Episode 3. Let's Talk
As she looked up at the tower through the small window, the veil fluttered and swayed.
"You're a smart child, so it won't be long before it happens. We mustn't miss that moment. You know you only have one chance, right?"
“What?”
“She seems to have recovered sufficiently, but it’s time for you to send her away, Your Highness!”
Lacrahan raised an eyebrow at the two.
Timothy added to Wyatt.
“Your Highness. The Knight Commander has a point. The Princess will be here soon, won’t she?”
“She saved the children.”
“Why call her a great woman when she was just holding them?”
As she looked up at the tower through the small window, the veil fluttered and swayed.
"You're a smart child, so it won't be long before it happens. We mustn't miss that moment. You know you only have one chance, right?"
"Yes, of course. Of course I do. Then, will you give this to me?"
As the woman sitting on the floor grabbed the parallel butterfly, the woman sitting on the chair grabbed her wrist and dug her nails into it.
"Haaak!"
"Your eyes are burning with greed, child."
"I'm sorry."
"Let's do this."
The woman sitting on the floor lifted her blank face.
"Yes?"
The fan opened in a semicircle.
"Now, who will the parallel butterfly choose?"
"...Yes?"
The woman sitting on the floor lifted her blank face, then turned pale and began to tremble.
This was because the face inside the veil was transforming into her own.
“Please, spare my life... Kaaaaaaah!”
A moment later, where the carriage had left the forest, only the corpse of a woman with her eyes wide open remained.
“Huh? Sister, wake up!”
Lacrahan, who had been looking out the window, turned his head.
“Your Highness! Sister, wake up!”
As his long legs moved, a long cloak fluttered behind him, creating a breeze.
“Is that right? Sister, you’re going to sleep now, aren’t you?”
Lacrahan lowered his head and studied the woman’s face.
Her eyelids, which had been motionless for days, were twitching as if stretching.
“Yes.”
A short breath escaped Lacrahan’s red lips.
“It seems she’s finally waking up.”
“Guys! Quickly! Wake up! Sister is awake!”
Tatiana’s voice rang out through the quiet hallway.
“Waaaah!”
Children burst out from everywhere and started running, their hair flying.
“Ouch.”
“Oh my, kids! Don’t get hurt!”
The servants, who happened to be walking with cleaning tools in hand, raised their arms to protect the passing children.
Just when they thought everyone had passed, the youngest, Melissa, who had just started walking, appeared at the very back, tottering.
Her chubby cheeks and raised eyebrows gave her a serious look.
The servants watched Melissa, who had a serious expression on her face, moving her short legs diligently to keep up with the children, and laughter erupted from their lips.
After Tatiana left, only Lacrahan and the woman remained in the room.
The woman, who had just woken up, spotted Lacrahan and was wary of him, repeatedly pushing herself against the edge of the bed.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m from the North...”
Thud.
The woman pulled the blanket up to her neck and flattened herself so low that the headboard shook.
The slightest movement of Lacrahan’s body caused the woman’s hunched shoulders to flinch as if competing.
“Is something wrong?”
It was hard to believe that this was simply a reaction to being with a stranger.
The trembling, as if an aspen tree, the anxious look in her eyes.
'This doesn't seem like a normal reaction.'
The woman glared at Lacrahan, her brow furrowed.
"We met in the warehouse. Don't you remember? There was a fire."
The woman blinked, her eyes frozen as rigid as a statue.
Every time her eyelids moved, golden eyes sparkled within them.
'As expected. It wasn't an illusion.'
Blonde hair and golden eyes.
Of course, blonde hair wasn't unheard of, but it was incredibly rare.
Furthermore, golden eyes were a first for Lacrahan.
He'd only heard of such a story once before: in a history book.
"Could you tell me your name?"
The mysterious aura she exuded wasn't solely due to her eyes.
Her slender limbs, her skin so pale that her veins were visible, her features so delicate they resembled a doll's.
Her appearance was captivating.
Despite her frightened face and disheveled hair, her beauty remained undiminished.
Even Lacrahan, who had little interest in women, found it difficult to look away.
"Don't you remember? What happened there?"
Lacrahan pointed out the window, but the woman didn't take her eyes off him.
"You saved the children."
"...?"
The woman raised her eyebrows at the word "children. "
She chewed her lips, her face uneasily glancing at the door behind him.
"Tatiana will be here soon. She went to call the others."
He had merely explained the situation, but the woman glared at him fiercely.
"Ha."
"I don't think even an enemy would look at me like that."
"Right. You don't have to say it if you don't want to."
He crossed his arms casually and leaned against the wall furthest from the woman. She was afraid of getting close, so he chose to move a little further away.
When their eyes met, he brushed his hair back and smiled, trying to make his expression as gentle as possible.
