When The Count’s Illegitimate Daughter Gets Married

Chapter 108

Laritte, on the bed, closed her eyes once before opening her eyes again. A transparent afterimage, perhaps a window, caught her eye.

Then, if she looked to the left here, she would see Ian.

As she turned her head to the chair where Ian was sitting, she couldn’t feel the movement of her neck, but her vision changed. The smudged and blurred black object was obviously Ian’s hair. Alone… No, with her in the room, there were three of them, including Butterfly.

“Where will I be buried?”

The voice approaching death reached Ian.

He held back his tears, knowing that Laritte couldn’t see him clearly.

“The Duchy… the mistress will go to a location suitable for her. The castle used as a charnel house is at the highest point of the Duchy. Most of our ancestors slept there, but any tomb is fine if you wish.”

“It must be a place with a good view of the outside.”

“When there are no clouds, and the weather is very clear. You can see the edge of the castle from the Duke’s residence.”

There, Laritte was satisfied.

Occasionally, she would see Ian at work, and she would also see the people of the Duchy talking and laughing at each other. At that location, she might even see the small house where her mother lived.

As she pondered so, Laritte opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. She thought she had more to say though she had nothing to say because she had already talked a lot over the course of several days.

Does she really have more to ask?

For example, if he saw Olivia who has suddenly disappeared, don’t get angry for any reason…… she said this already.

Even if he was left alone, make sure to eat three meals a day… She said it five times.

…Be sure to check where Butterfly sleeps at night.

…To feel the responsibility of being Butterfly’s father.

Besides that, she recalled a number of things she had said before. It seemed like it would be okay if Laritte couldn’t wake up again at any time.

“Laritte.”

Ian called out her name, worried about Laritte. It was because her weak breathing had completely stopped. When she heard Ian’s voice and moved, her chest went up and down again.

“Yes?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Ian sighed in relief.

He knew that the farewell time was right around the corner, but not right now… At least, one more hour—no, Thirty minutes, one minute, one second more…….

He smiled weakly as he watched Laritte’s eyes gradually close.

“It looks like it’s good to take a nap.”

Silk curtains swaying from the window and a lit fireplace. The white winter landscapes on the wall and everything else came to their end though Ian said Laritte was going to sleep.

“Yes. I guess…”

He continued to grab her hand, that was under the duvet, as he smoothed her fingernails. With the care of the maids, her nails, which were soft and shiny, were now dry and split in the middle but still lovely.

Ian asked.

“Let’s sleep together.”

Laritte was not afraid of her death.

It was completely different from how she was insensitive to everything in her life. It was a kind of self-protection for Laritte to have her emotional expressions erased because that was the only way she would be hit less in the County.

Most humans were wary of suffering, and the original reason was that they were afraid of death. Fearing the emptiness after death, they hate pain and punishment, and they try to be immortal.

So, Laritte’s willingness to accept her death meant that her tragic past had gotten better. Even though the scar was still there in her heart, she had a present that was so happy that she couldn’t grieve over it.

Laritte resisted that she was going to say, ‘Then, today is our first night’ when he told her to sleep together.

She didn’t know if Ian would cry if she threw this joke now…

“Can you lie down, be careful not to lie on Butterfly?”

Ian then lifted her with the duvet that covered her and made a space for him to lie down.

Butterfly rose to protect Laritte, then realized that the other person was Ian and relaxed. As it curled its body between them as they lay face to face, Ian placed his arms under her head. It was like a husband and wife were sleeping tenderly with their child between them.

“Butterfly has come between us. Can you see it?”

Ian explained it in case Laritte didn’t know.

Thanks to this, she discovered that the white afterimage under her eyes was Butterfly.

“….”

Laritte was about to say something and then closed her mouth again. This time, not because she had nothing to say, but because she didn’t have enough energy. She couldn’t even move her mouth, the last thing left in her body…

Now, it was truly over.

Her eyes were closed. Even though the sun was still bright, she was going to sleep for a long time.

She said goodbye.

…Goodbye, Ian.

Goodbye, Butterfly. Goodbye, Mom.

The friendly maids and Ava. The knights couldn’t be left out either…

She then said goodbye to the hobby club ladies as well.

When she left for the villa, she only said that she was not feeling well because of the public view. The Ladies would be very surprised if they knew. While Marquis Lady Stella Hoveu was strong, she was so generous that she might be the first to cry.

No matter how much time they were given for their end, it was still short.

