Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 226
“So that I can offer as sacrifices those who salivate over the sweet honey.”
Those who think their only crime was ‘failing to acknowledge the imperial descendant’.
“…In fact, I’ve already shown them mercy. I originally wanted them all dead.”
Initially, her plan had been to slaughter everyone who fled within the outer walls of the castle, regardless of who they were.
Her goal had been for Izar to return defeated and witness with his own eyes the utter ruin of the family honor he had cherished like his life.
But Freesia gently caressed her belly, snugly wrapped beneath the fur cloak.
‘I no longer want to go that far.’
It was because of Izar, who still remembered the small happiness she herself had tried to forget.
And because of the baby, who was moving excitedly under the warmth of her palm, as if thinking they were on a picnic.
In the end, her love for this land outweighed her hatred by just a hair.
Freesia nodded at Dike.
“Sir Dike, knock Sir Károli out.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Charles, who had been struggling under Dike’s powerful grip, soon went limp.
Freesia quietly watched as Dike tied him to the base of a nearby tree.
The people within the castle were probably no different. The castle staff who saw the monsters up close had either fainted or were trembling behind locked doors.
‘Shall we drive them out now?’
Back during the hunting festival, she had been unable to consciously control her powers.
But her time on the island had been the first true ‘rest’ she had ever experienced, and during that time, she had learned how to repel and summon monsters.
But just then, amidst the chaotic darkness, the sound of distinct wingbeats reached her ears.
How could she forget the white bird that had circled the skies since the day Izar left?
But unlike the times it had once pestered her annoyingly, the bird now faced her with crimson eyes that glowed ominously.
[You betrayed me, Freesia.]
“Betrayal,” Freesia repeated, raising her eyebrows. It was a word she had heard a lot tonight.
Beside her, Dike prepared to draw his sword, but Freesia casually motioned for him to stand down.
“What betrayal are you talking about? I’m not sure I understand.”
[Don’t feign ignorance.]
Despite the agitation in its voice, its tone toward her remained oddly gentle. Even while trembling with betrayal, it still sought her explanation, hoping to be placated.
[We were supposed to lure Izar to Kreiter. But he didn’t show up there.]
“……”
[Freesia, did you give away my stronghold?]
Hearing that, Freesia felt a strange urge to both laugh aloud and choke up with emotion.
He hadn’t believed any of her lies before, and yet, he had trusted her final advice?
〈Izar, I’ll tell you where they plan to take me.〉
Although the location of the hidden island wasn’t marked on any map, she had described its natural surroundings and the features of the place where she had been rescued in the south.
Izar, who had been on numerous expeditions, might have been able to find it.
Judging by Canopus’s voice, full of heated rage, it seemed Izar had succeeded.
[I’m disappointed in you, Freesia. How could you forgive someone like that man?]
“Whether I forgive him or not is entirely my choice, Canopus,” Freesia said, her eyes narrowing. “No one has the right to force me to hate someone forever, or to stop me from forgiving them. The same goes for the opposite. My emotions are mine alone.”
Even though she had been reborn as a tool of God, she had made her own decisions, guided by her human heart.
“And disappointment?”
Without warning, Freesia grabbed the white dove.
“How dare you talk to me about disappointment, when you enjoyed watching me drown in despair?”
[Freesia…!]
“Did you think I wouldn’t know? That I wouldn’t see you laughing beyond the marriage oath certificate?”
The moment Izar had handed her the marriage oath certificate, with her name erased from it, and she realized she had been deceived across two lifetimes—
She had also realized that Canopus had been watching her descent into despair with glee, waiting to play the role of her supposed savior.
Energy flowed from her palm into the struggling dove. Its white feathers quivered before slowly breaking down.
[Ugh!]
“No one can declare themselves my savior and toy with me.”
Ever since she had nearly drowned in the lake at fifteen, Freesia had known that salvation would never come.
In the end, the monstrous dove convulsed before disintegrating into white petals, scattering from her hand.
Freesia dusted off her hands nonchalantly and muttered,
“Let’s go, Sir Dike.”
“Yes, Madam.”
The night was still cold, and the place she had to reach was far away.
Without looking back at the ducal estate even once, Freesia disappeared into the dark forest with the knight by her side.