Usually, when he smiled like this, those who met his gaze reacted in the same way.
Their faces would flush, or they would look down with admiration.
Surely, after all this effort, that woman wouldn't keep staring at him as if she were going to kill him...
"Ahem."
...She's staring.
"Are you from the North?"
Lacrahan cleared his throat and naturally moved on to the question.
"Actually, no one in the North looks at me like that. Are you... from another world?"
"...?"
The woman, who didn't laugh at the joke, kept twitching her anxious eyes, then frowning at Lacrahan.
She seemed afraid and even wanted to run away.
In fact, if she had been found here, it was safe to assume she was from the North.
Unless she had entered through a portal authorized by the Emperor, she would inevitably be discovered by the Knights of Lacrahan.
"Whatever the reason, it's refreshing."
Since arriving in the North, Lacrahan had never once experienced such wary looks.
Everyone here held Lacrahan in boundless affection. After all, it was Lacrahan who saved the North from destruction after the goddess Bercheria's protection disappeared.
Lacrahan was the God, King, and benevolent friend of the North.
As the woman sitting on the floor grabbed the parallel butterfly, the woman sitting on the chair grabbed her wrist and dug her nails into it.
"Haaak!"
"Your eyes are burning with greed, child."
"I'm sorry."
"Let's do this."
The woman sitting on the floor lifted her blank face.
"Yes?"
The fan opened in a semicircle.
"Now, who will the parallel butterfly choose?"
"...Yes?"
The woman sitting on the floor lifted her blank face, then turned pale and began to tremble.
This was because the face inside the veil was transforming into her own.
“Please, spare my life... Kaaaaaaah!”
A moment later, where the carriage had left the forest, only the corpse of a woman with her eyes wide open remained.
***
“Huh? Sister, wake up!”
Lacrahan, who had been looking out the window, turned his head.
“Your Highness! Sister, wake up!”
As his long legs moved, a long cloak fluttered behind him, creating a breeze.
“Is that right? Sister, you’re going to sleep now, aren’t you?”
Lacrahan lowered his head and studied the woman’s face.
Her eyelids, which had been motionless for days, were twitching as if stretching.
“Yes.”
A short breath escaped Lacrahan’s red lips.
“It seems she’s finally waking up.”
“Guys! Quickly! Wake up! Sister is awake!”
Tatiana’s voice rang out through the quiet hallway.
“Waaaah!”
Children burst out from everywhere and started running, their hair flying.
“Ouch.”
“Oh my, kids! Don’t get hurt!”
The servants, who happened to be walking with cleaning tools in hand, raised their arms to protect the passing children.
Just when they thought everyone had passed, the youngest, Melissa, who had just started walking, appeared at the very back, tottering.
Her chubby cheeks and raised eyebrows gave her a serious look.
The servants watched Melissa, who had a serious expression on her face, moving her short legs diligently to keep up with the children, and laughter erupted from their lips.
***
After Tatiana left, only Lacrahan and the woman remained in the room.
The woman, who had just woken up, spotted Lacrahan and was wary of him, repeatedly pushing herself against the edge of the bed.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m from the North...”
Thud.
The woman pulled the blanket up to her neck and flattened herself so low that the headboard shook.
The slightest movement of Lacrahan’s body caused the woman’s hunched shoulders to flinch as if competing.
“Is something wrong?”
It was hard to believe that this was simply a reaction to being with a stranger.
The trembling, as if an aspen tree, the anxious look in her eyes.
'This doesn't seem like a normal reaction.'
The woman glared at Lacrahan, her brow furrowed.
"We met in the warehouse. Don't you remember? There was a fire."
The woman blinked, her eyes frozen as rigid as a statue.
Every time her eyelids moved, golden eyes sparkled within them.
'As expected. It wasn't an illusion.'
Blonde hair and golden eyes.
Of course, blonde hair wasn't unheard of, but it was incredibly rare.
Furthermore, golden eyes were a first for Lacrahan.
He'd only heard of such a story once before: in a history book.
"Could you tell me your name?"
The mysterious aura she exuded wasn't solely due to her eyes.
Her slender limbs, her skin so pale that her veins were visible, her features so delicate they resembled a doll's.
Her appearance was captivating.
Despite her frightened face and disheveled hair, her beauty remained undiminished.
Even Lacrahan, who had little interest in women, found it difficult to look away.
"Don't you remember? What happened there?"
Lacrahan pointed out the window, but the woman didn't take her eyes off him.
"You saved the children."
"...?"
The woman raised her eyebrows at the word "children. "
She chewed her lips, her face uneasily glancing at the door behind him.
"Tatiana will be here soon. She went to call the others."
He had merely explained the situation, but the woman glared at him fiercely.
"Ha."
"I don't think even an enemy would look at me like that."
"Right. You don't have to say it if you don't want to."
