Episode 17. His Pocket Watch
“The horse ran away, and I had to walk for half a day. Wouldn’t it be better to walk alone after I’ve fully recovered?”
“...”
“If you’re sorry, then relax. It’s my first time carrying a woman, too.”
Lacrahan stretched out his long legs and stepped over the coachman, who had collapsed on the ground and the snowballs.
He walked a few more steps before Bercheria’s grip on his neck loosened slightly.
A faint smile played on Lacrahan’s lips as he tightened his grip.
Even though his country was nestled within the confines of an empire, Lacrahan was a lord who ruled tens of thousands of people.
While it was due to the special circumstances of war, he was swarmed with men who served him, and there were enough people who revered him more than the Emperor to warrant a kick.
The sight of such a man walking toward him carrying a woman of unknown origin was enough to paralyze Wyatt’s reason for a moment.
“Your Excellency!”
He ran towards Lacrahan with a loud thump.
“What the hell!”
Wyatt shouted in a hoarse voice, then turned his head to check if Kelita could hear him.
“What the hell is going on! Have you forgotten that today is the day the Princess visits the portal?”
Lacrahan looked at the knights still in front of the portal with a weary face.
“Oh. I forgot.”
“What? Forgot? Does that make sense?”
Having walked here on high alert since dawn, Lacrahan was now extremely tired and irritable.
“Your Excellency! Even so, how could you forget the fact that I told you so many times until last night?”
“You’re the kind of nagging wife.”
“Are you really going to do this?”
Lacrahan stopped walking, lifted the shiny epaulettes on Wyatt’s uniform, and examined Bercheria’s face behind him.
The woman who had been whining and demanding to be let down when he was carrying her was now asleep, oblivious to the world.
It was understandable she'd be tired.
After going through so much without even getting a proper night's sleep, it wasn't surprising she'd fall asleep like this.
"Wyatt."
"Why?"
"Back."
"Yee?"
Lacrahan kicked Wyatt halfway around and carefully placed Bercheria on his back.
"What are you doing...?"
"Quiet. If she wakes up on your back, you'll be demoted to a lowly position."
"Yes? Yes? Your Excellency! This is an abuse of power, isn't it?"
Lacrahan smiled, straightening his clothes.
"Oh, that's right. Go and lay her down on the bed right now."
Wyatt licked his lips, glanced at Kelita standing over there, and sighed, "Ugh," before walking towards the castle.
Wyatt's door-sized body made Bercheria look noticeably small.
He couldn't take his eyes off the thin ankle swinging around Wyatt's waist.
He checked a few times on the way back, and thankfully, the pain seemed to have subsided.
But the problem was the tattoo on her foot.
Lacrahan raised his left sleeve and lifted it.
There, a tattoo had appeared, a pattern identical to that on Bercheria's ankle.
"Grand Duke, are you alright?"
As the knight approached, Lacrahan hastily lowered his sleeve.
"Yes."
He absentmindedly looked up and saw a woman standing quietly near the portal, her hands clasped together.
Her neatly curled hair, her ornate dress, and her immaculate shoes were a stark contrast to the Bercheria he'd seen just moments before.
"Huh."
Lacrahan re-tied his cloak and walked toward Kelita.
Even with this seemingly perfect woman before him, his heart kept drifting back. Perhaps it was because what he'd experienced with Bercheria last night was so horrific.
He thought.
Gulp!
A large eagle soared across the skies of the Periat Imperial Palace.
The imperial castles, still bearing the scars of war, were still being rebuilt.
The eagle flew over the bridge connecting the eastern and western castles and landed on the arm of a man who had been waiting for it.
The robust man deftly untied the paper tied to the eagle's leg and walked east.
He placed the eagle in a large cage and headed toward the central castle, where the Emperor's family resided.
The man passed through the security doors without a hitch.
Everyone guarding the place saw him, but no one stopped him.
“Lady Leone.”
