Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 190
“Even during that elaborate investiture ceremony, you carried yourself flawlessly without a single mistake. It’s proof that your worth is innate. Who would dare speak ill of someone like you?”
“It’s just a figure of speech, Grandfather. It’s not as though anyone has actually said anything specific…”
“Pah! It’s easy to guess. If such talk isn’t coming from within the palace, it must be from lands that house those insolent fools.”
Seizing on this, the Emperor once again directed a fierce glare at Izar.
Izar, who had now set down his utensils, met the Emperor’s gaze with a neutral expression. Though his face appeared composed, his golden eyes flashed with restrained anger.
“As much as Your Majesty is concerned for the comfort of the imperial descendant, I assure you she will be well cared for on my lands.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll handle that splendidly, Duke. You’d best do so properly.”
The Emperor tightened his grip on Freesia’s hand as he sneered.
Since bringing her to the palace, he had lavished her with the most expensive oils in the Empire. Yet no matter how much the attendants worked to refine her appearance, the traces of hardship she had endured for so long were not easily erased.
Anger surged within him again, overriding any regard for Izar’s status as a hero celebrated for saving countless lives. The Emperor launched another cutting remark.
“If this child had been raised in the palace as she was meant to be, she’d only be entertaining proposals for the position of Empress in another empire. If your father hadn’t been so negligent, that’s how it would have been.”
“……”
“Your mother helped kill my sons, and your illustrious father didn’t even realize that an imperial daughter had been born on his lands. What a truly exceptional lineage you have.”
The veins on the back of Izar’s hand bulged as his temper flared.
He had endured the Emperor’s insults and his forceful separation from Freesia after their arrival in the capital, all for one reason.
Because Freesia had lost so much because of my family.
If she had grown up in the palace, she would have lived a life free from beatings, poverty, and mockery.
It was the Emperor himself who had thrown her into the role of a scapegoat for his wrath, and it was only through sheer willpower that Izar held himself back from returning every insult in kind.
The attendants clearing the table and serving the dishes moved cautiously, struggling to breathe under the suffocating tension.
Once again, it was Riegel who stepped in to mediate.
“Grandfather, perhaps it’s time to stop. After a successful investiture ceremony, making such remarks before they depart only serves to make them both uncomfortable.”
“Uncomfortable? Everything I’ve said is the truth. Can’t I at least admonish him a little?”
“Grandfather…”
While Riegel struggled to pacify the Emperor, Freesia gracefully dabbed at her lips with a napkin and sighed quietly.
‘It’s surprising that Izar hasn’t exploded yet, but this is getting exhausting for me as well.’
Throughout her time preparing for the investiture, the Emperor had repeatedly hinted that it would be better if she separated from Izar.
〈Are you truly satisfied with your husband, child? Surely, you must have some grievances…〉
If she had so much as hinted at discontent, the Emperor seemed ready to parade the most eligible nobles in the capital before her, kneeling at her feet.
‘I handled those questions smoothly, but still…’
Freesia’s weary gaze fell to the plate in front of her.
She had been fine during her time on the island, but recently, even the smell of food had started to bother her.
It was becoming impossible to hide the truth.
‘I think it’s time to reveal it. There’s only 125 days left.’
Once her mind was made up, she didn’t delay.
Freesia addressed her grandfather with a soothing smile, designed to disarm him.
“Grandfather, it’s not as though I wouldn’t want to stay here this year.”
“Then stay! You can watch the construction of your new palace, too—”
“But I really must go to the Duchy this year.”
She spoke gently, smiling like a mother calming a restless child.
“I’d like to honor the tradition of having my first child born on the estate… So please, allow me to leave just this once.”
Although Freesia delivered her words with a serene smile, her statement plunged the dining hall into a deathly silence.
***
After the meal, the palace physicians were thrown into a frenzy as they rushed to confirm Freesia’s condition.
Though she had been examined upon her arrival at the palace, Freesia had not been forthcoming about her cycle, and it was still early enough to make certainty difficult.
But Freesia was calm and confident in her assertions. Having experienced pregnancy before, she could recognize the signs, and few would dare contradict her now that the imperial descendant had spoken.
The reactions around her ranged from concern to jubilant commotion, creating a cacophony of voices.
Yet one person remained eerily silent.
Izar hadn’t shown a shred of emotion during the examination, nor did he speak when they were finally alone in the room provided by the palace.
“You don’t seem too pleased by the news,” Freesia said, breaking the silence.
“……”
“I thought you’d be glad we can leave the capital because of this.”
Tradition dictated that the heir to a noble house should be born on their family’s lands—a custom that had existed since the Empire’s founding.
No matter how much the Emperor wished for them to remain in the palace through the winter, there was no way around it.
Finally, Izar turned to look at her. In the moonlight, his face gleamed like cold, pale ice.
The piercing light that had burned in his eyes when facing the Emperor was now completely extinguished.
“…How long have you known?”