He crossed his arms casually and leaned against the wall furthest from the woman. She was afraid of getting close, so he chose to move a little further away.
When their eyes met, he brushed his hair back and smiled, trying to make his expression as gentle as possible.
Usually, when he smiled like this, those who met his gaze reacted in the same way.
Their faces would flush, or they would look down with admiration.
Surely, after all this effort, that woman wouldn't keep staring at him as if she were going to kill him...
"Ahem."
...She's staring.
"Are you from the North?"
Lacrahan cleared his throat and naturally moved on to the question.
"Actually, no one in the North looks at me like that. Are you... from another world?"
"...?"
The woman, who didn't laugh at the joke, kept twitching her anxious eyes, then frowning at Lacrahan.
She seemed afraid and even wanted to run away.
In fact, if she had been found here, it was safe to assume she was from the North.
Unless she had entered through a portal authorized by the Emperor, she would inevitably be discovered by the Knights of Lacrahan.
"Whatever the reason, it's refreshing."
Since arriving in the North, Lacrahan had never once experienced such wary looks.
Everyone here held Lacrahan in boundless affection. After all, it was Lacrahan who saved the North from destruction after the goddess Bercheria's protection disappeared.
Lacrahan was the God, King, and benevolent friend of the North.
Waaaah!
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, and the door slammed open.
The sound startled the woman, and she looked toward the door.
“Sister!”
The children, including Tatiana, gasped for breath as they stared at her through the wide-open door.
“...!”
The woman’s face, which had been wary just moments before, suddenly vanished upon discovering the children.
The woman, who had been staring at him like a pervert before the children appeared, now frowned and spread her arms toward them.
“Oh.”
Lacrahan’s expression turned bitter.
“Wow!”
“Sister!”
The children crowded around the bed, forming a circle.
“Sister. Did you sleep well?”
“I thought you were dead from sleeping too much!”
“Potato soup for dinner tonight!”
“That’s right. We both went to see! It smells so delicious!”
A belated, hushed footsteps could be heard from the door.
Lacrahan turned his head and saw Melissa approaching, her short legs wobbly.
“Young Highness.”
Melissa, who still couldn't pronounce "Your Highness," called Lacrahan strangely.
"Melissa. You'll fall over."
Still, Melissa thought of Lacrahan first. How adorable.
Lacrahan bent down slightly to embrace her and extended both hands.
"Bya-bya."
Melissa laughed heartily and ran towards him, slipping between Lacrahan's long legs.
"..."
Her hands, which had been suspended in midair, awkwardly returned to their original positions.
"Melissa, be careful!"
Tatiana grabbed Melissa and stood her up on the edge of the bed.
Melissa, unable to climb up alone, gestured to the woman, repeatedly lifting and lowering her heels. Startled by the children's sudden rush, she froze for a moment, then quickly spotted Melissa and smiled, her eyes narrowing in embarrassment.
A bright smile spread across the woman's face, causing the children's mouths to drop open.
"Wow. You're an angel."
"You're the prettiest person I've ever seen in my life."
"Wow."
The woman scooped up Melissa, who was struggling to climb into bed, with one hand and sat her on her lap.
“Sister. Sister.”
Melissa laughed and threw herself at the woman, and the woman, who was struggling under her weight, let out a burst of laughter like dewdrops.
The children started chatting excitedly at the same time.
As she watched the children chattering away, a thin ray of light filtered in behind the woman.
“Ah.”
The pouring rain had stopped, and the sunlight finally came after several days.
Lacrahan stood quietly, gazing at the spot where the light reached.
Under the sunlight, the dazzling laughter of the woman and children sparkled like a painting.
“You think you can’t speak?”
Lacrahan was patrolling the outer walls of the castle with Timothy, the butler, and Wyatt, the knight commander.
“Why are you so surprised?”
Wyatt raised a cicada-like eyebrow at Lacrahan, who had stopped.
Two days had passed since the woman had stayed at the castle.
Lacrahan had been busy tending to the drought-ravaged village, and the woman had been busy with the noisy children all day.
“Everyone in the castle knows she can’t speak, right?”
One of his eyebrows, which rested on his unusually small eyes, was half-shorn, making the fierce Wyatt seem somewhat endearing. It was due to a war wound.
“The Grand Duke is so indifferent. What on earth made you think she could speak all this time?”
Lacrahan narrowed his eyes, looking at Wyatt and Timothy.
“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a voice.”
The three of them resumed walking.
Lacrahan stroked his sharp jawline and muttered,
“Then how should we communicate?”
Timothy and Wyatt, who had been walking side by side, froze in their tracks.
When the two stopped behind him, Lacrahan turned his head to look at them.
“Why?”
Wyatt met Timothy’s eyes and then shouted at Lacrahan.
“Why do you need to talk?”
