The Funeral Without a Death

The Funeral Without a Death

MATTEO'S POV

The hall was packed, louder than I expected, but with a strange, stiff kind of noise. People moving around, talking in low tones, laughing at the wrong moment. Everyone was sizing her up. Izzy, standing at the front, trying not to look nervous. I leaned against the wall, arms crossed, observing.

“She looks like she’s about to throw up,” muttered one of the younger captains beside me.

I didn’t answer, i didn’t need to. I already knew. I’d seen her at the council. I’d seen her push back but this… this was a different kind of test.

“She’s a kid playing dress-up,” the captain continued, shaking his head.

I finally turned to him. “You’ve underestimated her before, don’t do it again.”

He froze. “Yes, Matteo.”

The ceremony started. Izzy moved to the podium with the kind of hesitation that almost looked like fear. She straightened, cleared her throat, and began speaking.

“Today, we honor Vincenzo,” she said. “Not for me, not for Matteo, not for anyone but for him and we look forward, forward to the future he built for all of us.”

Her voice wavered once, and the room shifted uncomfortably. Then she steadied herself.

I watched her carefully. The way she held the microphone, the way she looked around, not just reading words, she was measuring reactions, making sure she had the room.

A few council members nodded. Some elders muttered their approval under their breath and Marco… Marco was frowning, arms crossed, lips pressed tight. The same look he always got when he thought someone was bluffing their way through.

I walked closer to the edge of the podium, keeping my distance but making sure she could feel I was there. Not to help her, she didn’t need me to help her but to watch. To see how she handled it when the room was silent on her every word.

“I know some of you think I’m inexperienced,” she said, and I heard a few chuckles from the back, she didn’t flinch. “I know some of you wonder if I can lead, that’s fair but I will lead and I will not let the sacrifices my father made go to waste.”

I nodded slightly. That’s when I noticed something I hadn’t seen before. Her hands weren’t trembling. Her jaw was tight, her eyes were sharp and that’s when I realized that she wasn’t afraid of the room. She was afraid of failing and she would make damn sure she didn’t.

Marco leaned toward his neighbor, whispering something. I caught a bit, “She’ll break before noon.”

I cleared my throat and stepped slightly closer, making my presence known. The whispering stopped instantly and people sat straighter. Eyes flicked to me, then to her. The shift in the room was subtle, but it happened. She noticed it too, she didn’t stop speaking.

“And to those who think I am just my father’s daughter,” she continued, “I say this, the future belongs to whoever is willing to fight for it. I am ready to fight, i am ready to lead and I expect the same from every one of you.”

There it was, that line. The first line that made people stop doubting. She hadn’t won everyone over, but she’d made them listen. She’d made them pay attention.

After she finished, the applause was polite, scattered at first, then it grew. Some of the older councilmen clapped with quiet approval. The soldiers standing along the walls straightened, nodding slightly and Marco… Marco didn’t clap. He didn’t even blink, he just stared at her. I caught that look and I made a note of it. He was going to be trouble.

When it ended, people started filing out, whispering among themselves. I walked up beside her.

“Not bad,” I said, lowering my voice just for her.

She glanced at me, eyes bright but wary. “Thanks.”

“You looked calm,” I said. “Better than calm, you looked controlled.”

Her lips twitched, almost a smile. “I’m still shaking inside.”

“Good,” I said. “It shows you care.”

She frowned. “Care? Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do?”

“Yes,” I said. “But showing it like that? You just proved everyone in that room that you’re human and human’s stronger than steel when you know how to use it.”

She looked at me for a long moment. I could see the doubt still lingering behind her eyes, but it was fading. Slowly.

“Matteo,” she said finally, “what if I fail? What if they turn against me?”

I put a hand on her shoulder. “Then you get up. You fight back, you don’t sit down and cry. You’ve got too much riding on this to waste it on fear.”

She swallowed hard. “I don’t want to be like him,” she said, almost a whisper.

“Good,” I said. “Don’t be like him, be yourself. That’s why they’ll follow you, not because they have to, because they want to, not because of fear, but because of respect and right now? You’re earning it.”

She nodded slowly, as if accepting the weight of my words.

We stayed there for a moment, watching the last of the council leave the hall. Her speech had worked, not perfectly, but it had worked. She’d earned a foothold, and that was enough for now.

I stepped back and gave her a small nod. “Next time, keep your eyes on the bigger picture. People test you in public, they don’t always speak their doubts out loud but you felt it. That’s enough to know what’s coming.”

She exhaled, finally a bit of relief breaking through. “Thanks,” she said. “Really.”

I nodded. “Just remember. The throne isn’t safe and it's not for anyone. Especially not you.”

Her jaw tightened. “Then I’ll make it safe. For me and for everyone who believes in me.”

I let her words hang in the hall, echoing in the empty space after everyone had gone. I knew she meant it. I knew she would do it and for the first
time, I realized that maybe Vincenzo’s legacy wasn’t dead yet. It lived in her.