Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 213

“His Majesty must be in quite a hurry, huh?”

The emperor’s decree, crumpled in Izar’s hand, looked pitiful.

“To think he would actually order the husband of his pregnant granddaughter to leave her side and head to the frontlines.”

Though the imperial command was delivered with elegant phrasing, its true intent was unmistakable—a thinly veiled threat saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be best for you as well if this crisis is resolved quickly? That way, you can return to your wife’s side sooner.’

‘That damned old man is playing his tricks again.’

If Izar hesitated even for a moment, the emperor would eagerly push for a divorce once the baby was born, disregarding everything.

There was no real reason for Izar to refuse deployment anyway, considering that monsters had already appeared in Kreiter’s territory. On top of that, coordinated movements resembling organized raids were being reported in neighboring regions.

‘That bastard must have shown up.’

His half-brother, Canopus. His presence was something Izar had kept hidden from the imperial family, leaving him no choice but to personally confront and eliminate him.

‘For the sake of the family…’

Just then, the woman who had been silently sitting beside him reached out and took the decree from his hand.

“Grandfather has issued an imperial command.”

“……”

Izar couldn’t even meet Freesia’s gaze. Instead, he silently stood and walked toward the window. He didn’t have the courage to see her reaction as she read the decree.

In the window’s reflection, Freesia’s figure appeared, her pregnancy visibly showing now. Whether it was because he had been by her side, her previously frail frame had begun to take on gentle curves.

“You’ll be leaving soon,” she said calmly, her voice soft as she spoke to the reflection in the window. “I’ll help you prepare for the expedition.”

“……”

“Let me know how many knights you’re taking with you, and I’ll check if we have enough supplies in storage. I think we should have plenty of smoked meat…”

To anyone listening, she sounded like a supportive wife, making sure her husband was well-prepared for a monster hunt. But hidden by his folded arms, Izar’s clenched fist revealed bulging veins across his hand.

Yes, he had to leave. But did Freesia even care whether he returned alive?

‘Could she be conspiring with Canopus… that I would…’

He couldn’t bear to complete the thought. But memories of Elder Madam Electra surfaced, dragging that suspicion along with them.

〈That woman is definitely conspiring with another man!〉
〈We’re all going to die! Every last one of us!〉

Elder Madam Electra was reportedly still sobbing and screaming like that once a day. The guards and the servants bringing her meals openly mocked her, but Izar wasn’t sure whether he could dismiss her words so easily.

Since he remained silent, Freesia eventually approached him slowly.

“Is something troubling you?”

“……”

“You don’t have anything to worry about, do you? After all, you’re the head of House Arcturus.”

For some reason, that last statement felt like a noose tightening around Izar’s neck.

The name of the family he had always been proud of, the weight he had carried since he was ten years old—why did it now feel like a heavy boulder crushing his chest?

His mind was overwhelmed with a single thought that seemed to reject his entire life up until now.

For once, he didn’t want to follow the emperor’s orders. Perhaps the position of honor he had always sought wasn’t what he truly desired after all.

Then, what did he really want?

‘I want to stay by your side as your husband.’

He wished to stay with Freesia, at least until spring of the following year.

‘I want to be the man you can love again.’

Though she had tried to end her life with the very gift he had given her, Izar couldn’t help but harbor a small glimmer of hope every time he saw her silently gazing at the gradually completed portrait.

Maybe, just maybe, if he survived this ordeal, she would accept him again.

Perhaps he could offer her something better, something more precious—things that wouldn’t hurt her this time.

And perhaps one day, she would look at him with those beautiful, shining eyes again.

‘I want to be a good father to the child we’ll have together.’

He didn’t know exactly what it meant to be a good parent, but he figured that as long as he did the opposite of what his father had done, he wouldn’t go wrong.

But with a resigned heart, Izar closed his eyes. Avoiding reality wouldn’t stop the passage of time.

“You’re right. I need to start preparing quickly.”

If this was the only option available to him, it would be better to resolve the situation as fast as possible and return to her side.

At the very least, as long as Freesia remained within the duke’s castle, the monsters wouldn’t be able to harm her.

Thus, it was decided—the knight order of House Arcturus would depart.