Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 58
‘Really driving me insane. How did I end up with this woman?’
Why should he care about the emotions of a woman who should mean nothing to him?
Why? Did he desire this marriage with her?
He wanted a woman whose background would help rebuild his family.
‘That wasn’t supposed to be her.’
But right now, he wanted to stop the palpable pain emanating from her petite frame.
He looked up to the sky and made up his mind.
“Is there something you want?”
“What?”
“Is there something you desire? Don’t make me ask twice.”
Fine, he would admit it.
He had been too hard on her about Deneb’s advances.
‘Even if she seems calm, she’s still too naive.’
But since a duke couldn’t apologize easily, he decided to offer compensation instead.
At that, the shepherdess mumbled with her small mouth,
“Something I want…”
“Yes.”
Suddenly, Izar thought it would be nice if she asked for something like the clothes lent by the Marchioness.
‘That look wasn’t bad.’
Light and fluttery clothes suited her better than those tightly wrapped. If she wished, he was willing to provide a budget for such items.
“Then, Your Grace.”
Just then, the shepherdess raised her head to look directly at him.
She met Izar’s eyes from an absurdly close distance. Were her eyes swirling with hurt the last time he saw them?
But now, what was she thinking, sparkling with hope?
For a moment, he couldn’t help but clutch the reins tighter in his hands.
But if he looked down, the woman’s small lips were quivering.
Small, yet making him feel strangely as he saw that they were slightly red, tears imminent yet not flowing.
“During the hunt, may I please ask that we stay together?”
“……What?”
“During the hunt, could you… could you stay near me, please?”
Perhaps Izar hadn’t heard her because of the sound of horse hooves?
Freesia kindly explained again, clearly articulating each word.
Despite the hurt, she couldn’t miss the sudden opportunity that had come rolling in.
‘Because I’ll be sitting close to the imperial family during the hunt!’
Though she was openly ridiculed as a bastard, wasn’t she still from the Antares Duchy?
Therefore, during the hunt, Freesia would be seated near the imperial family in the VIP section.
‘That was when the monsters appeared.’
The memories of that day sent shivers down her spine.
The sight of six-eyed wolves roaming around, exuding noxious gas.
The chaos as people screamed and fled…
Fortunately, Freesia had managed to evade in time, but the memory of those wolf monsters was still chilling.
‘But Izar could handle them all.’
From what she heard the knights gossiping, the monsters that appeared in Deneb seemed to be of the same kind.
‘I heard that Izar had no trouble dealing with them.’
So, if the timing was right this time.
And if she could save the imperial family.
‘Then even that cantankerous emperor wouldn’t be able to deny the duchy a full pardon, right?’
Her heart swelled a little with anticipation.
Meanwhile, Izar frowned as her green eyes sparkled excessively at him alone.
…He wished he could maintain some distance, but she was so close that he couldn’t avoid those eyes.
Why would she want such a thing as a reward?
She was an enigma.
But since he had already uttered the words, he had no choice but to go along.
“I can’t promise that. I don’t know how the situation will be that day.”
It was a somewhat indifferent response.
But Freesia had already seen a glimpse of hope.
‘In other words, if nothing serious happens, he’s saying he’ll stay near me.’
In truth, the household head didn’t need to delve deep into the forest for the hunt.
Even if another knight represented the family and caught the game, it would still count towards their score.
‘Good. Let’s plan well for that day.’
She would try to turn any variable she could control to her advantage.
With her mood slightly improved, Freesia turned her head.
But then, Izar lightly reprimanded her.
“Fix your posture. It’s dangerous.”
“Ah.”
Freesia quickly straightened her back and leaned forward.
She thought he meant for her to sit more upright and keep her distance from him.
However, a tired sigh followed from behind.
“Haah…”
“……?”
What did she do wrong this time?
Confused, Freesia felt Izar’s hand suddenly wrap around her waist.
“……!”
“Do you want to bite your tongue once the horse starts galloping?”
Suddenly, her head was against Izar’s chest.
“And if you lean forward like that, I can’t control the horse.”
“Ah… Yes. S-Sorry.”
This apology wasn’t because her pride was hurt.
Her heart raced uncontrollably from surprise and foolish shyness.
It was almost like old times.
Reminiscent of when her husband, at the age of twenty-six, had been awkwardly tender towards her…
Her heart suddenly warmed, and she felt an urge to ask.
“Your Grace.”
Freesia whispered, and Izar nearly flinched unknowingly.
Her voice was so close that he could feel her breath right beneath his chin.
“……What.”
“Do you not wear the string bracelet I gave you?”
“……”
“Is it not to your liking?”
Izar bit his lip again.
He had kept the string bracelet in a pocket near his chest, handy for when his thoughts became tangled, much like a rosary.
‘But it’s not like I’m clinging to superstitions.’
Izar didn’t respond.
Freesia internally concluded.
‘Ah. He threw it away.’
He might have accepted it, but if it wasn’t to his liking, he wouldn’t carry it around.
“If you didn’t like the color, I could make another one…”
“There is no need. Stop it. How many times do I have to tell you that you don’t need to act like my wife?”
“…Yes, Your Grace.”
Freesia ended up responding dejectedly and closed her mouth.
For the rest of the journey, the two didn’t exchange more words.
However, Izar’s arm remained wrapped around Freesia’s waist.