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, and the door slammed open.
The sound startled the woman, and she looked toward the door.
“Sister!”
The children, including Tatiana, gasped for breath as they stared at her through the wide-open door.
“...!”
The woman’s face, which had been wary just moments before, suddenly vanished upon discovering the children.
The woman, who had been staring at him like a pervert before the children appeared, now frowned and spread her arms toward them.
“Oh.”
Lacrahan’s expression turned bitter.
“Wow!”
“Sister!”
The children crowded around the bed, forming a circle.
“Sister. Did you sleep well?”
“I thought you were dead from sleeping too much!”
“Potato soup for dinner tonight!”
“That’s right. We both went to see! It smells so delicious!”
A belated, hushed footsteps could be heard from the door.
Lacrahan turned his head and saw Melissa approaching, her short legs wobbly.
“Young Highness.”
Melissa, who still couldn't pronounce "Your Highness," called Lacrahan strangely.
"Melissa. You'll fall over."
Still, Melissa thought of Lacrahan first. How adorable.
Lacrahan bent down slightly to embrace her and extended both hands.
"Bya-bya."
Melissa laughed heartily and ran towards him, slipping between Lacrahan's long legs.
"..."
Her hands, which had been suspended in midair, awkwardly returned to their original positions.
"Melissa, be careful!"
Tatiana grabbed Melissa and stood her up on the edge of the bed.
Melissa, unable to climb up alone, gestured to the woman, repeatedly lifting and lowering her heels. Startled by the children's sudden rush, she froze for a moment, then quickly spotted Melissa and smiled, her eyes narrowing in embarrassment.
A bright smile spread across the woman's face, causing the children's mouths to drop open.
"Wow. You're an angel."
"You're the prettiest person I've ever seen in my life."
"Wow."
The woman scooped up Melissa, who was struggling to climb into bed, with one hand and sat her on her lap.
“Sister. Sister.”
Melissa laughed and threw herself at the woman, and the woman, who was struggling under her weight, let out a burst of laughter like dewdrops.
The children started chatting excitedly at the same time.
As she watched the children chattering away, a thin ray of light filtered in behind the woman.
“Ah.”
The pouring rain had stopped, and the sunlight finally came after several days.
Lacrahan stood quietly, gazing at the spot where the light reached.
Under the sunlight, the dazzling laughter of the woman and children sparkled like a painting.
***
“You think you can’t speak?”
Lacrahan was patrolling the outer walls of the castle with Timothy, the butler, and Wyatt, the knight commander.
“Why are you so surprised?”
Wyatt raised a cicada-like eyebrow at Lacrahan, who had stopped.
Two days had passed since the woman had stayed at the castle.
Lacrahan had been busy tending to the drought-ravaged village, and the woman had been busy with the noisy children all day.
“Everyone in the castle knows she can’t speak, right?”
One of his eyebrows, which rested on his unusually small eyes, was half-shorn, making the fierce Wyatt seem somewhat endearing. It was due to a war wound.
“The Grand Duke is so indifferent. What on earth made you think she could speak all this time?”
Lacrahan narrowed his eyes, looking at Wyatt and Timothy.
“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a voice.”
The three of them resumed walking.
Lacrahan stroked his sharp jawline and muttered,
“Then how should we communicate?”
Timothy and Wyatt, who had been walking side by side, froze in their tracks.
When the two stopped behind him, Lacrahan turned his head to look at them.
“Why?”
Wyatt met Timothy’s eyes and then shouted at Lacrahan.
“Why do you need to talk?”
“What?”
“She seems to have recovered sufficiently, but it’s time for you to send her away, Your Highness!”
Lacrahan raised an eyebrow at the two.
Timothy added to Wyatt.
“Your Highness. The Knight Commander has a point. The Princess will be here soon, won’t she?”
“She saved the children.”
“Why call her a great woman when she was just holding them?”
Lacrahan hadn’t told anyone yet that she had caused the rain.
“If you bring a woman to the castle, the Princess will definitely dislike it. Wouldn’t it be better not to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings with your soon-to-be fiancée?”
Lacrahan opened his mouth and swallowed.
He had replayed the scene countless times since the warehouse fire.
The moisture on the children's cheeks, and the rain that poured down as if it had been waiting for her the moment she looked up at the sky.
But whether it was an illusion or the truth, we'll have to see for ourselves to know.
“If you bring a woman to the castle, the Princess will definitely dislike it. Wouldn’t it be better not to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings with your soon-to-be fiancée?”
Lacrahan opened his mouth and swallowed.
He had replayed the scene countless times since the warehouse fire.
The moisture on the children's cheeks, and the rain that poured down as if it had been waiting for her the moment she looked up at the sky.
But whether it was an illusion or the truth, we'll have to see for ourselves to know.
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