Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 105
The eighteen-year-old who knows nothing
Without a doubt, when Izar was eighteen, he didn’t make a point to watch the lowly shepherdess. It was just that the girl happened to be wandering in his line of sight.
After all, she was tending to the sheep at the ducal estate. Naturally, she would be there.
“…Are you listening, Izar?”
“I’m listening.”
Unfortunately, very well.
Izar finally turned away from the window to face the person nagging him.
His stepmother, Electra, had begun pestering him about marriage prospects in earnest when he turned eighteen. To be precise, she was rejecting the proposals that came to him and criticizing them.
“How dare they, who are merely recipients of our support, shamelessly try to push their daughters on us. It’s better to choose from among the vassals.”
“…”
“Oh, if only there were a daughter in the imperial family!”
Electra’s lamentation was both a complaint and a subtle mockery of Izar’s lineage.
Had it not been for Izar’s mother, the direct bloodline wouldn’t have perished, and he might have had the chance to marry a future princess.
‘This is tiresome.’
Izar ignored her and looked out the window again. At that moment, he saw the shepherdess hitting a troublesome sheep with her staff.
She usually walked around with her head bowed quietly, but that must be her true nature.
In any case, watching that was better than this boring conversation.
Electra, unaware of Izar’s distraction, snorted.
“House Antares would be the next best choice.”
“…”
“They are a suitable match for our family.”
Izar thought his stepmother was somewhat presumptuous in this regard.
‘She’s just my father’s second wife.’
She spoke as if she was a true Arcturus by blood, claiming that a distinguished family from the capital was the best they could consider.
“I hear the Duke’s only daughter is very beautiful, so it would be good to take a closer look on our next visit to the capital.”
“…”
“She hasn’t had her coming-of-age ceremony yet, but it would be best to meet in advance and prepare for a marriage proposal, don’t you think?”
“…Yes.”
Since there was nothing wrong with what she said, Izar briefly agreed, hoping to end the conversation.
He could endure his stepmother’s excessive interference and fuss because, at least, they shared a common goal.
To restore the family to its original course.
To prevent the family from being further disrupted by misguided marriages.
‘But why do I feel so stifled?’
He felt like a stallion trapped in a stable. Breeding to get the best offspring by pairing the best bloodlines and repeating the process.
It was ironic that he went to the stables to relieve his frustration.
When he arrived, not only the horses but also the returning livestock were hastily paying their respects.
“D-Duke!”
“Are all the livestock back in the pasture?”
“Well, the madwoman’s daughter hasn’t found one yet.”
Izar clicked his tongue at this.
What on earth was she doing?
‘The sun will set soon.’
It was a time when no monsters appeared, and the security was well-maintained. But even a fool would know what could happen to a skinny girl wandering in the dark.
Izar set out to find the shepherdess because her foolishness was pitiful.
For no other reason.
And he found the shepherdess soon after, struggling in the bushes.
“Baa!”
“Stay still, little one. Let’s stop now.”
At the edge of the lake, she was struggling to carry a lamb.
“Well, someone’s working hard.”
Izar wiped the sweat from his forehead, frowning. Why did that lamb fall into the water without fear? It should have just followed its mother…
But suddenly, the lamb kicked the shepherd with its hooves, causing her to stumble backward into the water.
Splash!
The woman flailed a few times before sinking straight down.
“Damn it!”
Izar threw off his coat and ran frantically.
‘Why is she sinking in such shallow water? Unless she actually wants to die…!’
The memories of jumping into the water and grabbing that foolish body were fragmented.
His vision blurred with urgency and shock, and by the time he dragged her out onto the shore, his temples throbbed with anger.
“Huuk, cough! Cough…! Cough!”
“Crazy.”
His voice came out cold and hard, fueled by excessive anger.
‘How dare she try to die here, on my land.’
This shepherd girl was supposed to remind him that his life wasn’t so bad and to keep him from wallowing in self-pity.
So the idea of her dying without his permission…
