Episode 20. Jealousy
“I am Timothy, the butler of this castle.”
Bercheria stood facing the white-haired man who had come to see her.
“Hello.”
As she greeted, the wrinkled eyes behind her glasses widened.
“You have a very pleasant voice.”
Bercheria’s lips formed a faint smile.
With her intuition far superior to that of humans, she knew at a glance that the man who introduced himself as Timothy was quite deep and kind-hearted.
“There was a reason for that.”
“Yes, I am fine. It’s because His Excellency the Grand Duke wanted to invite you to lunch.”
“Ah. Lunch?”
Timothy, who had expected a resounding “Yes,” found Bercheria’s hesitation a bit odd.
Still, just as he was thinking she couldn’t refuse the Grand Duke’s offer, she asked.
“Is the woman he's about to marry joining him?”
“Yes, Princess Kelita is planning to join us for lunch.”
“Ah. I see.”
With a troubled expression, he waited for a reassuring response, but this time, the woman answered with a relieved expression.
“Thank you, but I think it would be best if I didn’t go.”
“Yes?”
“He must have said that because he had no choice.”
Bercheria decided not to act tactlessly.
A moment ago, he had casually stroked her hair and asked her to meet him at the dinner table.
She had suspected he had deliberately sent someone to take responsibility for his words, but when she heard that the woman he was planning to marry was with him, she understood his intention.
It was just a formality.
He almost misunderstood.
If Bercheria had retained the memories of the previous Awakened, she wouldn’t have been so lost in thought.
Perhaps her mother wanted Bercheria to struggle and struggle even if she left the tower.
Considering how she had wanted to take away her strength, her memories, everything.
“I appreciate the offer, but I must decline. I can’t tactlessly join you two in a cozy meal.”
Timothy paused, his forehead furrowed, then smiled and lowered his head.
“Yes, Lady.”
Bercheria, who was about to enter the room, paused as she watched Timothy’s back as he retreated in the opposite direction. The movement was so fleeting that she almost missed it, but there was a shadow lurking at the end of the hallway, watching them.
Short and flat against the wall, her breathing muffled.
“Tatiana?”
“Hush!”
Surprised that Bercheria had found her, Tatiana couldn’t come out right away, instead retreating deeper into the darkness.
Tatiana had once proudly told her that her specialty was stealing from the market while remaining unnoticed.
The painful memory of her saying she would do anything for money to protect her younger siblings was still vivid.
“Tatiana. It’s okay. Come here.”
The shadow, who had been hesitating, stepped forward hesitantly.
Bercheria crouched on the floor, resting her chin on her hand, and drew herself up to the child’s level.
“I’ll wait here until you muster up your courage.”
Only then did Tatiana bow her head and walk toward Bercheria.
It was quite a distance, but with her keen eyesight, she could see everything.
The tear stains on her eyes, her lips chapped from repeated chewing.
“Sister.”
Bercheria reached out, sobbing, and took Tatiana’s small hand.
That small hand, still fragile and trembling, had brought her incredible comfort from the beginning.
It was still the same.
No matter how much a mother possessed a parallel butterfly, a child’s body could not be cloned.
Children were always safe with Bercheria.
It made her let her guard down.
The greater god above the guardian gods was merciless and cruel, but he was also a master more benevolent than any other to humans.
Bercheria’s special love for children must have been influenced by the god within her.
“Tatiana. Why were you crying?”
Tears welled up in Tatiana’s eyes at Bercheria’s gentle voice.
“I’m sorry. I brought her here because the Princess asked about my sister, and I wanted to show you off, but since she's a Princess, I thought it would be okay. Oh.”
“Yeah, it’s okay.”
“What if something happens? I feel like I did something wrong.”
Tatiana cried, tears streaming down her face.
“Sister. Are you mad because of me?”
Bercheria reached out and stroked Tatiana’s face.
“No.”
“Sister...”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to marry the Grand Duke?”
Bercheria shook her head.
“No. The Grand Duke will marry the Princess.”
“But why did you kiss him?”
“That happened. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Oh. So the Grand Duke will marry the Princess? Like a Prince in a fairy tale?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Tatiana smiled brightly, finally feeling relieved.
“Sister. Then can I sit on the bed with you and talk from now on?”
Bercheria stood up and reached out to Tatiana.
Her small hand fit perfectly into her palm.
“Of course.”
“Hehe. Sister. When our warehouse caught fire, you were the one who...”
Gerard hummed as he walked into the office.
He pushed aside a bookshelf crammed against one wall, revealing an empty space within.
He continued singing as he walked down.
Descending the spiraling staircase, he came upon another door.
“Your Majesty, the Emperor.”
Two soldiers guarding it bowed politely.
“Open.”
The soldiers moved in a coordinated manner, as if they were one body, and opened the tightly shut warehouse door.
