Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 139
These days, enchanted by rainbows
Izar glanced at Freesia, who was beaming, without any malice.
‘Does she think she’s hiding it well?’
He had seen the endless curiosity in her eyes as she looked at the gifts. And instead of asking why he had chosen such gifts, she subtly let it slide.
The violet and rose sugar preserves… Well, he honestly didn’t know why he had included them.
‘I just wanted to give them to her, that’s all.’
He felt embarrassed and annoyed, wanting to leave, but Freesia’s faint smile kept him standing there.
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
“Hmph.”
“I’ll cherish all of them… Oh?”
Freesia unwrapped one of the gifts and widened her eyes.
“Is this a bow?”
“You don’t have to pretend to like it.”
Izar replied curtly to Freesia, who was examining the white bow.
“You can just keep it as a decoration in your room.”
“What? No, it’s not that.”
Freesia smiled genuinely.
“Thank you. I really like it.”
A bow crafted by an artisan was a valuable item, comparable to high-quality jewelry.
Additionally, falconry and hunting were pastimes for noblewomen, and during royal events, women often enjoyed archery while the men focused on more serious game.
‘I’ve always wanted to try it.’
Electra and Atria also had beautifully crafted bows. There was no need to be skilled—merely owning one was proof of being a part of the nobility.
It was a world of nobility that Freesia could never enter, no matter how hard she tried and endured.
‘Forever, until the day I die.’
And it was a world that had rejected her even more cruelly this time. If asked if she wanted to force her way in now, the answer would be no, but it was immensely gratifying to fulfill a faint longing from her past life.
Meanwhile, Izar was dumbfounded seeing Freesia genuinely pleased.
‘Why does she like that thing?’
Nevertheless, seeing Freesia smile eased his embarrassment a bit. At least she genuinely liked this one, which was all that mattered.
He quietly approached her, watching as she diligently tested the bowstring.
“Do you know how to use a bow?”
“Ah, yes. A little.”
“When did you learn?”
“Well… There were times in the past when I had to hunt alone.”
Even when she struggled to raise chicks for chickens, her mother would kill them out of spite, so she had to give up.
Pigs were efficient, but she couldn’t afford to get a piglet. And she couldn’t bring herself to butcher a pig with her small frame.
So when she desperately needed meat, she had to take matters into her own hands.
“How did you get a bow?”
“I found an ash tree branch and tied it with linen string.”
“And arrows?”
“I found suitable branches and sharpened the ends.”
As a commoner, she didn’t have the money to buy a quality bow, so she had to imitate hunters using crude materials.
The chances of failure were naturally higher, but it was better than doing nothing at all.
However, Freesia couldn’t help but feel excited by his continuous questions.
‘Lord Izar is showing interest in something about me.’
Even though it was a trivial matter for survival, his interest made it feel valuable.
Izar was also inwardly surprised to learn this aspect of Freesia’s past.
‘With her looks, she seems so docile.’
For a moment, he forgot that her life hadn’t been smooth, supporting her insane mother.
“What did you usually catch?”
“Well, I would chase rabbits down the hill…”
“Really?”
“Yes, um… And sometimes, when I was very lucky, I’d hit a pigeon.”
As Freesia shyly whispered this, Izar nodded.
He had seen her throw a stone at Albireo Deneb’s forehead before, so it made sense.
‘If she knows how to use a bow, should I have gotten her a falcon too?’
Annoyed at himself for not thinking of that, Izar barely managed to keep his emotions in check, only slightly furrowing his brows.
That could be arranged when they returned to the castle. A tame, skillful female falcon for hunting would be perfect to watch her train with…
“Wait.”
Izar mumbled to Freesia, who was now happily holding the quiver of arrows.
“You’re supposed to get my permission to hunt before doing so, right?”
“…!”
“You’ve never once gotten such permission while you were on my estate.”
“Oh… um…”
“And weren’t those pigeons ones that escaped from the castle kitchen?”
Unless they were licensed hunters, the residents of the estate couldn’t hunt game at will.
Also, pigeons were raised near Arcturus for making pies. If they were seen wandering, they were supposed to be returned to the castle kitchen.
Freesia turned her head without saying a word.
“…”
Her expression clearly showed she had been caught, and Izar’s lips twitched with a tiny grin.
To think she had tricked him with such an innocent face. Her small lips were tightly shut, and she forced her gaze to the floor, which was amusingly endearing.
He knew that the residents often went hunting secretly to avoid paying the hunters. Such minor infractions were common, especially during the harsh winter months when food was scarce.
‘We don’t crack down harshly on such things.’
He forced himself to stifle a laugh, lowering his voice to hide his amusement.
“Hah…”
The calamity of his life, with her guilty tone and gaze, had been poaching in secret.
