Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 154
‘Did Adamant say he twisted Freesia’s fate for his desired purpose?’
He wasn’t well-versed in theology or magical theory, but the main point was clear.
Isn’t it about paying the necessary price to carry out God’s task? If so…
‘Is there no way to use that principle to extend Freesia’s lifespan?’
If the imperial grandson’s life could be safe, cooperation would be easy to obtain. Of course, excluding that damned blonde scoundrel.
‘Even if it doesn’t work, I can’t let her go.’
Even if a god grabbed Freesia’s wrist and led her to the gates of death, he couldn’t let her go.
But as Izar mulled over Freesia’s story, a vague sense of discomfort furrowed his brow.
“Freesia.”
“Mmh, yes…?”
“How did you die?”
“…Pardon?”
“At first, I thought you died of puerperal fever back then.”
There had been so much shocking content in her story that he had missed this point until now.
When he first heard it, he had been more doubtful, but gradually, he began to believe her story might be true.
‘But didn’t Freesia say she lived for a while even after the child died?’
Freesia blinked at him in silence. Her light green eyes were as dark as an unlit room in the bluish darkness.
“…I just died.”
“Just died? That can’t be.”
“But I can’t remember well…”
Freesia, seemingly too sleepy to continue, burrowed back into his embrace.
Izar didn’t press further but stared at her closed wheat-colored eyelashes for a long time.
If she had died from an accident or illness, she would have spoken about it naturally.
But to say she didn’t remember… And she wasn’t even uncomfortable with not remembering…
A strange sense of unease crept up his spine, as if he was missing something.
* * *
When the day of the hunting festival dawned, Freesia felt both relief and disappointment.
She was glad that Izar trusted her and had taken responsibility for the prince’s safety. However, she soon whispered to him with a disheartened expression.
“Can’t I stay with you?”
She had even gone to the trouble of getting reading glasses to win the prince’s favor, but Izar had firmly told her not to stay around him.
“What if a monster appears, just like you said? Don’t you remember the wolf monster?”
“But I have purification abilities. I might be of help.”
“A person who hasn’t trained even once wants to jump straight into danger? What if you get hurt?”
“That’s true, but…”
“Monsters aren’t like flocks of sheep. It’s not like you can fend them off by hitting them between the eyes with a staff.”
Freesia looked away silently at his admonishment. Could it be that he had found out about her stealing the duchy’s property in the past?
Despite her dissatisfaction, she listened to Izar’s explanation.
“You stay at the back with the guards.”
“Yes…”
“I’ve also prepared additional safe zones, just in case. If anything happens, head there.”
There were more safe zones with doubled barrier magic compared to previous years. Thanks to this, even if one or two monsters escaped from Arcturus’s range, there would be a safe place to stay.
But Izar, who was supposed to be moving, remained motionless.
“What’s wrong?”
“…”
Izar still had his arms wrapped around Freesia’s waist, silently looking down at her.
‘Oh, no way.’
Was this a sign he wanted a kiss as a goodbye? The thought was so absurd that Freesia was startled.
‘My husband wouldn’t do that. My husband would never…!’
Just then, Izar spoke in a mischievous voice.
“You’re usually perceptive. How come you don’t understand this?”
“…”
Ah, he really is my husband.
Freesia quickly realized and stood on her tiptoes.
Her heart pounded with nervousness, but the kiss left her feeling dizzy.
Unlike her, he still hadn’t explicitly said he loved her or expressed his feelings directly. But it was enough that he had said he didn’t need any other woman.
As their lips parted, her voice trembled as she sent him off.
“…Come back safely. I’ll be waiting.”
“…”
Izar finally nodded satisfactorily and walked away. Even after he left, Freesia stood there for a long time.
She hoped the days enchanted by a rainbow would last forever, but she was so happy it made her uneasy. It felt like the things she had missed could ambush her from behind at any moment and ruin everything.
‘Just like how Izar asked about the cause of my death.’
It was surprising that he cared… but wasn’t it strange that she wasn’t curious about how she died either?
After pondering it a couple of times, Freesia had even deliberately stopped thinking about it.
She felt as if digging up that memory would bring her happiness crashing down…
As Freesia shook her head and turned towards the rest area prepared by the household, she saw a familiar person approaching and smiled.
“Ah, Lord Deneb. May the blessings of the gods be with you.”
“…Greetings, Madam.”
“Are you on your way to His Highness the Prince?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Albireo, too, had chosen to assist the prince, and he was more heavily armed than for an ordinary hunt.
He tried to smile politely, but it was unusually difficult.
‘She looks happy.’
The last time he had seen her at the academy, she had seemed melancholy, so this was a relief.
But… was she happy even after the duke had told her the truth?
Or was he deceiving her?