Gerard stepped inside, revealing a space unimaginable from the outside.
Inside, a dazzling array of gold and silver treasures was piled high.
“A wondrous gem, sparkling purple!”
Gerard, unable to contain his excitement, shrugged his shoulders and picked up the purple gem.
The gem, shining with a dazzling light, had been recently brought to him by Prince Laurent of the Der'Ansis Empire.
This gem, called Laborato, known as the Whale’s Tears, was not something commonly found among humans.
“As expected. It’s the most brilliant and brilliant. It excites me.”
Gerard returned the Laborato to its original position and gazed in rapture at the gold nuggets and jewels beside it.
The jewels Laurent had brought were only accessible to the royal family of the Der'Ansis Empire.
This was because they came from the sea that protected them.
A total of seven jewels were hidden in the sea within the Der'Ansis Empire’s territory.
These jewels, containing the seven most splendid tears in the world, were said to be blinding even just by looking at them.
“Ha. Beautiful.”
Gerard gazed at the treasures he had collected, then turned to a corner.
“Ugh!”
A woman sitting with her hands and feet bound in the center of the display case filled with jewels trembled.
Unlike the other people of the Periat Empire, her pale skin and waist-length ash-gray hair swayed with her movements.
“Tsk tsk.”
Gerard shook his head.
“Even if it’s gold, it doesn’t shine. What a shame.”
Gerard lifted the woman’s disheveled hair, sniffed it, and then tossed it aside.
“I wish it could live up to even half my expectations.”
He glanced at the woman with a cold gaze, then turned back to gaze at the jewels with rapt eyes.
Then he stepped outside and gave an order to the soldiers guarding the front.
“Play with it as you please and put it away. Make sure it’s taken care of so there’s no trouble later.”
The two soldiers met each other’s eyes and smiled.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After all the servants were dismissed, the dining room became quiet, leaving only Lacrahan and Kelita alone.
Lacrahan picked up a clean glass of water from the table and took a sip.
“Did you say the Emperor ordered you to set a wedding date?”
Kelita smiled faintly.
“Yes.”
Lacrahan wiped the water droplets on the glass with his fingertips.
“So, what did the Princess say?”
"Yes?"
Kelita tilted her head to the side, as if to ask what he meant.
"I'm asking what the Princess's response was when the Emperor said that."
"Ah."
She fidgeted with the fingers she had gently placed on her dress.
After a moment of hesitation, Kelita opened her mouth with a puppy-like expression.
“I didn’t know if I should have answered.”
It was a question he couldn’t quite understand.
Lacrahan narrowed his eyes and stared at Kelita.
The Princess’s innocent expression, unlike the enigmatic nature of Bercheria, represented uncharted territory.
She had visited here two or three times since Lacrahan settled in the north, but even then, the conversation was limited to formalities.
So, he hadn’t known. Was this her personality?
Gerard was so greedy and selfish that he assumed Kelita, inheriting the same bloodline, would be the same, and hadn’t even considered investigating.
But simply being submissive?
That was a completely unexpected turn of events.
He'd assumed that her lukewarm approach to this engagement and the ten years of neglect were clearly due to shared beliefs.
At this point, Lacrahan felt the need to definitively resolve their relationship.
Especially now that Bercheria had appeared.
If Gerard, who particularly detested the weather goddess, heard of Bercheria's existence, there was no telling what kind of bloodshed would ensue.
That had to be prevented.
"It was exactly ten years ago when the engagement was first mentioned."
"Yes."
Kelita listened quietly to Lacrahan.
"We did nothing during that time. It was just a formal visit."
"...But."
"I interpreted the Princess's silence for ten years as a denial."
Kelita blinked, as if she didn't understand.
Lacrahan raised his shoulder slightly, then released it as she questioned his understanding.
It seemed better to speak directly to Kelita.
"I thought the Princess didn't want an engagement."
"Then marriage..."
"I guess it's the same. Just a formal relationship, never starting one. That's what I thought we were."
"Ah."
Kelita's lips parted slightly.
Rather, it was Lacrahan who was bewildered by this reaction.
She wasn't young, nor had she been unaware of the situation.
"Have you ever thought about it?"
Kelita clutched the hem of her dress tightly.
"Is it because of that woman? Are you planning to marry her?"
Lacrahan laughed as if hearing an absurd story.
"No way."
"Because that woman gave rain to the children?"
"...?"
Lacrahan slowly raised his head, his eyes cold.
"What did you just say?"
Kelita's voice choked with tears.
"Was that woman a witch who bewitched the Grand Duke?"
“I am Timothy, the butler of this castle.”
Bercheria stood facing the white-haired man who had come to see her.
“Hello.”
As she greeted, the wrinkled eyes behind her glasses widened.
“You have a very pleasant voice.”
Bercheria’s lips formed a faint smile.
