Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 222
“……”
Freesia silently turned her head and closed her eyes.
A thin, burning crack seemed to form within her, radiating pain from her heart. Not wanting to show that pain, Freesia simply repeated the question she had already asked.
“Just tell me how you got the wild berries.”
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.”
“Why not…?”
Freesia bristled again, but Izar answered her with silence.
Meanwhile, the child in her belly seemed to be having a great time, as gentle thumps echoed within her womb. The cheerful rhythm was surely audible to Izar, who was stroking her body.
‘Stay quiet, please.’
Freesia gently rubbed her belly, scolding the baby. Mom isn’t having fun right now. Mom is angry.
‘Otherwise, it’ll seem like I enjoy bickering.’
Izar gazed at her cheek from behind, watching the way it puffed out sulkily and gleamed in the sunlight.
“……I’ll tell you when I return.”
Pulling her deeper into his embrace, Izar murmured,
“When I return, we’ll go to that stream you mentioned.”
“……”
“We’ll watch the stars of spring, and see the flowers that share your name.”
Freesia closed her eyes for a moment and imagined the scene—a serene spring day where the shimmering stars of a brilliant night sky reflected off the water, filling the air with the scent of blooming flowers.
Perhaps a scene where the three of them were together.
Wasn’t it laughable?
Despite having reached a position where she could indulge in all kinds of luxury, the moments she wanted to recall over and over before she died were simple, everyday memories.
“……Izar, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Freesia turned her head to look up at him and whispered.
From the moment she had persistently seduced him to this very second, a certain emotion had been stirring her. It wasn’t a fleeting whim like the haze of spring—it was something far deeper.
“It’s about where you have to go. About this mission of yours.”
***
On the day the knights of Arcturus set off, an unseasonably warm breeze swept through the winter air.
The other knights were praising Adament’s blessing, calling the wind a good omen. And how fortunate they were to have a duchess who could ward off monsters.
But Izar’s gaze, as he watched the knights, seemed distant, as if he were staring into the void. He was still mulling over what Freesia had said to him.
〈Where you need to go isn’t near the Kreiter territory. You won’t find Canopus there.〉
As unbelievable as her sudden seduction was, Freesia had already lied to him several times before.
She occasionally complied reluctantly with his demands, and for brief moments, she radiated warmth like spring sunshine, but she never allowed him to believe with certainty that she loved him.
〈…But Izar, whether you believe me or not is up to you.〉
Did that mean she had said those things to push him into his grave? No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t truly aiming for her own victory.
Izar ran his fingers over the scar near his left eye.
The mark Freesia had left had now permanently settled there. Even if it could be erased, he would carve it back into his skin with a dagger to keep the memory alive.
‘Then the conclusion is already clear.’
Even if he couldn’t be sure what Freesia truly wanted, the only option left was to listen to what she had said.
Even if that path led to the death she had prepared for him, so be it.
When he had steeled his resolve, the women of the household appeared to see the knights off.
At the forefront, naturally, was Freesia.
“Izar.”
Wrapped snugly in warm fur and a thick navy dress, her round belly was unmistakably prominent.
Though her steps seemed labored, Izar’s quick strides reached her before she could approach him fully.
“Please, return safely—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Izar grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a strong embrace.
This was something the Izar of the past would never have done—especially not in front of so many knights, back when he had been rigidly focused on setting a perfect example.
Freesia, caught off guard by the sudden hug, fell silent. But when her gaze shifted to his wrist, her pale eyelashes blinked more rapidly.
Peeking through the gaps in his black gloves and armor was the handmade thread bracelet she had given him long ago.
“Izar, you still have this? I thought you didn’t like it.”
“I never said I didn’t like it.”
“……”
“I just said there was no need to make it in a different color.”
Freesia glanced up at the man making formal excuses, then lowered her gaze back to his wrist.
Her emerald-green eyes darkened, like a lake being submerged.
Cupping his cheeks with her gloved hands, Freesia smiled.
“Come back safely. I’ll wait for you, no matter how long it takes.”
It was the warmest expression she had shown him recently—so much so that, at a glance, she could have been mistaken for someone who truly loved him.
“My beloved Izar.”
But even so, her eyes didn’t shine like they once had. In the end, he hadn’t earned her forgiveness.
Izar kissed her on the forehead and turned away, leading the group toward the place that could very well become his grave.
But as he rode off on his black horse, he kept glancing back over his shoulder, and each time he did, Freesia waved.
For a long time.
Until he became just a dot on the horizon and disappeared from view.
