Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 188
“If you had suddenly been told that some illegitimate child was your sister, how would you have reacted? Any noble would have done the same! Even you!”
“Hmm…”
“Even if it’s by the Emperor’s command, how could a bastard child belittle a legitimate daughter? That’s unacceptable! Do you think other families would act any differently?”
“Oh, really…?”
Freesia let out a hollow laugh.
Come to think of it, she might have been the only illegitimate noble child who dared to walk freely in public.
‘In other families, children like me were probably beaten mercilessly… or sold into horrific marriages they couldn’t even talk about.’
The Marchioness of Deneb and Viela Alpheratz had approached her without hesitation, but in society’s eyes, they were both considered eccentrics.
“…I see. You’re no different from most people. You’re right—if I had been raised as a proper noble, I might have found you detestable too.”
For a moment, Atria’s face twisted with relief. But Freesia’s next words left her stunned.
“So, as someone not so different from other nobles, I’ll leave you here as punishment. Isn’t it fitting, given that I’m the Emperor’s granddaughter?”
Freesia turned and walked toward the door. As the light spilling in began to dwindle, Atria sprang up in near-panic.
“You! Does the Duke know you’re doing this? Does he know how cruel you are?”
Freesia paused for a moment.
The Emperor and Izar would handle the execution of Duke Antares.
But the punishment of the Antares women was left entirely to her discretion, and there was no need to report every detail.
Sensing her hesitation, Atria shouted again.
“You don’t understand…! Men don’t like women like you! If they find out about this, they’ll all turn away from you!”
“……”
“So stop this, okay? My mother already took the punishment for me… You don’t need to do this to me too!”
“……”
“You’re kind, aren’t you? Kind people are merciful! Please… show mercy!”
Freesia stared silently at the sobbing Atria, then let out a quiet, bitter laugh.
“Ha.”
Men don’t like women like her?
And the notion of ‘kindness’ was laughable, as though it were a shackle meant to hold her back.
Did Atria truly think such things held any value in the face of a grieving mother who had lost her child?
“Atria. Do I still look like some pitiful worm begging for others’ love?”
“W-What…?”
“Maybe it’s the opposite now. Anyway, goodbye. I’ll visit you occasionally, if I happen to remember.”
The moment the door shut, Atria would lose all sense of time.
Sleeping, eating, relieving herself—all the most basic human needs would have to be managed in this solitary space, devoid of salvation.
“Please…! No, Freesia— Sister!”
Atria lunged at Freesia in desperation, but the guards standing on either side of her swiftly kicked her back to the floor.
The heavy door locked from the outside, and her cries ceased as if they had never existed.
The floor was tightly sealed with wooden planks to keep out rats, and the walls were as sturdy as the rest of the storage building.
Even if Atria somehow got her hands on crude tools, escape would be impossible.
Freesia then made her way toward the Emperor’s quarters.
The Emperor was eager to have her mother officially recognized as an Imperial Consort and Freesia herself declared a member of the imperial family. He constantly demanded her presence and lavished her with new gifts during each visit.
Freesia accepted his offerings with a serene smile, but inwardly, she felt numb.
How tiresome.
It was exhausting to tolerate the efforts of someone she felt no affection for, yet for now, she had to endure.
As she walked, a young palace attendant timidly approached her, summoning his courage to whisper.
“Y-Your Highness…”
“What is it?”
“When should we… check on Atria? For meals, or… things like that…”
“……”
Freesia stared at the attendant, who seemed to lack awareness as much as he lacked a conscience.
He must have been struck by pity, imagining the plight of a noblewoman subjected to such treatment.
How ironic that no such pity had been shown to her when she endured her own humiliation in a storage room.
‘If your conscience is bothering you, sneak food in without saying a word.’
The attendant’s face flushed red as he lowered his gaze to the floor, seemingly realizing too late that he had trapped himself with his own misguided sense of morality.
With a faint smile, Freesia answered him.
“I’ll leave that to your conscience. There’s no need to seek my permission for it.”
“Y-Yes, Your Highness…”
“You may go now.”
Freesia turned away with an indifferent expression. She could practically feel what the palace staff thought of her.
Surely, they would gossip that the miraculously recovered imperial granddaughter was a heartless and terrifying woman.
But their opinions held no weight.
Though the night sky was full of stars, it felt unusually dark.
She had grown weary of the baseness of humanity.
But this was only the beginning.