With her intuition far superior to that of humans, she knew at a glance that the man who introduced himself as Timothy was quite deep and kind-hearted.
“There was a reason for that.”
“Yes, I am fine. It’s because His Excellency the Grand Duke wanted to invite you to lunch.”
“Ah. Lunch?”
Timothy, who had expected a resounding “Yes,” found Bercheria’s hesitation a bit odd.
Still, just as he was thinking she couldn’t refuse the Grand Duke’s offer, she asked.
“Is the woman he's about to marry joining him?”
“Yes, Princess Kelita is planning to join us for lunch.”
“Ah. I see.”
With a troubled expression, he waited for a reassuring response, but this time, the woman answered with a relieved expression.
“Thank you, but I think it would be best if I didn’t go.”
“Yes?”
“He must have said that because he had no choice.”
Bercheria decided not to act tactlessly.
A moment ago, he had casually stroked her hair and asked her to meet him at the dinner table.
She had suspected he had deliberately sent someone to take responsibility for his words, but when she heard that the woman he was planning to marry was with him, she understood his intention.
It was just a formality.
He almost misunderstood.
If Bercheria had retained the memories of the previous Awakened, she wouldn’t have been so lost in thought.
Perhaps her mother wanted Bercheria to struggle and struggle even if she left the tower.
Considering how she had wanted to take away her strength, her memories, everything.
“I appreciate the offer, but I must decline. I can’t tactlessly join you two in a cozy meal.”
Timothy paused, his forehead furrowed, then smiled and lowered his head.
“Yes, Lady.”
Bercheria, who was about to enter the room, paused as she watched Timothy’s back as he retreated in the opposite direction. The movement was so fleeting that she almost missed it, but there was a shadow lurking at the end of the hallway, watching them.
Short and flat against the wall, her breathing muffled.
“Tatiana?”
“Hush!”
Surprised that Bercheria had found her, Tatiana couldn’t come out right away, instead retreating deeper into the darkness.
Tatiana had once proudly told her that her specialty was stealing from the market while remaining unnoticed.
The painful memory of her saying she would do anything for money to protect her younger siblings was still vivid.
“Tatiana. It’s okay. Come here.”
The shadow, who had been hesitating, stepped forward hesitantly.
Bercheria crouched on the floor, resting her chin on her hand, and drew herself up to the child’s level.
“I’ll wait here until you muster up your courage.”
Only then did Tatiana bow her head and walk toward Bercheria.
It was quite a distance, but with her keen eyesight, she could see everything.
The tear stains on her eyes, her lips chapped from repeated chewing.
“Sister.”
Bercheria reached out, sobbing, and took Tatiana’s small hand.
That small hand, still fragile and trembling, had brought her incredible comfort from the beginning.
It was still the same.
No matter how much a mother possessed a parallel butterfly, a child’s body could not be cloned.
Children were always safe with Bercheria.
It made her let her guard down.
The greater god above the guardian gods was merciless and cruel, but he was also a master more benevolent than any other to humans.
Bercheria’s special love for children must have been influenced by the god within her.
“Tatiana. Why were you crying?”
Tears welled up in Tatiana’s eyes at Bercheria’s gentle voice.
“I’m sorry. I brought her here because the Princess asked about my sister, and I wanted to show you off, but since she's a Princess, I thought it would be okay. Oh.”
“Yeah, it’s okay.”
“What if something happens? I feel like I did something wrong.”
Tatiana cried, tears streaming down her face.
“Sister. Are you mad because of me?”
Bercheria reached out and stroked Tatiana’s face.
“No.”
“Sister...”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to marry the Grand Duke?”
Bercheria shook her head.
“No. The Grand Duke will marry the Princess.”
“But why did you kiss him?”
“That happened. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Oh. So the Grand Duke will marry the Princess? Like a Prince in a fairy tale?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Tatiana smiled brightly, finally feeling relieved.
“Sister. Then can I sit on the bed with you and talk from now on?”
Bercheria stood up and reached out to Tatiana.
Her small hand fit perfectly into her palm.
“Of course.”
“Hehe. Sister. When our warehouse caught fire, you were the one who...”
***
Gerard hummed as he walked into the office.
He pushed aside a bookshelf crammed against one wall, revealing an empty space within.
He continued singing as he walked down.
Descending the spiraling staircase, he came upon another door.
“Your Majesty, the Emperor.”
Two soldiers guarding it bowed politely.
“Open.”
The soldiers moved in a coordinated manner, as if they were one body, and opened the tightly shut warehouse door.
Gerard stepped inside, revealing a space unimaginable from the outside.
Inside, a dazzling array of gold and silver treasures was piled high.
“A wondrous gem, sparkling purple!”
Gerard, unable to contain his excitement, shrugged his shoulders and picked up the purple gem.
