Chapter 88: About Junshi

"Huh...? My tears won’t stop falling. They’re dripping onto the back of my hand."

Lily sees my tears and gives me a gentle "Ufufu" smile.

"Lord Robby, there is no need to cry. This is only natural. We cannot be together in this world, but let us be together in the next one."

So that’s how it is. She’s choosing to follow me in death with the hope that we’ll be together in the next life... I’m happy, but it feels kind of heavy, doesn’t it?

"Lily, the people who commit junshi must have families, right?"

"Of course they do. Many widows are left behind, and children are left without fathers."

"What happens to those people?"

"I don’t know. If they belong to a higher-ranking noble house, the remaining family might take care of them, but for lower-ranking nobles or commoners, they may end up on the streets."

"Doesn’t the country provide anything? Like a pension?"

"There might be something like a one-time payment, but that’s probably the end of it."

I figured as much. In a world without any real social security, that’s how it would be. Yeah, of course there’s nothing.

"That must make it really hard for the people left behind to keep living."

I can’t even imagine how a woman suddenly left as a widow with children is supposed to survive.

"Yes, it’s very difficult. That’s why widows often go out looking for work, but it’s not easy to find any. In some cases, they end up becoming the wife of their husband’s younger brother."

"Eh!? I get looking for work, but becoming the younger brother’s wife? Doesn’t the brother mind? And is the widow okay with it?"

"I’m sure they both hate it. After all, your older brother’s wife becomes your own wife. The person you used to call ’Sister-in-law’ suddenly becomes your spouse, and your brother’s children become your own. But if they don’t do that, the wife and children your brother left behind won’t be able to survive. For the widow, it means becoming the wife of the man she used to see as her brother-in-law."

"It’s amazing they can both agree to it."

"They have no choice but to agree. For a widow, that’s the only way to raise her children. That’s why polygamy exists."

"I see. I thought polygamy was just to fulfill the desires of perverted men, but it was actually born out of necessity."

"That’s right. It can’t be helped. If the younger brother already has a wife or lover, that person becomes the first wife, and the older brother’s widow becomes the second wife."

"Do feelings of love ever develop between the people involved?"

"Who knows? It’s impossible to say. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t."

"Yeah. That’s something no one can know for sure."

Come to think of it, both Lily and Linda had lost their lovers or husbands and taken up work. Lily continued working after losing her lover, so she might not have needed to look for a new job, but Linda said she lost her husband and searched for work before becoming a maid. Being a maid isn’t something that’s constantly hiring, so it must have been hard for her to find a position. There are women of various ages in the Accounting Bureau; I realized many of them must have lost their husbands and found new employment.

Lily continued.

"Even so, there are parents who don’t want to let their sons die."

That makes sense.

"I don’t know about His Highness the Crown Prince, but there are cases where the master and servant don’t see eye to eye, yet they are forced to maintain the lord-vassal relationship."

"Sorry, I’m not quite following. You mean the servant dislikes the master but has no choice but to serve him?"

"Yes. For example, let’s say in the past, ministers were forced to send their sons to serve a tyrannical Crown Prince. The sons constantly objected to the Crown Prince’s words and actions. Then, if the Crown Prince died in an unexpected accident, the ministers might find it unbearable to make their sons commit junshi for him. The sons themselves would think, ’I don’t want to die for a guy like that.’

In such a case, the parents would send their sons into exile in another country. On the surface, they would claim the son had committed junshi. Junshi is only reported to the royal palace—there is no verification of the actual death. So the son can change his name and live in another country. Of course, they can never return to their homeland. But it’s still better than dying."

What a terrible situation. But I can see how that could happen. If the lord you’re serving is an idiot, there’s no way you’d want to die with him.

"Anyway, I understand now. Keep giving me detailed updates about Stevie from now on. If there’s anything I can do to help, I want to do it."

"Understood. I will keep you informed. Well then, good night."

With that, Lily returned to her seat. I got into bed and fell asleep.

On the day of the funeral, the atmosphere wasn’t nearly as tense as the day the Crown Prince’s body arrived. It felt strangely businesslike, as if preparations were proceeding mechanically. We woke up, ate, changed clothes, and rode in a carriage to the cathedral. It felt like we were simply checking off items on a schedule.

No one was smiling, but they didn’t seem particularly sad either. Everyone wore blank expressions, like they had masks on.

I rode in the carriage with Mother and Cass toward the cathedral. Inside the carriage, no one spoke at all. Perhaps remaining silent was their way of showing mourning?

When we arrived at the cathedral, people entered according to their order in the line of succession to the throne. That’s when I learned that the Crown Prince’s death had sparked a struggle for the throne.

Looking around, I saw grand dukes, princes, and other high nobles connected to the succession arguing over the order of entry, glaring at each other and bickering. I stayed far away from that group, watching from a distance. I had no desire to get involved in something like that.

---

Even though it looked like it might rain, I wished the people bickering right in front of the cathedral entrance would stop. I was just watching from the sidelines, but to others I probably looked like I was spacing out.

"Isn’t this Lord Robin?"

A voice called out from behind. When I turned around, I saw a sharp-looking man with slicked-back silver hair and a mustache. The appraisal showed:

『Armand Richelieu, 48 years old, Prime Minister of the Marie Kingdom』

I was surprised that such an important person knew who I was, but I didn’t show it and simply bowed my head.

"This is Prime Minister Richelieu. I’m surprised you know who I am."

The Prime Minister called me "Robin." Since we’d never met before and he was a high-ranking official, it was natural for him to use my formal name. But most people called me "Robby," so it felt very fresh! Though being called "Robby" in public settings sometimes carried a hint of contempt, which made it complicated.

The Prime Minister slightly relaxed the corners of his mouth. He didn’t show any condescending attitude toward me.

"No, no. A Prime Minister who doesn’t remember the faces and names of all the royal family members wouldn’t be able to do his job. Besides, Lord Robin, I’ve heard that you’ve changed quite a bit recently. I’ve been wanting to speak with you at least once."

"So, why isn’t the line moving forward?"

It seemed he had just arrived and didn’t know about the earlier staring contest, so I explained.

"It appears the members of the royal family are arguing over the order in which they enter the cathedral. Since I’m fine with going last, I’m just waiting for them to settle it."

The Prime Minister furrowed his brows.