Come and Cry at My Funeral - Chapter 244

When one of the retainers bowed lower to speak, Izar gave a small nod, granting him permission to speak.

He was the retainer assigned to monitor the Imperial Prince’s surroundings.

“Milord, I present a report on His Highness the Imperial Prince’s recent movements.”

Under normal circumstances, knights of a ducal house would have no business tracking the Imperial Prince’s whereabouts. But the Emperor had nagged incessantly—“Stay at my grandson’s side”—and the consequences of that pestering had led to this.

“He’s inspected areas near the capital, but there were occasions when he went somewhat farther afield.”

The stated reason had been to check on drought conditions, so even to the eyes of those monitoring him, nothing had seemed suspicious. However, when the retainer pointed to a spot on the map, Izar’s lips curled upward in a crooked smile.

Yes, there was nothing suspicious about it. The northeastern region, with its endless canyons, had long struggled with droughts and floods alike.

That is, if Izar hadn’t known there was an abandoned palace in that area.

“Prepare a group for departure. Prioritize those as swift as the Imperial Prince’s knights.”

“Yes, Milord!”

Freesia may be gone, but their child still lived. Riegel, of all people, had no right to stand between him and his daughter.

If it became certain that she was still alive and he’d hidden her…

Even if Izar were to be executed for treason, he would see Riegel’s face as he died. No matter what.

***

Early summer was the season when sunlight spread evenly across all corners of the empire’s lands.

That included even the regions not known for warmth, where steep canyons cast long shadows.

The place they arrived at, after riding for about two weeks from the capital, was imperial property from ages past, but not a place any member of the imperial family would visit for leisure.

There were no hot springs with warm waters, and though the canyon’s scenery was grand, the terrain made it unsuitable for cultivating beautiful gardens. Naturally, the imperial family had not visited this place publicly in recent history.

At least, that was what the outside world believed.

But past the edge of a village and beyond the restricted zone at the canyon’s end, people would occasionally hear voices from the palace there.

The palace, carved directly into the canyon wall, resembled an ant nest. At the lowest level underground, there was a lake.

It was not a place one could call outwardly beautiful. Yet it would be a mistake to judge only by appearances. Because even here, sunlight shone upon a garden.

Today, as a little girl in a soft pink dress ran cheerfully through the garden, the lace ribbons on her thick black curls fluttered gently in the wind.

But she didn’t make it far before falling onto her backside with a loud plop in the grass.

“Ow-ow.”

Though she wasn’t actually hurt, she let out a sound anyway and glanced around. Realizing this attempt had failed, she sprang back to her feet on her chubby little legs.

But after only a few steps, she exaggerated a stumble and once again flopped dramatically onto the grass.

“……Ow-ow-ow!”

The awkward cry came a beat late, after she had already sat down.

The maid attending her, Mathilde, simply watched in silence. Normally, the child shouldn’t be allowed to get even the slightest scratch, but knowing why the girl was behaving this way made it too painful to stop her.

Still, letting it happen a third time wasn’t right, so the elderly maid stepped in before the girl could pout.

“Lady Nova, shall we head inside now?”

“Mmm… but…”

“You can come out again tomorrow. Or the day after, if not tomorrow.”

“……”

The maid picked up Nova and gently stroked her back with kind hands.

“It’ll be time very soon.”

“Mmm…”

“This time… she’ll wake for sure.”

Even so, Nova looked over her shoulder with eyes full of longing until the very end.

The garden’s white wild roses were in bloom, but near the end of their season, they were beginning to wilt one by one.

Still, a faint sweetness stung her nose as the breeze carried the scent. The last white flowers guarding the translucent glass coffin were still in bloom.

Nova scrunched her nose and puffed out her cheeks. She didn’t like how the glass coffin was getting farther and farther away.

‘Is Mama not going to wake up today…?’