Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 24
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Mrs. Merope, the chief handmaid, led Freesia to the most secluded room in the castle. The attitude of the Elder Madam had already set the tone for the entire estate.
That girl, who dared to covet the duchess’s position, might as well pine for her days as a shepherdess.
Upon arrival, Mrs. Merope arrogantly commanded,
“Come to greet the Elder Madam as soon as you’ve settled in. You have one hour from now.”
She didn’t assign even a single maid to attend to Freesia.
She didn’t even inform her where the Elder Madam’s room was, leaving her in the cold room and departing.
Left alone in the room were Freesia and Thea.
Thea looked around the room and even cursed under her breath,
“By Adamant, what is this?”
Even to a maid not yet loyal to Freesia, this room was utterly dismal in her eyes.
‘Isn’t this a room for the lowest servant, no, a maid, not a Duchess?’
Just because there was a bed didn’t mean it could be called a room.
The blanket was moth-eaten, mold was spreading in places, the wallpaper was peeling off the walls, and the only furniture was a nightstand and a single chair.
‘The capital would have been far better! At least there was a proper bedroom there!’
Thea turned abruptly to look at Freesia, who had remained silent throughout their journey to this place.
‘No one here acknowledges her.’
A single meal offering didn’t immediately warm the knights to her. Changing their minds would take a very, very long time.
Faced with serving such a mistress, Thea nearly cried.
‘Oh, my fate.’
But it was too late to turn her back now, having eagerly accepted the expensive ribbon.
Thea knew it’s trifle, but decided she could use the ribbon’s value to muster up some conscience for her mistress at least once or twice.
So, she resolved to discuss the situation with Freesia, who was as quiet as a dead mouse.
“Madam, I understand you’re upset…! Shouldn’t we speak to the Elder Madam about this?”
“……”
“Madam? Madam!”
Freesia indifferently ignored Thea’s nagging. Her mind was preoccupied elsewhere.
‘How could he not give me a single chance throughout the entire journey here.’
It was Izar’s cold demeanor during their journey. An ice wall couldn’t have been more impenetrable.
Considering his consistent behavior from her previous life, it was quite disappointing to think that nothing had changed.
‘Might everything revert to how it was before?’
Yet, Freesia glanced at the button necklace inside.
The remaining lifespan was… 329 days.
The number harshly awakened Freesia’s consciousness.
It was about time to start responding to Thea.
“Madam…! Let’s request a different room!”
“No. That won’t do.”
“Uh, what?”
When Freesia flatly responded, Thea paused in surprise.
“Let’s use this room for a while. Though, we’ll need to get more bedding.”
“What? But!”
“The assignment of rooms is within the Elder Madam’s authority. We can’t start by complaining as soon as we arrive.”
“But still…”
“Otherwise, we might end up sleeping in the stables, Thea.”
Thea eventually fell silent, conceding to each of Freesia’s points.
And for Freesia, there was another reason not to incur the Elder Madam wrath.
‘Soon, Izar will be heading out to slay monsters.’
During this time, monsters would appear at the borders. In her past life, Izar and his knights would leave to hunt them, leaving the castle unattended for a while.
And it was precisely then that the Elder Madam had commanded Freesia to host a tea party.
A tea party at the Arcturus castle meant inviting the wives of the vassal families by the new lady of the house, encouraging a good relationship going forward.
‘Normally, it would be the role of the former duchess to guide her daughter-in-law.’
But recalling those times, Freesia let out a dry laugh.
“Ha.”
Her first tea party had become the worst joke of Arcturus.
Normally, when a bride is brought from another family, everyone in the household should flock around her, teaching her how to proceed.
But in her past life, everyone in this place was eager to see her fail. Ignorant of noble life, they berated her for not knowing ‘how to host a tea party’.
The pain, embarrassment, and humiliation forced her to follow the Elder Madam’s orders, resulting in a disaster.
‘Not even telling me which family was most loyal or had contributed the most knights.’
To make matters worse, one of the ladies had an allergic reaction to a fruit dessert Freesia had prepared.
Naturally, it caused a rash as soon as she ate it.
〈Ack! My skin! What do I do!〉
And the one who had instructed her to serve that dessert was…
‘The Elder Madam and Mrs. Merope, the chief handmaid.’