The gem, shining with a dazzling light, had been recently brought to him by Prince Laurent of the Der'Ansis Empire.
This gem, called Laborato, known as the Whale’s Tears, was not something commonly found among humans.
“As expected. It’s the most brilliant and brilliant. It excites me.”
Gerard returned the Laborato to its original position and gazed in rapture at the gold nuggets and jewels beside it.
The jewels Laurent had brought were only accessible to the royal family of the Der'Ansis Empire.
This was because they came from the sea that protected them.
A total of seven jewels were hidden in the sea within the Der'Ansis Empire’s territory.
These jewels, containing the seven most splendid tears in the world, were said to be blinding even just by looking at them.
“Ha. Beautiful.”
Gerard gazed at the treasures he had collected, then turned to a corner.
“Ugh!”
A woman sitting with her hands and feet bound in the center of the display case filled with jewels trembled.
Unlike the other people of the Periat Empire, her pale skin and waist-length ash-gray hair swayed with her movements.
“Tsk tsk.”
Gerard shook his head.
“Even if it’s gold, it doesn’t shine. What a shame.”
Gerard lifted the woman’s disheveled hair, sniffed it, and then tossed it aside.
“I wish it could live up to even half my expectations.”
He glanced at the woman with a cold gaze, then turned back to gaze at the jewels with rapt eyes.
Then he stepped outside and gave an order to the soldiers guarding the front.
“Play with it as you please and put it away. Make sure it’s taken care of so there’s no trouble later.”
The two soldiers met each other’s eyes and smiled.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
***
After all the servants were dismissed, the dining room became quiet, leaving only Lacrahan and Kelita alone.
Lacrahan picked up a clean glass of water from the table and took a sip.
“Did you say the Emperor ordered you to set a wedding date?”
Kelita smiled faintly.
“Yes.”
Lacrahan wiped the water droplets on the glass with his fingertips.
“So, what did the Princess say?”
"Yes?"
Kelita tilted her head to the side, as if to ask what he meant.
"I'm asking what the Princess's response was when the Emperor said that."
"Ah."
She fidgeted with the fingers she had gently placed on her dress.
After a moment of hesitation, Kelita opened her mouth with a puppy-like expression.
“I didn’t know if I should have answered.”
It was a question he couldn’t quite understand.
Lacrahan narrowed his eyes and stared at Kelita.
The Princess’s innocent expression, unlike the enigmatic nature of Bercheria, represented uncharted territory.
She had visited here two or three times since Lacrahan settled in the north, but even then, the conversation was limited to formalities.
So, he hadn’t known. Was this her personality?
Gerard was so greedy and selfish that he assumed Kelita, inheriting the same bloodline, would be the same, and hadn’t even considered investigating.
But simply being submissive?
That was a completely unexpected turn of events.
He'd assumed that her lukewarm approach to this engagement and the ten years of neglect were clearly due to shared beliefs.
At this point, Lacrahan felt the need to definitively resolve their relationship.
Especially now that Bercheria had appeared.
If Gerard, who particularly detested the weather goddess, heard of Bercheria's existence, there was no telling what kind of bloodshed would ensue.
That had to be prevented.
"It was exactly ten years ago when the engagement was first mentioned."
"Yes."
Kelita listened quietly to Lacrahan.
"We did nothing during that time. It was just a formal visit."
"...But."
"I interpreted the Princess's silence for ten years as a denial."
Kelita blinked, as if she didn't understand.
Lacrahan raised his shoulder slightly, then released it as she questioned his understanding.
It seemed better to speak directly to Kelita.
"I thought the Princess didn't want an engagement."
"Then marriage..."
"I guess it's the same. Just a formal relationship, never starting one. That's what I thought we were."
"Ah."
Kelita's lips parted slightly.
Rather, it was Lacrahan who was bewildered by this reaction.
She wasn't young, nor had she been unaware of the situation.
"Have you ever thought about it?"
Kelita clutched the hem of her dress tightly.
"Is it because of that woman? Are you planning to marry her?"
Lacrahan laughed as if hearing an absurd story.
"No way."
"Because that woman gave rain to the children?"
"...?"
Lacrahan slowly raised his head, his eyes cold.
"What did you just say?"
Kelita's voice choked with tears.
"Was that woman a witch who bewitched the Grand Duke?"
Her moist, red lips twitched like a baby's.
"Or else!"
Kelita spoke in a voice that seemed on the verge of tears.
"Is that woman a Bercheria?"
She was completely unaware of the dark, dark eyes staring at her, thin slits forming behind her eyelids.
"Tell me! Is that blonde woman a Bercheria?"
"Or else!"
Kelita spoke in a voice that seemed on the verge of tears.
"Is that woman a Bercheria?"
She was completely unaware of the dark, dark eyes staring at her, thin slits forming behind her eyelids.
"Tell me! Is that blonde woman a Bercheria?"
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