Chapter 96
Freesia’s pupils dilated with fear. She had known these people for three years, but never had they threatened her virtue and reputation so severely.
And if Madam Antares ‘accidentally’ let men in here…
If they saw her in this wretched state…
‘I must endure.’
Freesia bit her lower lip hard.
But Madam Antares leaned in and whispered in her ear.
“Did you know? This is where your mother lost her tongue.”
“……!”
“You’re stronger than your mother. That woman cried and screamed the moment a blade was drawn…”
Freesia shut her eyes tight, trying to block out the venomous words. Her crazy mother wasn’t someone to be mocked like this.
“She had the courage to spread her legs before another woman’s husband, but she pissed herself when faced with a dagger. It was so disgusting. Come to think of it, you’re lying in the exact spot she was.”
Don’t listen. Crying and begging before a sword isn’t foolish.
“She bled so much that I feared she’d die here. But she survived, even while pregnant with you.”
No one can stay calm under the threat of death. Mocking someone fighting to live is wrong.
So endure…
“But, how dirty.”
The cheerful laughter that followed froze Freesia’s mind. She hadn’t noticed out of fear and pain, but Atria was part of the group.
While she was being treated like livestock, Atria still shone brilliantly.
Those eyes looked at her writhing in pain on the floor as if watching a lowly spectacle.
“Truly, there’s no beast more foul than you…”
“Ugh, uuugh!”
“What use is refinement for a beast?”
However, the madam smiled as she gently held her daughter’s shoulder. Judging by the midwife’s expression and gestures, it was clear Freesia had not spent the night with her husband.
“Rest easy, my dear. It seems the Duke knows how to discern propriety.”
“Phew… That’s a relief.”
Atria pinched her nose with her fingers, looking at Freesia who was on the verge of fainting. On a day like this, even the faintest smell of blood was unbearably foul.
“A dirty shepherdess, trying to act smart.”
Whether the bastard was foolish, wise, flattering, or trying to be cautious, Atria intended to teach her a harsh lesson. That body of hers was not fit to bear a noble’s child, let alone look at him with lustful eyes as if she were his true wife.
‘How dare she look at Izar with those eyes.’
Atria smirked as she walked towards the ‘storeroom’ door.
“Mother, could you give me just a moment?”
“Of course, Atria.”
Freesia could barely blink at the sound of the mother and daughter’s affectionate conversation. She had no idea what expression she was wearing.
Madam Antares looked down at Freesia with a gentle smile.
“Are you envious, dear? How pitiful.”
“Ugh…”
“Pray that next time you are born to a proper mother.”
With that cruel consolation, Freesia lost consciousness.
***
The shepherdess—no.
Freesia had disappeared.
During the serious discussion about the monster hunt, Freesia had leaned on an attendant’s arm and vanished. The hem of her dress was stained with dark purple liquid. Madam Antares had followed her elegantly, smiling at Izar as she passed by.
“It seems Freesia is not yet accustomed to such strong wine, Duke. I’ll take care of her and return shortly.”
That woman, taking care of Freesia?
‘I wouldn’t trust her to care for a stray dog…’
The Duke and Duchess of Antares had handed over the bastard with all their might for the Emperor’s favor. Izar knew that Freesia’s mad mother had also died by their hands.
<Can you stay by my side?>
He remembered her desperate plea. He remembered everything—her pale face, trembling lips, and her fervent trust and longing for him.
“……”
But Izar nodded silently and turned away.
He intended to tell her tonight that their marriage was invalid. It was better to give her a reason to sever her feelings for him. Better than seeing her cry.
‘No matter how harsh Madam Antares is, she can’t harm the woman I’ll bring back home tonight.’
Yet time passed, and Freesia did not return to the banquet. The voices around him became more and more distorted in his ears.
‘Damn it, what could she have drunk?’
Was it just nerves? Unable to bear it any longer, he ignored the calls for him and headed to the corridor lit by candlelight.
If he could find a servant to tell him where Freesia was…
“Oh my, Duke.”
But as he took a step, Lady Atria appeared, giggling softly from the shadows.
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