Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 225
The eerie wails of monsters and the desperate screams of people echoed along the castle walls.
In the midst of this chaos, the only place maintaining some semblance of calm was the ducal castle. However, Charles’s face had gone deathly pale as he descended the spiral staircase.
‘Damn it, what the hell is going on here?!’
Even with the duke absent, the castle was fortified with multiple layers of defense to block any external invasion.
Monsters, no matter how powerful, were generally low in intelligence, and the knights of Arcturus were more than capable of dealing with them.
But the fact that the defenses were being overwhelmed suggested that there was an insider involved.
The duchess’s chambers, which he had just checked, were completely empty. He had rushed to the ‘portrait room’, where the attendants said they had last accompanied her, but…
“Damn it!”
The room was engulfed in flames, with guards outside struggling desperately to contain the fire. Seeing this, Charles immediately understood.
The imperial descendant had fled amidst the chaos.
He quickly barked orders at the guards under his command.
“Search the grounds! Find where Her Highness has gone, now!”
“Yes, sir!”
Charles also dashed into the darkness of the castle grounds. From all directions, he could hear the terrifying cries of battle, the clash of swords, and the sounds of heavy bodies being slashed apart.
The hill and forest behind the castle had become so chaotic that visibility was nearly impossible. People holding torches were scattered as they fought the invading monsters.
“Madam! Your Highness!”
While fending off monsters with one-handed sword techniques, Charles wandered through the forest. Fortunately, under the flickering torchlight and moonlight, he was able to make out faint footprints belonging to a woman.
Following them, he finally reached the heart of the forest. There, everything suddenly went silent—no more monstrous wails or human screams.
The reason for the silence stood before him.
A woman standing alone under the moonlight.
“Where… where have you been?”
Relief tinged his voice, but with one hand concealed beneath his cloak, he gripped the hilt of his sword.
Even though he was missing one hand, he could still easily make a threat if necessary. Judging by her well-prepared fur cloak, it was clear this escape had been planned.
And standing behind her was a familiar black silhouette.
“Sir Dike… You too—”
But then, something about Dike’s appearance struck Charles as odd.
The knight, who never slackened his armor even when off duty, was dressed like a mercenary in shabby gear.
“Could it be…! Argh!”
Before he could finish his thought, Dike lunged at him. If Dike had just been trying to protect the woman, perhaps Charles could have managed, but there was no way he could fend off someone as strong and heavy-built as Dike with only one arm.
After a brief struggle, Charles was pinned, his wrist twisted painfully behind his back as he was forced to his knees.
Unable to believe what was happening, he cried out toward Freesia.
“Are you planning to flee from here?! You’re betraying His Lordship?”
“Betrayal?”
Freesia leisurely approached the kneeling Charles, tilting her head as she smiled.
“Betrayal is what you committed, Sir Károli.”
“What are you talking about?!”
“Thinking it’s acceptable to kill a woman carrying the lord’s child because she’s been labeled as a bastard—that’s betrayal.”
Charles swallowed hard as he stared at her face, illuminated by the moonlight. Her mocking smile sent a chill down his spine.
No.
This wasn’t the face of the innocent woman he had once met when she came to the Antares mansion, explaining that the situation was a scheme against her.
She had always been this cunning.
‘I’ve been completely deceived…!’
She was never the merciful woman he had believed her to be. Even the forgiveness she had extended to spare his life and family had been a façade—a ploy.
Even that so-called forgiveness had never been genuine. It had only been given because she found him useful.
As Charles finally realized the truth, Freesia smiled sweetly down at him.
“Have you figured it out now? That I kept you alive on purpose.”
“Why… why would you do that?!”
“Because if anything were to happen to me, Izar wouldn’t be the only problem. The emperor would become a major headache too.”
Freesia knew all too well the nature of the old man ruling the capital.
The emperor had an unusual attachment to his bloodline, but if something happened to any of them, his rage would explode, and he would place the blame on anyone nearby.
‘If something were to happen to me, someone close would inevitably be made a scapegoat.’
And who better to take the fall than those who had served her up close? If the emperor’s granddaughter disappeared under their watch, they would be the first ones punished.
“I can’t let the people who’ve supported me so far get hurt because of that, can I?”
That’s why she had sent Thea away under the pretense of a ‘final errand’. It was also why she had allowed Merope, the head maid, to side with Charles and diminish Dike’s standing within the castle.
