Due to Imperial Family tradition, the funeral of the Emperor was held for only a single day, the shortest funeral any monarch on the continent observed.
Outsiders called it cold, or impersonal, or unseemly for a ruler of such vast domains. But those who understood the Iondora way knew better. The Emperor did not demand weeks of mourning. He did not wish to be a burden on his people even in death.
The burial procession began after the seventh wave of mourners finished their prayers, late in the afternoon when the sun had begun its slow descent toward the horizon. The casket, draped in the imperial standard, was carried through the palace gates and into the city beyond, where common folk lined the streets in silent vigil.
Under the bleeding sunset, the casket was lowered into the earth.
And the week-long mourning period began.
