Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 78
The situation was dark and chaotic, but it was hard not to notice such events. It was well known among them that Izar had held the illegitimate wife and tended to her ankle.
Even if it was according to propriety, isn’t the relationship between men and women ultimately about getting physically close?
“Ah, would he really? She’s not even Ducal Lady Atria.”
“Hmm, but still…”
The knights once again cast dubious glances towards the carriage.
When she was first brought from the capital, she definitely looked unremarkable. Endless labor, harsh sunlight, and poverty had wrapped her body like bones.
But perhaps because she was the daughter of a once beautiful madwoman? Her skin wasn’t as soft and milky as the court ladies’, nor was her figure particularly voluptuous. However, her face resembled a fairy watching quietly from an ancient forest, leaving a lingering impression.
Her figure was not voluptuous but slim, with supple skin noticeable even through thin clothes.
And the pure aura emanating from her delicate facial features could potentially captivate many men if played right. For instance, sporting an innocent expression by day but turning into a thrilling seductress in private chambers…
“…Maybe His Lordship has been bewitched?”
“Hmmm.”
While the knights were enjoying their dangerous fantasies, a sharp reprimand suddenly came from behind.
“What are you talking about there?”
“S-Sir Karoli!”
“As we need to stay alert, the discipline has slipped.”
Everyone straightened up and broke into a sweat.
Damn it, it was Charles Karoli, Izar’s young confidant. Like a fox becoming the leader in the absence of a lion, the young knights were wary of this one in particular.
“W-We apologize.”
“The Duke wishes for the fastest possible arrival, so keep your wits about you and watch the surroundings. Understood?”
“Sir, yes, sir!”
While they repeatedly apologized, inside they breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Phew, thank God it’s not Sir Dike.’
Had Van caught them gossiping, they would have faced severe punishment.
‘Since Sir Karoli hasn’t said anything, he probably didn’t hear.’
However, contrary to their relief, Charles had been listening to their whispers from the start. He was merely using another’s person’s words, vicariously taking in their complaints.
He looked sharply at the spot where the knights had been talking.
‘The lord has said he did not spend the night…’
When Izar was asked, he gave a look that said, ‘Why do you ask?’ but Charles, who had been by his side the longest, had no reason to lie.
Why would he hide it if he had taken a woman?
As in any domain, if one belongs to the ruling class, one might take any woman for pleasure.
It would have been possible long ago, if it were not for touching Izar’s nerve.
‘But being bewitched by that bastard is different.’
Initially, seeing that she knew the ‘customs of treating a lady,’ he thought it was a bit of an exception…
‘But upon closer inspection, isn’t she a cunning fox?’
Especially during the busy season, to involve Izar and take him to the Deneb domain.
From the beginning, the fox that had caused discord between the lady of the house and the master was certainly displeasing.
‘Sir Charles, you are the only one I can trust now.’
When he told the matriarch of the house that ‘that woman had spent the night in the master’s room,’ she wept and pleaded.
The women of the Karoli family had been loyal to the duke’s family for generations, and their mother and siblings had all benefited from Electra’s favor.
To treat such a person like a precious prisoner, forcibly separating her path from that bastard, was an injustice.
<I cannot join you on the trip to the capital this time… but please ensure Izar chooses the right path.>
<Is there a doubt, madam?>
<And if perhaps, my son does indeed act wrongly, could you help him?>
He thought of the small wooden box in his luggage and closed his mouth grimly. Such actions were not befitting a man… but in the worst case, he would have to interfere.
To ensure that Arcturus would no longer bear the stigma because of a wrongful woman, as the master had originally desired.
***
The capital of the Celestica Empire, Galatea, was noisier than usual due to the upcoming festival.
Noble families stationed in each domain gradually opened the doors of their newly adorned mansions in the capital, and social events among friends were bustling in the palace.
However, there was a place where this lively atmosphere became somewhat subdued—the Imperial Academy of Magic under the palace.
The building, with its sharply pointed triangular roofs, was a quaint copper color. The walls, long overtaken by ivy, easily told of its history.
No matter where one looked from outside the windows, the atmosphere was quiet, filled with those engrossed in ancient texts. Yet, over the past few days, a man with hair as golden as sunlight had been sighing deeply from the bell tower.
“Ah…”
And Albireo grumbled, his voice not suiting his age due to his undeniably bright appearance.
“When will they finally arrive?”
