Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 15
A woman who resembles a wildflower with a broken stem
To a listener, it might seem like an incredibly modest request.
After all, showing concern for a sick person, even if only out of politeness, was an easy task. But for Freesia, even such small acts of kindness were a luxury.
It was a luxury as burdensome as the jewels of the ducal house, expensive and unattainable.
‘But in this life.’
If she could prevent the incidents that were to come, avoid the foolish mistakes…
Was it not possible for her relationship with Izar to progress until that extent?
After Freesia finished speaking, the room fell into silence. Just then, the moon hid behind the clouds, casting Izar’s face into shadow.
Only his sharp golden eyes glinted in the darkness, the sole color in the gloom.
Mesmerized as though she was looking at burning stars, Freesia wondered,
‘What is he thinking now?’
In her past life, he had left in anger.
But this time, might there be a hint of pity for her?
However, what followed was a dry laugh from his throat.
“Haha. Really… there’s a limit to taking someone for a fool.”
“…….”
The hopeful light in her green eyes dimmed.
‘As expected. He won’t believe me right away.’
She tried to appear fine, but the hope that had briefly flared made her heart ache all the more.
But just as she lowered her eyes, a large hand suddenly reached out.
“……!”
Freesia flinched, thinking he might slap her.
In her past life, Izar had never hit her. Indifference, annoyance, and disappointment, yes, but not physical violence.
‘But is this time different?’
However, his hand landed on her chin.
It was a hand befitting a swordsman, hot and rough.
When his fingers brushed the soft skin beneath her chin, Freesia involuntarily parted her lips.
“Ah…”
His fingers moved beyond her chin, slightly touching her neck, causing a tightening in her stomach.
Why was she reminded of the one single night they had shared?
‘He had lifted my chin like this then, too…’
That night of marital duty was carried out in the dark, without a single word of love.
Her ‘husband’, hating being forced into anything, loathed even looking at her—’a symbol of his oppression’. But at first, he did lift her chin, looking into her eyes as if trying to understand the punishment he had to endure.
Recalling the following moments, Freesia blushed foolishly.
And she suddenly became conscious of their attire. Both of them had just bathed, their skin still damp and flushed.
Izar’s tunic shirt, tied at the front, was slightly open, revealing a glimpse of his chiseled chest.
She couldn’t see clearly in the dark, but she vividly remembered how solid and overwhelming her ‘husband’s’ bare body was.
Swallowing dryly, Freesia clutched her gown more tightly.
‘Or should I be loosening it instead?’
Her mouth grew drier with tension.
Wherever his golden gaze touched, it stung as if it burned. Could this be the proper consummation of their wedding night?
But before fear and hope could swell further, Izar spoke in a cynical tone.
“…Listen well, shepherdess.”
“Yes.”
“I hate hypocrites more than anything in this world.”
“…….”
The emotion that had swelled inside her quickly cooled.
In this room, at this moment, he was subtly accusing someone of being hypocritical.
“There will be no expectations from me, and I will not treat you as a real wife.”
“Yes.”
“Because you remain to be the most insignificant being in Arcturus.”
“…….”
Thump.
Before Freesia could affirm his statement, Izar abruptly stood up and left the bridal chamber in quick strides.
He shook his head as if disgusted and closed the door behind him. Listening to his receding footsteps, Freesia eventually sighed.
“Haah. So this time too…”
It seemed there would be no consummation of the marriage.
Freesia tried to soothe the bitterness rising within her.
‘At least he didn’t slam the door this time.’
During the previous marriage, it was like an earthquake.
Compared to that, Izar leaving in such a restrained and formal manner was significant progress.
Lowering expectations made it possible to appreciate and hope for everything.
“It’s still okay.”
This was just the beginning.
Freesia took out a button necklace hidden in her nightgown and murmured to herself.
The carved parts were worn down from fidgeting with it since she was fifteen. A wry smile appeared at its shabby appearance.
“It really looks worn out now.”
No wonder her ‘husband’ hadn’t recognized it before.
…In fact, in her past life, she had worn it hoping it might soften him a bit.
But the moment Izar saw her with it, his face twisted in contempt.
〈What are you doing with that filthy trinket?”〉
〈Ah, this. It’s…〉
〈Don’t you care about what others think? You act like a duchess with no manners or shame.〉
After being scolded by her ‘husband’, Freesia hid the button necklace in her jewelry box.
Apart from the heartache, her lips now curled slightly in indignation.
“Why did you save me then?”
Was it simply because he didn’t want to see a bloated corpse floating in the lake?
The people of the domain praised Izar as a good lord. They said he took better care of his domain than others.
Freesia was well aware that her being saved was part of that benevolence.
Grace where the giver thinks nothing of it, but it changes the life of the recipient.
‘But you could at least not make me fall for you the next morning.’
She muttered her unspoken complaints internally, then a sudden uneasy premonition struck her.
‘If he sees this now, he might tell me to throw it away.’
For a while, she would have to be careful not to let Izar see it. But then a thought occurred to her.
“What happened to it after I died?”
Surely, it would have been noticed during the sorting of her belongings.
