Chapter 265
Freesia’s letter
Several days had passed since the Arcturus family stationed themselves in the gorge, following the Imperial Prince.
At first, when Izar burst in, an ominous sense of disaster loomed large. But contrary to those fears, the atmosphere gradually softened, like the warmth of an early summer day.
But on a dark night, under a crescent moon…
The air around a man with pale, glowing hair standing at the mouth of the gorge’s black forest was thick with the stench of blood.
As the silver-haired man’s eyes curved like a blood-red crescent, the man kneeling opposite him, drenched in blood, couldn’t even breathe.
“H-Huuk… please, spare me…”
“How fascinating.”
Canopus sneered as he looked down at the man trembling like an insect before him.
The informant, a spy from the temple, had disguised himself as a commoner in the village at the mouth of the gorge to quietly observe the situation.
Canopus smirked as he read the spy’s message again.
“Ever since Duke Arcturus stormed the gorge, things have gone eerily quiet… If he came in such a rage, it doesn’t seem likely it was over the Prince’s illegitimate child. The most reasonable explanation is that the supposedly dead imperial descendant—and the child—might be here…”
The hawk that had carried the letter now lay dead at their feet, tossed carelessly to the ground.
“Freesia…”
Canopus read the bloodstained letter with a strangely affectionate look in his eyes.
Especially when it came to the part mentioning the ‘imperial descendant’, his gaze softened, as though caressing the words themselves.
“So this is where you’ve been living.”
After betraying him so thoroughly… where had she disappeared to?
Canopus had never believed the imperial family’s official declaration that the imperial descendant was dead.
She was chosen by the divine, just like him.
Could someone like that die so easily?
“Besides, they said there wasn’t even a body in the coffin.”
If his body had recovered just a bit earlier, he would have searched farther and wider.
He frowned as he recalled the injury he’d received during his last encounter with Izar.
“That bastard did more damage than I thought.”
Fortunately, he had prepared multiple spells in anticipation of the worst-case scenario, but even so, recovery had taken a long time.
But now, as if sensing his own death was near, the dying spy suddenly lashed out.
“You… You’ll be punished by God!”
“…Me?”
“Y-Yes!”
The spy raved like a madman in his final moments, hurling curses, but none of it reached Canopus’s ears.
Punished by God …?
“I am God’s most rightful agent.”
And as such, all that remained was to mete out punishment to the true sinners and take her back in the end.
With a single soft snap of his fingers…
Behind Canopus, a faint crack split the air.
A moment later, in a scream like boiling blood inside a prayer, the forest was left utterly silent.
***
Nova, just as Riegel had described, was indeed strong-willed.
Just because someone acted close with her Mama once didn’t mean she could so easily accept him!
So even after five days together—and with only five days left of Freesia’s life—Nova still refused to call him ‘Papa’.
She continued to refer to him with things like ‘this’ and ‘that’.
Still, Nova had realized that Izar made for a rather comfortable makeshift bed, and without any sign of fear, began to shamelessly demand that he sacrifice himself for her convenience.
Bouncing over, Nova whined to Izar,
“Nova’s legs hurt! Carry Nova!”
“I will… if you call me Papa.”
Izar, too, had reached the point where he could attempt bargaining.
But most of the time, Nova would give him a look like he was completely ridiculous.
“Nova’s legs hurt.”
“……”
“They hurt.”
Her gaze said: Do you still not know what really matters here?
Eventually, Izar gave up neatly and bent down to let her climb on as she pleased.
“Alright.”
Even just having his daughter reach for him without a tantrum was progress.
At least she wasn’t looking at Albireo Deneb anymore, begging to make that man her Papa just because he was ‘prettier’.
Nova’s bright laughter echoed through the air as she giggled, pleased with the height.
Freesia quietly watched from the garden tea table.
‘Thank goodness…’
She didn’t have much time left, and seeing Nova upset or crying constantly broke her heart.
And thanks to Izar caring for Nova, Freesia had been able to spend some time putting her affairs in order.
‘There’s not much left to settle now.’
She had virtually no inheritance to speak of.
All that remained was to write a will.
***
“What are you writing?”
A shadow suddenly fell over her head, and startled, Freesia quickly covered the letter with both hands.
“A l-letter. For Nova to read when she’s older.”
“……”
A bitter silence followed her words.
Both of them knew exactly how this time would end.
But because Freesia looked so externally fine, neither of them had ever brought it up.
Izar lowered his gaze, but asked with a voice that unintentionally revealed a sliver of hope,
“Are you writing to anyone else too?”
“To my brother, and to Mathilde.”
“…You’re calling him ‘brother’ now?”
Izar glanced sidelong at Freesia with a peculiar jealousy.
After watching them over the past few days, he’d noticed it: the emotional distance between her and Riegel was closing far faster than it was between her and her own husband.
When the two of them sat together while Freesia slept and discussed what had happened with Nova, it had filled Izar with burning jealousy.
Freesia frowned slightly at his persistence.
“Then what else should I call him? He’s the one helping me and asked me to call him that.”
“……”
At her blunt retort, Izar turned his head away.
He couldn’t bring himself to say he wanted something from her too.
Even if it were a letter filled with resentment, he wished Freesia would leave something behind for him as well.
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