Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 216

Just then, faint footsteps echoed from beyond the door. At this late hour, the only person likely to seek him out would be a vassal needing to discuss final preparations.

“Who is it?”

“…Isn’t it a bit cold to treat your wife this way? Can’t I even say goodnight the day before you leave?”

Izar’s heart sank at the unexpected response. He hurriedly opened the door to see Freesia standing there, wrapped in a thick shawl, her expression cool and composed as she looked up at him.

“Why are you at this room—?”

“You summoned me here once before, didn’t you?”

“But—”

Izar was so flustered that he couldn’t finish his sentence. He had specifically given her the Duchess’s room to avoid this place because, in her previous life, she had attempted suicide here.

But Freesia had already stepped inside. Truthfully, even she wasn’t sure why she had come to this room so suddenly.

‘No, I do know. It’s because I can clearly see how upset he is.’

To avoid any disruptions to her final plan, Izar needed to remain exactly as she remembered him. Despite the fear that crept into her heart when reminded of the past, she had come this far.

Freesia stole a quick glance at Izar as he remained silent, then wandered aimlessly around the room. His face still showed signs of sleepless nights.

Unprepared for her visit, his tunic was loosely open at the collar, revealing the shaded contours of his throat and chest. She grew irritated at herself for noticing and deliberately turned her gaze toward the window.

It was the same window she had fallen from when she declared her hatred for her ‘husband’.

Back then, the night sky had been pitch-black, with not a single star to greet her. But now, white jewels sparkled brightly beyond the thick glass.

“There seem to be more stars in the sky tonight,” she said softly.

Izar, regaining his composure, nodded with some effort.

“It’s a winter night, after all…”

After that, neither of them spoke. The dry winter wind rustled the barren branches outside, filling the silence.

Staring out at the scene, Izar murmured,

“It would’ve been better if it were a spring night.”

“Aren’t stars more beautiful on winter nights?” Freesia replied.

The air is clearer, and the stars shine like white gems, she thought. But when Izar slowly turned to look at her, she instinctively pressed her lips together.

The glowing stars reflected off his face, as brilliantly as when he had saved her when she was fifteen. For a moment, she was so captivated by him that she almost didn’t hear what he said next.

“In spring, the shepherd’s star appears.”

“Oh… right.”

Freesia nodded quickly, having been momentarily lost in thought. The constellation that signaled the arrival of spring was known as the shepherds’ guide, indicating that it was time for them to seek out new, sprouting pastures for their animals.

Although it was also the season when monsters awakened and life teetered closer to death, it remained a time of beginnings.

“When that star appears, the stream might thaw,” Izar said.

“The stream…? Why mention that place now?”

“You once said you wanted to visit it.”

When did I say that? Freesia widened her eyes in genuine surprise before a faint memory resurfaced.

‘I think I said that during the hunting festival.’

It felt like a lifetime ago, but there had been a time when she had been filled with overwhelming love and joy. A time when she whispered dreams of a future in his arms.

〈Someday, when our child is a little older, let’s visit the stream together… I asked you that once, didn’t I? When we return to the duchy, will you come with me…?〉

〈Of course. And not just to the stream—anywhere else you want to go.〉

Even Freesia had forgotten about that conversation, but Izar hadn’t.

The hand holding hers tightened just slightly.

“Perhaps we can take the baby with us too, depending on how well you recover…”

“……”

“If not next year, then the year after.”

Freesia silently watched as shadows flickered across his golden eyes. Despite talking about the future, he still seemed resigned, as though accepting a fate he couldn’t change.

Yet, even with the shadows dimming them, his eyes were still beautiful, glowing under the starlight. Once, no amount of brilliance from the night sky could touch her heart, but now, that glow felt strangely close.

“…Izar.”

The thick shawl wrapped around her shoulders slipped down, falling to the floor with a sound as soft as snowfall. Freesia didn’t bother to glance at it.

The dress’s sleeves slid slowly down her rounded shoulders, revealing skin that had long since shed the roughness of her shepherd days, now smooth and unblemished.

The words she spoke next—were they meant to push Izar further into despair? Or were they simply the result of her longing for spring?

“Before you leave… hold me.”