All of Selesburge was in mourning. The greatest tragedy in a generation had struck the Grand Duchy with the assassination of the heir apparent to the throne alongside his wife, the Hereditary Grand Duke and Grand Duchess while they had been exiting the Chateau de Mansfeld following a charity gala held by Estelle Mayer, founder of Tegroff. Hereditary Grand Duke Maurice and his lovely wife, Hereditary Grand Duchess Alizée had been the most popular members of the Grand Ducal Family with approval ratings of 92% at the time of their horrific assassination. The lovely Hereditary Grand Duchess had been killed immediately on sight at Chateau de Mansfeld from the bullets of the assassins and her husband, heavily injured from the attack, died just three days later. They had been just 31 and 29 years old. In the wake of the Hereditary Grand Duke's last words and breathes, the country was thrown into a state of universal mourning for the young couple. Now, a week and a half later, the state funeral of the couple is being held in Selesburge City.
In the Selesburge Grand Ducal Palace, the remaining Grand Ducal Family was preparing to make the two hundred and eighty meter march from the Grand Ducal Palace to the Notre-Dame de Cathedral of Selesburge that was already lined with black clad mourners, hundreds of thousands of Selesburgers had flooded into the capital city for send off their beloved prince and princess and give their final farewell. At the head of everything was the late Hereditary Grand Duke's younger brother and successor, the new Hereditary Grand Duke Antoine had found himself the only one whom the monarchy was resting upon. He was dressed sharply in a mourner black suit as he directed the groups of the procession before they left the palace. With Antoine was his younger brother, Prince Philippe, was dress similarly, though kept pulling on his black gloves nervously. Neither one could believe their older brother had left them. It seemed too horrible to be true, made even worse by the violent death that had taken him away from them.
The two of them were in the entrance way of the palace. The procession was a to be the great ceremonial part of the state funeral lead by the family of the couple. Elsewhere in the palace, in the State Room, the late couple were still lying in state. Thousands had come over the pass week to pay their respects. The coffins were made with glass lids, allowing viewing of the young royals, both had been handsome and beautiful, and the royal mortician had made them stunning, looking better dead than they did alive. Now the room was empty save family members and those that would carry the coffins to the cathedral, dressed in traditional Selesburgish honor guard uniforms. Chief among the mourners in the family gathered there was Grand Duke Antoine IV of Selesburge, who stood over the coffin that held his son, decorated with sweetbriar roses. The Grand Duke had been broken by his son's death. He had become quiet, more so that before. Also there was his sister and cousin, Princess Emilienne and Count Etienne Duclos of Viandan, the third and fourth-in-line to the throne respectively.
Their collective silence was deafening, their sadness reflective of the entire nation in the face of such horrible tragedy. It was to be in recent history, the most sober day in Selesburge.
