She reached for the box and carefully pulled it closer before opening the lid.
Edmond's face remained exactly the same as it had been the night before, preserved by the magic placed upon the box.
Rose gently brushed his black hair away from his forehead and stared at him for a long moment.
She had no intention of leaving him behind. Ever since the Cardinal had given the wooden box to her, Rose had carried it everywhere she went.
She carried Edmond with her whenever she climbed the thousand steps to the Holy Temple in the morning, and she brought him back down with her every night.
She knew some people found it disturbing, while others whispered that grief had driven her mad, but Rose never cared about what they thought.
Edmond had promised that he would never leave her alone.
Since he could no longer keep that promise himself, Rose would keep him beside her instead.