Even when he reached the bedroom where the Emperor’s mistress resided,
“Yes, bring it.”
Leone lay carelessly on the bed.
The man slipped the note he’d snatched from the eagle into her pale fingers, which were hanging off the edge.
Leone unfolded it, tried to read it, then held it out to the man again.
“Are you tired?”
“Yes. Would you please read it?”
“Yes, I will.”
The man unfolded the paper and read its contents.
“Princess Kelita has arrived in the north and has been waiting for the Grand Duke at the portal until noon.”
Kelita had been scheduled to arrive in the morning, so it meant she hadn’t waited for an hour or two.
“The Grand Duke arrived carrying a woman on his back, and is now entering the castle with Princess Kelita.”
“Yes, how interesting.”
Leone gestured to the man with her back.
“Would you like to rub it when you’re done talking?”
The man placed the paper next to Leone and began to slowly massage her back.
“Should I ask them to find out about that woman?”
“Who?”
Leone’s almond-shaped eyes widened, then she shook her head.
“Ah. That woman.”
She closed her eyes again and rested her cheek on the pillow.
“No need.”
“Yes.”
After the man had relaxed her shoulders for a while, Leone said to him as he was leaving, as if remembering something.
“I might be busy for a while, so keep the letters safe and show them to me all at once later.”
“Where are you going?”
Leone frowned.
“Should I tell you?”
The man shook his head curtly.
“No. Sorry.”
Lacrahan opened the dining room door while buttoning up his freshly changed shirt.
He saw Kelita, who had been sitting on the chair in the middle of the table, straighten her back when she noticed Lacrahan.
Lacrahan nodded slightly as he met her smiling face.
He walked over to Kelita, fully dressed, and sat down on one knee in front of her.
“It’s been a while, Princess Kelita.”
Kelita gently offered her hand to Lacrahan.
He took her fingertips, gently kissed the back of them, and then stood up.
Kelita’s face flushed as soon as her eyes met Lacrahan’s.
“Well...”
She turned her head to the side and shyly pointed her finger at the front of his shirt.
Lacrahan followed her fingertips and realized he’d buttoned it wrong.
“Ah.”
He smiled slightly and turned to refasten the two buttons that had been misplaced.
His strong, broad back blocked Kelita’s view.
“I couldn’t keep you waiting too long and waste time getting dressed.”
Kelita’s face flushed like a carrot as she watched Lacrahan’s back.
“Thank you for thinking of me that way.”
When Emperor Gerard ordered the engagement between her and Lacrahan, Kelita was secretly delighted.
Lacrahan was like a Prince from a fairy tale.
Not only his appearance, but his voice, and even his gaze.
“Would you like to sit down?”
Turning back, Lacrahan was so perfect that there was nothing to criticize.
The servants came in and set up tea and cookies, and the two sat down with steaming hot cups in front of them.
“It’s almost mealtime, so I’ve prepared something simple. Please understand.”
“I’ve had enough, Lacrahan.”
Kelita, who had never called him by his name in person, added shyly.
“Your Highness.”
Lacrahan smiled softly at her.
The two exchanged meaningless conversations for a while. They talked about the recent weather in their respective homes. They talked about Gerard’s well-being. They talked about the hobbies that were popular among the nobility these days.
“Some people on a yacht are so staggered that they don’t even remember the faces of the people next to them until they get off.”
Lacrahan listened to her story, but occasionally looked down instead of directly into Kelita’s eyes.
Kelita felt a thrill at the fact that even Lacrahan, who always seemed so confident, was hiding a hint of shyness.
This marriage seemed far more smooth and happy than she had expected.
It felt like a dream she had held since childhood had come true.
- Your Excellency, the Grand Duke.
A servant's voice was heard outside.
Lacrahan, after asking Kelita's understanding, called the servant over.
A man from the knights entered and whispered to Lacrahan.
"Now?"
"Yes, I just checked."
Lacrahan kicked his chair aside, seemingly without time to think.
