Silence.
Some wondered if they had misheard.
Demian continued, his tone even.
"Ivanka and I… were no longer husband and wife."
The words fell like a stone into a still lake.
The ripples spread swiftly.
"W-what do you mean…?" the elderly Count asked, his face paling.
Demian did not turn. His gaze remained fixed on the grave that had just been sealed.
"Legally," he went on, "that bond had already been annulled."
Several noblewomen covered their mouths.
A young Baron whispered unconsciously, "Annulled? Since when?"
The murmurs began to swell.
"Was it because of the Kosler scandal?"
"Did the Emperor order it?"
"Was the marriage never valid to begin with?"
The Marchioness Kosler, standing not far away, lifted her tear-reddened eyes. She stared at Demian with an expression torn between shock and restrained fury.
The Marquess himself froze.
He had not expected this to be announced here.
Before his daughter's grave.
