Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 214

She had 75 days left.

The moment the countdown shifted from three digits to two, the days began slipping away rapidly, like sand through fingers. The castle’s frantic busyness due to the expedition only made time feel even shorter.

The women of the castle were responsible for preparing the provisions and clothing for those who had to leave. As the lady of the house, Freesia couldn’t afford to be careless, even in her pregnant state.

Yet, no matter how busy things were, the punishment of an offender must always be witnessed.

In the early dawn, when no one was watching, Elder Madam Electra was banished from the duke’s castle alone.

At first glance, it might seem like a far more merciful punishment compared to execution or the amputation of her limbs.

But in the frigid winter winds now sweeping across the land, there was no refuge for a woman who had fallen from the favor of the duke and duchess.

Even if someone did take her in, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t be captured and killed by the monsters that had recently been appearing year-round.

“How… how could this happen to me…”

Accepting her reversed reality was as painful as having her flesh torn. And as the biting dawn wind slashed across her skin, Electra hunched over, lowering her head.

But as she reached the castle gate, a voice, all too familiar yet utterly despised, pierced her ears.

“Well, well, Elder Madam Electra. Who would have thought Izar would hand down such a punishment?”

Electra stiffened and slowly turned her head in disbelief.

“You…!”

“I tried to advise against it, but I suppose there was no stopping it.”

There was Freesia, standing in the dim light of dawn before the sun had even risen, as if she had come to personally see Electra off.

The sight of her gentle face forming words triggered an uncontrollable surge of rage within Electra.

“You conniving, husband-eating wench!”

How foolish she had been to think, even for a moment, that this woman would show her mercy. If she was going to die anyway, she might as well unleash all the resentment bottled inside her.

“Did you think I didn’t know your schemes? You’ve already conspired with the man who kidnapped you! You’re working with him to kill Izar and destroy this entire place!”

Freesia tilted her head slightly, as though she had just heard an amusing joke.

So, someone had been secretly eavesdropping on her conversations with Canopus after all. But Freesia hadn’t bothered to confirm it—she had deliberately let it slide.

After all, who would dare openly doubt an imperial descendant now?

Even those who had been assigned to watch Electra had heard her mutter about how ‘the imperial descendant will bring ruin to this land,’ but none of them had taken her seriously.

“Kill Izar? Me?” Freesia asked, as if considering the absurdity of it.

“Yes!”

Electra’s parched lips trembled as she spoke, but the venom in her eyes remained as sharp as ever.

“Did you think I wouldn’t recognize that look in your eyes? It’s the same as Izar’s birth mother!”

The eyes of a woman plotting betrayal, planning her escape from her husband. A woman who smiled outwardly, but whose eyes held a glacial chill that made anyone who noticed it feel a shiver down their spine.

“No one believes me now! But when the time comes, they’ll remember my words. They’ll see what you’ve been plotting, and you’ll be judged! This entire family will be judged!”

“……”

“How could this family… always fall for women like you! Always!”

“Indeed, Electra.”

Freesia replied with a detached smile.

“How pitiful. I’m not sure which woman you’re referring to, but neither I nor the former duchess ever asked to be worshiped by these men.”

If anything, it was the men who clung to them. Neither woman had ever sought the glory or the misery that came with marrying the duke.

“Oh, is that why you were so cruel to me? Because of your inferiority complex? Did being overshadowed by Izar’s mother haunt you?”

“You…!”

“Oh my, I must’ve hit the mark. But there’s no need to feel so ashamed, Electra. Do you think you’re the only one around here who’s lacking?”

Freesia gazed indifferently at the horizon of the duchy. The land, still untouched by the morning sun, lay shrouded in cold darkness.

“This land makes me sick just breathing its air…”

Even though this was the land where she had been born and raised, it only filled her with disgust.

“The imperial palace wasn’t much better, but at least it wasn’t as hypocritical as this place.”

All this time, here in this place, she was still nothing more than the illegitimate child of a woman with a cut tongue. Yet they all started acting as if they couldn’t wait to grovel at her feet.

Electra, panting heavily, flinched at the cold, detached tone in Freesia’s voice.

She had heard that tone before, back when she lived among rough knights.

What her voice carried now was hatred and murderous intent.

“What… what are you planning to do to this place?”

“……”

Freesia approached the trembling woman slowly, her steps unhurried.

As she drew close enough that her attendants couldn’t overhear, the corners of her lips curled higher against her cheeks.

“I’ll admit, you were sharper than most. Unlike the others…”

“You—you really—”

“Yes, it’s exactly what you think.”

Freesia whispered softly to the woman, who now trembled as she envisioned the ruin heading her way.

“But there’s one thing you got wrong, Electra.”

“W-What…?”

“Well then, it’s time for you to go.”

She had no further use for this woman, nor any obligation to answer her questions. Turning her back, Freesia gave Electra one last, dazzling smile as she shook violently.

“Goodbye, Electra. I do hope that with your keen insight, you’ll manage to survive.”

How would a woman who had lived her entire life comfortably within the castle walls endure the harsh winter alone? And how long would she last before monsters or assassins—those eager to win the imperial descendant’s favor—finished her off?

Either way, Freesia had no need to dirty her hands any further.

She lifted her gaze to the castle, its walls silhouetted by the rising sun. Soon, the castle would be in chaos as the final preparations for the expedition got underway.

‘Things are progressing more smoothly than I expected.’

This expedition was also part of Freesia’s final plan.