Kelita's mouth twitched into a smile as she noticed the pocket watch in his left hand.
The small watch was hidden right where Lacrahan looked down.
Not shyness, but timekeeping.
Lacrahan strode out of the dining room without hesitation, then, as if a belated memory had occurred to him, returned to Kelita.
"I have an urgent matter and need to go for a moment. Would it be possible to hear the rest of the story later during lunch?"
Kelita looked up at Lacrahan, her smile even brighter than before.
"Yes, of course, Your Excellency."
As soon as he heard the news of Bercheria's awakening, Lacrahan immediately headed to her location.
All the way back to the castle, he pondered the tattoos shared between her and his, but no conclusion could be reached.
He searched tirelessly in his head and in the library, but nothing could be gleaned except that they were sacred artifacts originally meant to be engraved entirely on Bercheria's body. The first thing Lacrahan did after deciding to make the north his territory was to search the family library for information about Bercheria.
Initially, it was out of necessity, then to ease his worries, and later, perhaps out of curiosity about the goddess of weather.
People today may not know this, but when the first guardian deities arose on the continent, Bercheria was their leader.
They didn't choose her as their representative out of a divided opinion, as humans do.
The gods knew from the beginning.
That her power was more powerful than that of any other god.
Considering the nature of sacred objects, which synchronize with their wielder the longer they are held, it wouldn't have been surprising if Bercheria's staff could transform into any form. After all, it could even transform into a tower.
The question was why this sacred object was engraved on his body.
Until now, there was no record of a guardian deity's sacred object doing anything to someone other than its owner.
Lacrahan arrived at Bercheria's room and knocked.
"I'm Lacrahan. I'll come in."
Hearing a noise from inside, he abruptly opened the door.
Bercheria, who had lowered her dress and was standing in front of the mirror examining herself, turned to him with a surprised expression.
In an instant, Lacrahan's mind froze, and even his muscles declared a strike.
The only thing working was his eyesight.
“The horse ran away, and I had to walk for half a day. Wouldn’t it be better to walk alone after I’ve fully recovered?”
“...”
“If you’re sorry, then relax. It’s my first time carrying a woman, too.”
Lacrahan stretched out his long legs and stepped over the coachman, who had collapsed on the ground and the snowballs.
He walked a few more steps before Bercheria’s grip on his neck loosened slightly.
A faint smile played on Lacrahan’s lips as he tightened his grip.
***
Even though his country was nestled within the confines of an empire, Lacrahan was a lord who ruled tens of thousands of people.
While it was due to the special circumstances of war, he was swarmed with men who served him, and there were enough people who revered him more than the Emperor to warrant a kick.
The sight of such a man walking toward him carrying a woman of unknown origin was enough to paralyze Wyatt’s reason for a moment.
“Your Excellency!”
He ran towards Lacrahan with a loud thump.
“What the hell!”
Wyatt shouted in a hoarse voice, then turned his head to check if Kelita could hear him.
“What the hell is going on! Have you forgotten that today is the day the Princess visits the portal?”
Lacrahan looked at the knights still in front of the portal with a weary face.
“Oh. I forgot.”
“What? Forgot? Does that make sense?”
Having walked here on high alert since dawn, Lacrahan was now extremely tired and irritable.
“Your Excellency! Even so, how could you forget the fact that I told you so many times until last night?”
“You’re the kind of nagging wife.”
“Are you really going to do this?”
Lacrahan stopped walking, lifted the shiny epaulettes on Wyatt’s uniform, and examined Bercheria’s face behind him.
The woman who had been whining and demanding to be let down when he was carrying her was now asleep, oblivious to the world.
It was understandable she'd be tired.
After going through so much without even getting a proper night's sleep, it wasn't surprising she'd fall asleep like this.
"Wyatt."
"Why?"
"Back."
"Yee?"
Lacrahan kicked Wyatt halfway around and carefully placed Bercheria on his back.
