Stay Dead This Time Chapter 10
How was Stellan supposed to prove he was himself?
Just then, more hoofbeats approached from a distance. The officials from the Ministry of Rites had arrived.
The Deputy Minister Edmund Hale dismounted at the head of the column and strode into the chapel. He took one. look at Stellan sitting inside the coffin and furrowed his brow.
“What’s going on here?” His voice was cold as ice.
I stepped forward and spoke with the utmost deference. “My lord, this man climbed out of the coffin during the funeral and claims to be General Stellan Montclair. But the whole world knows my husband fell in battle, and Lady Daphne Langford, whom His Majesty personally honored with the title of Lady of Fidelity, has already followed him in death.
“This man appeared out of nowhere, and I have no idea what to make of it.”
Edmund’s gaze lingered on Stellan for a moment, then shifted to Vivienne. “Madam, is this man your son, Stellan Montclair?”
Vivienne began to tremble violently. She opened her mouth, looked at Stellan, then looked at me.
I met her gaze calmly.
Vivienne remembered what I had told her. Treason against the crown meant the destruction of the entire family. If she acknowledged Stellan, the whole Montclair household would go down with him.
Her, Daphne, and every last one of the hundreds of people under the Montclair name. Not a single one would be spared. But if she did not acknowledge him…
Her lips trembled for a long time before she finally closed her eyes. When she spoke, her voice was so hoarse it sounded like it was being wrung from her throat.
“No… He is not… He is not my son… My son is dead…”
Stellan’s eyes went wide. “Mother! What are you saying?”
He fought to climb out of the coffin. “Mother! It’s me! It’s Stellan! I’m your son! How can you not recognize me?”
Vivienne turned her face away, unable to look at him. Tears silently streamed down her cheeks.
Daphne stood frozen as she stared blankly at Vivienne, then at Stellan. Her lips were moving, but they produced no sound at all.
Stellan turned to me, his eyes burning with hatred. “Elara Renworth! This is your doing! You forced her into this! You vile, wretched woman! You’ll pay for this!”
I ignored him.
Edmund frowned. “Then, who is this man?”
Vivienne said nothing.
The head maid at my side stepped forward and spoke in a low, measured voice. “My lord, this man is a common swindler. He must have heard of General Montclair’s deeds somewhere and decided to impersonate the general for profit.
“Fortunately, Mrs. Montclair Senior may be getting on in years, but her mind is still sharp. She spotted the fraud before any real harm could be done.”
Edmund nodded, his gaze settling back on Stellan.
“Impersonating a court-appointed official… What’s the penalty?”
The clerk beside him opened the book of statutes and read aloud. “Impersonation of a court-appointed official is punishable by 100 lashes and exile beyond the frontier. In cases of grave severity or treasonous intent, the sentence is death.”
Stellan was shaking from head to toe.
“I’m not impersonating anyone! I am Stellan Montclair! You can’t do this to me! I want to see the king! I’ll explain everything to His Majesty myself!”
“His Majesty will not see you.” Edmund’s voice was flat and final. “General Montclair died on the battlefield. The king himself confirmed it. If you’re General Montclair, then who died on the battlefield? Who did the king honor?”
He paused, and his tone grew colder still. “Or are you suggesting that His Majesty was wrong?”
That one sentence cut off every last avenue of escape.
Stellan could not say the king was wrong. Questioning the king’s word was a capital offense, so he could not say that he had done nothing wrong. If he had done nothing wrong, then he had faked his death and also deceived the crown, which also constituted a capital offense.