So, Laritte had a lot to think about, but her head slowly became cold—like a bonfire with no firewood. There was nothing left in the place filled with miscellaneous thoughts.

Regardless, it was a happy void.

“….”

Ian buried Laritte’s forehead in his chest.

“Butterfly has come between us.”

…Why doesn’t she answer?

“You were the only one who didn’t answer my questions.”

The nobles were afraid of Ian. When he asked one, they naturally answered ten. Not to mention, the nanny Ava also acted confidently in her work. Only Laritte played a prank by deliberately swallowing or ignoring his question.

Ian liked that too, but not now.

“Why didn’t you answer me and go? What’s the rush…”

Ian followed Laritte and Butterfly and closed his eyes. The tears did not flow as he admitted that he would one day die and stay with her.

The maids would cry a lot.

This was the room before death swallowed up, still, there was no sorrow.

Naturally, Ian did not sleep.

“That’s what happened.”

At the temple’s conference hall, Astrit, who sat at the top of the conference table, nodded her head. Her heart warmed when she heard that Olivia had come all the way here.

“Isn’t she such a great parent to come all the way to save her child? No matter how low-rase they are.”

Astrit, in the form of a human woman over a hundred years old, sought the consent of the other heads.

The head of the Red Dragon nodded his head in confusion and then trembled. At that, she raised her old, wrinkled right hand. Her white magical powers were clustered in the shape of a sphere, and the size was nothing compared to that of ordinary dragons.

Ikar couldn’t contain his surprise when he saw the immense magical power transmitted to Seta.

“Astrit?”

“Is this enough to achieve the goal of coming here?”

If Astrit, who had already run out of her vitality, gave that amount, she would return to earth soon. Reading Ikar’s worries, Astrit waved her old hand and opened her mouth to him.

“I can do a good job at the last minute of my life. Thank you so much, Ikar.”

Then, she motioned for Olivia behind Ikar and Seta to come closer. Olivia panicked, then she went to the table.

“Human. What is your name?”

“Olivia, cough! My name is Olivia…”

Her voice trembled in front of the most noble among dragons. The white-haired old woman smiled shyly.

“There is nothing to be nervous about. It’s the first time I’ve seen something like this in more than ten thousand years. My heart is so touched. Can I ask if there is anything else you need?”

Although she hesitated, there was actually a thing that came to her mind.

Before she left her daughter, she was supposed to take care of the sick Laritte.

A white dress on display in her daughter’s room stood out. Olivia knew right away what it was because she had replayed the letter from Laritte dozens of times. It was a dress that did not rot and did not wear out by using the dragon’s scales.

‘She said she would cherish the dress of the former Duchess, but… Perhaps even the magical power of this dress has been consumed, and it has become an ordinary dress now, right?’

It was clear that Laritte had left the dress in the room with sorrow.

“Perhaps… If it’s not rude, can I get a dragon’s scale?”

Seta turned into a dragon and crossed the night sky.

Olivia, who was riding on his back, was blown away by the gusts of wind all over her body, but she couldn’t help but feel refreshed.

…Laritte!

A laugh came out with itself. Unbearable tickling feeling, she laughed out loud. Seta turned his elongated lizard’s face back.

“Are you happy?”

“Of course!”

She received not only the magical powers to save her daughter, but also the scales.

Would she be overflowing with resentment for the price of just lying on her stomach for a few days? The scales are the dragon’s weakness. When they became a Dragon Lord, the scales fell on their own, so Astrit gladly handed over the scales she had kept.

Seta giggled, revealing his teeth the size of a house.

The longer Laritte’s face lingers in the world, the more he naturally rejoiced. Meanwhile, Ikar disappeared, saying he had to look at the cats in his Rare, but he, too, seemed to be satisfied.

Seta flapped his wings vigorously.

They were going back with immense magical powers, so if Laritte hadn’t died, she could even wake up in the best possible condition.

Wait a minute….

When Seta thought of that, he suddenly became anxious. He breathed heavily the air of the night sky with the dragon’s gigantic lungs. Could it be that the female human is already dead…?

…No. There shouldn’t be any problem since the human named Ian would have been around.

‘Death is the realm of God, so we can’t help it. Well, it’ll be fine.’

Eventually, they arrived at the Duke’s residence. They landed on the balcony on the second floor of the mansion. Olivia, excited to be praised by Laritte, opened the balcony door to enter the mansion. However, the smile on her old face disappeared.

Instead, the creepy silence in the empty hallway enveloped her.

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