"What are you doing...?"
"Quiet. If she wakes up on your back, you'll be demoted to a lowly position."
"Yes? Yes? Your Excellency! This is an abuse of power, isn't it?"
Lacrahan smiled, straightening his clothes.
"Oh, that's right. Go and lay her down on the bed right now."
Wyatt licked his lips, glanced at Kelita standing over there, and sighed, "Ugh," before walking towards the castle.
Wyatt's door-sized body made Bercheria look noticeably small.
He couldn't take his eyes off the thin ankle swinging around Wyatt's waist.
He checked a few times on the way back, and thankfully, the pain seemed to have subsided.
But the problem was the tattoo on her foot.
Lacrahan raised his left sleeve and lifted it.
There, a tattoo had appeared, a pattern identical to that on Bercheria's ankle.
"Grand Duke, are you alright?"
As the knight approached, Lacrahan hastily lowered his sleeve.
"Yes."
He absentmindedly looked up and saw a woman standing quietly near the portal, her hands clasped together.
Her neatly curled hair, her ornate dress, and her immaculate shoes were a stark contrast to the Bercheria he'd seen just moments before.
"Huh."
Lacrahan re-tied his cloak and walked toward Kelita.
Even with this seemingly perfect woman before him, his heart kept drifting back. Perhaps it was because what he'd experienced with Bercheria last night was so horrific.
He thought.
***
Gulp!
A large eagle soared across the skies of the Periat Imperial Palace.
The imperial castles, still bearing the scars of war, were still being rebuilt.
The eagle flew over the bridge connecting the eastern and western castles and landed on the arm of a man who had been waiting for it.
The robust man deftly untied the paper tied to the eagle's leg and walked east.
He placed the eagle in a large cage and headed toward the central castle, where the Emperor's family resided.
The man passed through the security doors without a hitch.
Everyone guarding the place saw him, but no one stopped him.
“Lady Leone.”
Even when he reached the bedroom where the Emperor’s mistress resided,
“Yes, bring it.”
Leone lay carelessly on the bed.
The man slipped the note he’d snatched from the eagle into her pale fingers, which were hanging off the edge.
Leone unfolded it, tried to read it, then held it out to the man again.
“Are you tired?”
“Yes. Would you please read it?”
“Yes, I will.”
The man unfolded the paper and read its contents.
“Princess Kelita has arrived in the north and has been waiting for the Grand Duke at the portal until noon.”
Kelita had been scheduled to arrive in the morning, so it meant she hadn’t waited for an hour or two.
“The Grand Duke arrived carrying a woman on his back, and is now entering the castle with Princess Kelita.”
“Yes, how interesting.”
Leone gestured to the man with her back.
“Would you like to rub it when you’re done talking?”
The man placed the paper next to Leone and began to slowly massage her back.
“Should I ask them to find out about that woman?”
“Who?”
Leone’s almond-shaped eyes widened, then she shook her head.
“Ah. That woman.”
She closed her eyes again and rested her cheek on the pillow.
“No need.”
“Yes.”
After the man had relaxed her shoulders for a while, Leone said to him as he was leaving, as if remembering something.
“I might be busy for a while, so keep the letters safe and show them to me all at once later.”
“Where are you going?”
Leone frowned.
“Should I tell you?”
The man shook his head curtly.
“No. Sorry.”
***
Lacrahan opened the dining room door while buttoning up his freshly changed shirt.
He saw Kelita, who had been sitting on the chair in the middle of the table, straighten her back when she noticed Lacrahan.
Lacrahan nodded slightly as he met her smiling face.
He walked over to Kelita, fully dressed, and sat down on one knee in front of her.
“It’s been a while, Princess Kelita.”
Kelita gently offered her hand to Lacrahan.
He took her fingertips, gently kissed the back of them, and then stood up.
Kelita’s face flushed as soon as her eyes met Lacrahan’s.
“Well...”
