixing it or was he breaking it? There was no answer to his question, as he was the one who had to answer it.

"They died for you, not because of you." answered the Duke in a soft tone. He was seeing his son's behavior from the moment he came back. It seemed he was accounting himself for their death, which was not true.

All of them died protecting him cause they wanted to protect him. They served their purpose in life. They died cause they accepted the inevitable, not because Leon forced them to. They all could have run away, but they didn't.

They held onto their morals & perished. The only one responsible for all this was the man who planned this, and he was going to pay the price, no matter the cost.

"It doesn't change the fact that they are dead. Their families will not see them ever again." said James, raising his voice a bit. He was slowly getting more & more desperate for answers. He needed to do something. No, he had to do something.

"I know."

"So do something..."

"I can't bring the dead back, son. It's beyond my capabilities. They perished, protecting you. They did their job & now it's for us to make their sacrifice worth it."

"But..."

"I know their families will not see them ever again, but it is the only truth & they need to accept that. Those brave souls are gone forever. It is the reality." answered Heinrich with a sigh, as he was also helpless.

He couldn't do anything except make sure their families live a fortunate life for the rest of the time they had. Still, the loss won't ever leave them. It would hunt them forever.

"I need to do something. I can't just sit here & enjoy my life when others are dying for me. I have to do something." James was getting overwhelmed by thoughts of many things which could never be described in words.

He wanted to do something, but what more could he do? No matter what he would do, it wasn't going to bring them back.

"Listen Leon... take some rest. We will talk about it tomorrow. Ok."

Saying that Henrich & the duchess left the room, taking Adeline with them, leaving Leon alone to his thoughts, which were all over the place.

***

A man with jewel like blue eyes & black hair was watching the unfolding scene before him. His face was expressionless, eyes were red, clothes were dirty & was standing alone.

There were 20 bodies placed in the large field, each covered with woods & above it lied the flag of Esper duchy. Countless cries of children, women could be heard throughout the area as they bid farewell to their loved ones.

Someone's son, someone's father, someone's husband, someone's brother was gone, without telling them their last words. They all died serving their Lord, which was their ultimate job.

Every soldier knew they were going to die fighting for their employer, but no one ever wanted to die. Their families also knew the inevitable end could come at any moment, still it hurts.

No matter how prepared anyone can be, losing loved ones is still painful. No one could escape the clutches of death, but still we try.

As we walk along the road called life, we forget that there is something called death exists. We live our life as if there is no end. But in reality, there always is the end. There was always an end & there will be an end. And that end is called Death.

These brave souls met their end fighting. They never turned their back.

Was it pride? Or was it courage? Only the fallen ones could answer that.

Still, the everlasting question stands. Was it worth it?

Was their lives worth sacrificing for a man who had achieved nothing? Who had done nothing except enjoying this life? Was their death worth less than Leon's life?

There was no definitive answer to this question. It was something where answers didn't matter anymore. The price had been paid for something no one ever asked for.

Soon, 20 soldiers stood before each one of their fallen comrades carrying a bow & a flaming arrow. They all were at a considerable distance, waiting for the people to leave, who were still weeping for their loved ones.

Some hugged the bodies, some stood crying, some stood carrying a disbelieved expression on their faces. The ones who were lying here were smiling a couple of days ago but now were gone. They won't smile or laugh ever again.

Soldiers arrived & escorted all the family members to a distant place. Some didn't want to leave but were forcibly taken away.

Finally, the moment arrived when all the soldiers took their position, pulled the string facing the bow towards the sky & released in unison. All arrows struck the flags at the exact moment and soon each of them started burning.

It was really a heartbreaking sight to witness. James saw everything, felt everything & was now there, standing like a statue with lifeless eyes. Advisors from the duchy were already present & his presence was deemed unnecessary, but still he was here.

Leon was a duke's son, for whom these tiny matters never mattered, but now everything mattered. Everyone in the area was aware of Leon's presence but seeing his demeanor, no one dared to say anything.

They were all surprised to see him but he was someone whom no one questioned so, he just stood there, alone, looking at the helpless screams.

"It's painful, isn't it?"