Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 184
Ever since the Duke and his entourage set out to search for the Duchess, the Emperor had been suffocating in a daily battle to deny the truth.
‘It can’t be. It can’t possibly be true.’
After prolonged interrogation of Duke Antares, as that insolent brat had suggested, the Duke finally confessed to his crime of insulting the Emperor.
〈P-Please, forgive me, Your Majesty!〉
He admitted that the illegitimate girl was not his blood but the product of his wife’s youthful indiscretion, which he had kept quiet to save face.
To make matters worse, the Prince continued to insist that the girl was a blood relative. How could the Emperor not lose his sanity?
The Alpheratz family’s daughter, under the Prince’s relentless demands, had developed a magical technique to prove lineage…
‘How can such a thing confirm blood ties?’
Despite the Emperor’s refusal to accept reality, Riegel tirelessly pursued cross-verification with Viela Alpheratz.
At first, the Emperor raged and rejected the process outright. But as the experiments yielded consistent results across multiple subjects, his insides felt like they were being scorched.
“It’s impossible. It simply cannot be…”
“Grandfather, we’re out of time.”
Even Riegel, known for his patience, was firm in his insistence by this point.
“Duchess Arcturus will soon arrive at the palace. She’ll confirm the truth before you. Please, do not cast her aside prematurely—you’ll regret it if you do.”
“Riegel…”
“Do you know her name? It’s Freesia. Before the results are revealed, do not reject her out of hand.”
Even with his grandson’s warning, the Emperor clung desperately to denial.
For his actions not to be deemed sinful, the girl simply could not be his granddaughter.
And so, in the room where the Emperor, the Prince, and the Duchess gathered, a tense silence loomed for some time.
When the unveiled woman silently bowed in greeting, the Emperor almost let out a gasp.
No matter how he looked at her, he couldn’t deny the resemblance.
She bore an uncanny likeness to the Empress who had passed away from postpartum fever after giving birth to his second son—the woman he had loved deeply in his youth.
‘No, it’s not true. This is merely a coincidence!’
But as if determined to shatter his hopes, Riegel gestured to an attendant.
“Bring the device we developed.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The attendant produced the tool Viela had created to confirm blood relations.
It resembled the ceremonial water basins used in temples, but inside swirled a heavy, dark mist.
“We’ll add blood samples from myself, my grandfather, and the Duchess in turn.”
When Riegel’s and the Emperor’s blood were added, white starlight sparkled within the basin, confirming their familial bond. If the Duchess were unrelated, the basin would remain dark as the night sky.
But when the last person pricked her finger and let a droplet fall into the mist, Riegel exhaled in relief.
“…Ah.”
From the shadows filling both palms, the white starlight grew brighter and more brilliant.
Conversely, the Emperor’s eyes lost their light, and despair crept into their depths.
The endless denials he had clung to crumbled like a sandcastle beneath the waves.
“Bring Duke Antares here… immediately.”
Even in his final moments of resistance, the Emperor sought an escape route.
But when the Duke was dragged in, and the basin filled only with dark mist upon testing his blood, the Emperor’s retreat was entirely cut off.
“Aah…”
If he could have cast aside his dignity, he would have clutched his head and let out a loud wail. How could this have happened?
But had he not considered the possibility before? What were his second son’s desperate cries just before his death?
〈You ignored me my whole life, and now you expect me to accept some arranged marriage?! Release me from confinement immediately! I must go find her!〉
His son had rejected the bride chosen for him, instead calling a woman barely fit to be a noble his lover.
The son had always been so headstrong that the Emperor hadn’t taken his rebellion seriously.
“…Your Majesty. Your Highness.”
When the silent woman finally spoke, the Emperor’s breath hitched. This was an undeniable truth he could no longer escape.
That girl was, without question…
“I deeply regret the trouble caused by my unclear background and the accident during the hunting festival. Even with these results, I intend to remain quietly in the Duke’s territory. Please, do not concern yourselves with me.”
“What—what are you saying?!”
The Emperor’s voice faltered in urgency.
In that moment, it struck him—his granddaughter had grown up in the land of the man he despised most, treated like a commoner. And worse, he had arranged it himself.
“You’ve already confirmed it! You are my grandchild. Where do you think you’re going?”
“But, Your Majesty… How could I remain here with a body as tainted as mine?”
“What do you mean, tainted?!”
Startled and defensive, the Emperor’s voice rose sharply.
“Is it because of your parents? Don’t worry. I’ll take care of that myself.”
“……”
“Your father insisted on searching for your mother, and it was my interference that stopped him. If I make your mother an imperial consort, there will be no issues.”
“……”
“It can all be set right.”
Freesia’s lips parted briefly before she spoke in a calm murmur.
“Your Majesty. It is not my origins that prevent me from being a member of the imperial family… It is for another reason entirely.”
“And what reason is that?”
“Because the Antares family has defiled me.”
The moment she uttered those words, the Emperor felt as if his heart had dropped to the floor.