She turned her head to the side and shyly pointed her finger at the front of his shirt.
Lacrahan followed her fingertips and realized he’d buttoned it wrong.
“Ah.”
He smiled slightly and turned to refasten the two buttons that had been misplaced.
His strong, broad back blocked Kelita’s view.
“I couldn’t keep you waiting too long and waste time getting dressed.”
Kelita’s face flushed like a carrot as she watched Lacrahan’s back.
“Thank you for thinking of me that way.”
When Emperor Gerard ordered the engagement between her and Lacrahan, Kelita was secretly delighted.
Lacrahan was like a Prince from a fairy tale.
Not only his appearance, but his voice, and even his gaze.
“Would you like to sit down?”
Turning back, Lacrahan was so perfect that there was nothing to criticize.
The servants came in and set up tea and cookies, and the two sat down with steaming hot cups in front of them.
“It’s almost mealtime, so I’ve prepared something simple. Please understand.”
“I’ve had enough, Lacrahan.”
Kelita, who had never called him by his name in person, added shyly.
“Your Highness.”
Lacrahan smiled softly at her.
The two exchanged meaningless conversations for a while. They talked about the recent weather in their respective homes. They talked about Gerard’s well-being. They talked about the hobbies that were popular among the nobility these days.
“Some people on a yacht are so staggered that they don’t even remember the faces of the people next to them until they get off.”
Lacrahan listened to her story, but occasionally looked down instead of directly into Kelita’s eyes.
Kelita felt a thrill at the fact that even Lacrahan, who always seemed so confident, was hiding a hint of shyness.
This marriage seemed far more smooth and happy than she had expected.
It felt like a dream she had held since childhood had come true.
- Your Excellency, the Grand Duke.
A servant's voice was heard outside.
Lacrahan, after asking Kelita's understanding, called the servant over.
A man from the knights entered and whispered to Lacrahan.
"Now?"
"Yes, I just checked."
Lacrahan kicked his chair aside, seemingly without time to think.
Kelita's mouth twitched into a smile as she noticed the pocket watch in his left hand.
The small watch was hidden right where Lacrahan looked down.
Not shyness, but timekeeping.
Lacrahan strode out of the dining room without hesitation, then, as if a belated memory had occurred to him, returned to Kelita.
"I have an urgent matter and need to go for a moment. Would it be possible to hear the rest of the story later during lunch?"
Kelita looked up at Lacrahan, her smile even brighter than before.
"Yes, of course, Your Excellency."
As soon as he heard the news of Bercheria's awakening, Lacrahan immediately headed to her location.
All the way back to the castle, he pondered the tattoos shared between her and his, but no conclusion could be reached.
He searched tirelessly in his head and in the library, but nothing could be gleaned except that they were sacred artifacts originally meant to be engraved entirely on Bercheria's body. The first thing Lacrahan did after deciding to make the north his territory was to search the family library for information about Bercheria.
Initially, it was out of necessity, then to ease his worries, and later, perhaps out of curiosity about the goddess of weather.
People today may not know this, but when the first guardian deities arose on the continent, Bercheria was their leader.
They didn't choose her as their representative out of a divided opinion, as humans do.
The gods knew from the beginning.
That her power was more powerful than that of any other god.
Considering the nature of sacred objects, which synchronize with their wielder the longer they are held, it wouldn't have been surprising if Bercheria's staff could transform into any form. After all, it could even transform into a tower.
The question was why this sacred object was engraved on his body.
Until now, there was no record of a guardian deity's sacred object doing anything to someone other than its owner.
Lacrahan arrived at Bercheria's room and knocked.
"I'm Lacrahan. I'll come in."
Hearing a noise from inside, he abruptly opened the door.
Bercheria, who had lowered her dress and was standing in front of the mirror examining herself, turned to him with a surprised expression.
In an instant, Lacrahan's mind froze, and even his muscles declared a strike.
The only thing working was his eyesight.
Comments
Post a Comment