Chapter 261
The family, together for the first time
When Freesia had just given birth to Nova, the truth was she hadn’t planned to keep the child by her side for long.
〈Wouldn’t it be better for the child to be raised as a noble lady from the start…?〉
Izar wouldn’t treat Nova coldly, so she had planned to watch over the baby for just a few days and then send her off through Riegel.
But the moment she held the baby and managed, with difficulty, to get her to nurse—an intense, possessive desire surged up within her.
Izar could be there as Nova grew to five, ten, even twenty years old.
But Freesia herself was barely surviving, sustained by the magic of the sanctuary.
Even if she endured and endured again with Riegel’s help… would she even be able to live to see the child turn five?
〈…So what if she’s not a boy.〉
She was the daughter she had risked death to bring into the world.
Her first child born alive.
So what if she wanted to keep her a little longer, to have her all to herself?
〈I’m going to die before long anyway.〉
She knew it was a possessiveness with an expiration date.
Unlike her earlier plan to send Nova away after she died, she hadn’t expected things to turn out this way, with Izar barging in so recklessly.
So, the day after her remaining lifespan changed to nine days, Freesia faced Izar in the garden.
She had ended up missing this year’s spring, and the air between them was lukewarm.
It was evening, but with summer approaching, the sunlight still glittered through the leaves.
Freesia squinted against the light and bit her lip.
‘Ah. Of all times…’
The weather was exactly like the season when she’d been happiest by Izar’s side.
The brilliant light, the gentle warmth, the shimmering greenery.
And of all times, he had to be here, bringing back those memories in full force.
〈I don’t want to hear anyone say I’m not doing even the bare minimum as a husband.〉
Like the time after their wedding night, when she was feeling blue because he disappeared the next day…
He had acted like a clumsy boy giving a woman her first gift.
〈Tell me what you want, quickly. Come on. Anything.〉
The times she had begged him to hold her more, to stay a little longer.
When she recalled just how happy she had been back then, her throat kept tightening.
‘We… need to talk.’
But the way Izar was staring straight at her made her feel unbearably tense.
He had always had a fearsome gaze. And now, as the man who had fully taken on the role of ‘husband’, just looking at him made her heart lurch.
“You said you finally had something to talk to me about.”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
But Freesia answered calmly, keeping her emotions well-hidden.
“I have nine days left, Izar.”
“……”
“I don’t think I can keep letting Nova cause a scene every time she sees you.”
Izar made a face like he had swallowed something bitter.
He had stayed up through the night just to see Freesia again…
Yet he still hadn’t been able to take a single step closer.
Now that time had already dwindled down to day nine, the frustration was unbearable.
But Freesia continued, seemingly unaware of how cold her words sounded.
“And no matter how I feel, I want our child to grow up believing the three of us were a good family. I want to show her a picture of a happy, loving home.”
“…No matter how you feel? So you hate seeing me this much, but you’re forcing yourself to endure it for Nova’s sake?”
“That’s right.”
“…Ha.”
He understood that he should accept her proposal.
But the fact that it wasn’t what Freesia truly wanted, that was what hurt.
He had longed for her so deeply…
And yet, what she said next devastated him even more.
“On the day before I die… please leave this place. Don’t stay by my side.”
“What?”
“I’ll send Nova to you afterward. I promise.”
“That’s not what I’m doubting.”
Unable to hold back any longer, Izar stepped closer to her.
He could reach out and touch her cheek, but afraid of how she might react, he only placed his trembling hand lightly on her shoulder.
“Why…? If this really is the end… do you have to push me away like this?”
“……”
“I’m not even hoping for the kind of love you gave me back then.”
That was a lie.
He desperately wanted Freesia to love him again.
But if he said that, she might not only retract her offer to let him stay by Nova’s side, she might cast him out of the palace entirely.
So, one by one, he began chiseling down his own wishes.
“I’m not asking for forgiveness for deceiving you while making excuses about my circumstances.”
“Izar.”
“If you’re angry, if you can’t bear it—then hit me. If you want, I’ll even place a sword in your hands.”
Izar lowered his head helplessly against her shoulder and whispered.
“Hate me, resent me, express it however you want. That’s all fine.”
“……”
“All I want is to be near you… just to stay by your side…”
He no longer feared physical ruin.
He had never imagined that standing beside the one he loved at the end of her life would become something he desired this desperately.
“Please… let me stay with you until the very end.”
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.