Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 59
A secret that a mother teaches her daughter
After the marriage ceremony of the ‘illegitimate ducal lady’ and Duke Arcturus, the capital buzzed with gossip for a while. Atria too found herself caught in the crossfire.
<Fufu, to think Ducal Lady Atria had such a sister.>
<It must be quite the blow. I never thought Ducal Lady Atria would yield in such a manner.>
There are always those eager to malign the successful, wherever you go.
However, Atria turned the situation to her advantage, solidifying her image as the legitimate but unfortunate ducal lady who had been usurped by a ‘greedy bastard temptress’.
The plan was effective, and people once again directed their sympathy and praise towards her.
If there was one aspect that displeased her…
It was the strange interest the court’s men started showing towards the bastard, as if she might know some bedroom tricks unknown to nobles or high-class courtesans.
Such low-level individuals were of no concern to Atria.
‘Hmph. She should be grateful, shouldn’t she?’
Had she remained a commoner, becoming a noble’s concubine would have been considered a rise in status.
Thus, the bastard should be thanking her for the unprecedented attention she was about to receive.
Returning from a social gathering, Atria mused happily until she went to greet her mother.
“Mother, I’m back!”
“Welcome back, Atria.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize you were reading letters. I spoke too loudly.”
“That’s alright. It’s from the Elder Madam of the Arcturus Duchy.”
“……!”
Atria hurried to her mother to read the letter she held.
Having already read it once, Duchess Antares recalled the contents with a sneer.
‘Beating around the bush, but this was what she wanted to say.’
<A bastard girl? You sent a bastard girl to me?!>
<This girl, she’s not some naive fool. She’s made a mockery of me!>
<Tell me, did you raise that wench in Antares with such an intention?>
If the woman sent by Antares was indeed educated for marriage, Electra was obliged to treat her as a proper new mistress of the house.
Yet, Duchess Antares scoffed internally.
‘As if. Such a foolish woman.’
Why would she spend unnecessary time on a blemish born of her husband’s youthful indiscretions?
Especially when they had Atria, boasting a much more noble lineage.
‘That girl pretended to be polite but had venom in her after all… But that woman, why must she complain to us just because she couldn’t handle it herself.’
However, as Atria read the letter, her face turned pale.
Her focus was not on what her mother emphasized but on another detail.
“What’s this? The Duke and… that bastard went out together?”
Included in Electra’s letter of complaints was a mention that the bastard was ‘slightly’ injured, prompting Izar to take her out of the manor for treatment.
“Mother! Did you read this part?”
“Yes, I read it.”
“Why would the Duke take her with him? And for several days!”
“Ah, Atria.”
The matriarch laughed dismissively.
From her years of experience, this was hardly shocking news.
“A girl born from such a mother likely inherited the knack for beguiling men.”
The bastard’s mother was known for trying desperately to improve her lot through men, equipped with beauty enough to make her poverty seem tragically romantic.
‘There were indeed men at court who dallied with that woman.’
However, in the end, the men came to their senses and sought women of proper families and fortunes.
Duke Antares should have ended it cleanly as well. Had he handled it well, Duchess Antares wouldn’t have had to trample that wh-re’s family into dust.
But, led astray by lust, it has come to this…
“Atria, don’t harbor such romantic notions about men. They are inherently fickle creatures. And, turning a blind eye at times is also a virtue of a lady.”
“But!”
Atria grimaced, voicing her grievances.
Though she doubted the Duke would break his promise to her, the thought of another possibility made her feel nauseous.
“Mother, what if that filth carries the Duke’s child?”
Just the thought made Atria’s stomach turn.
The idea of the bastard carrying the Duke’s child and showing with pregnancy.
In her imagination, Freesia was nothing more than a lowly animal in heat.
However, her mother comforted her with ease.
“Atria, conceiving isn’t as easy as you think.”
“Mother…”
“But it’s true that wench is a bit too loose.”
Hearing this, Atria’s face brightened immediately.
“Let me prepare a bit more.”
With the court’s social season approaching and the bastard expected to ascend, it was right to let her know her place and prevent any unforeseen events.
The Duchess called for a servant.
“Bring the apothecary from Nocturne Street, the one skilled in handling women’s matters.”
“Yes, Madam.”
“Now, learn from your mother’s mistake, Atria.”
As the servant understood immediately and left, the Duchess smiled slyly at her daughter.
“Even if that wench sleeps with the Duke, making sure that she bears nothing shall suffice.”
