Episode 22. Prince Lauren of the Der'Ansis Empire
Laurent, who had come close to the small tangerine trees planted closely beneath the open window, tilted his head to the side and asked,
"Do you like it?"
Bercheria answered, unable to take her eyes off the pretty green lizard.
"No."
Laurent smiled lightly and held the lizard, Owl, closer to her.
"Want to touch it?"
While Lacrahan's voice was very low and soft, this man's voice had a fresh, healthy, bright energy.
"No. It's okay."
Bercheria said, unconsciously extending her arm out the window.
The lizard, sticking out its long tongue, twitched its small arm and swayed its legs as if it wanted to come to Bercheria.
"It's so cute, it hurts my heart."
Bercheria had never found anything cute in her life, but for some reason, the lizard kept stealing her gaze.
"Ah."
As Bercheria reached out toward the lizard, the red-haired man gradually increased the distance between them.
Already captivated by its cuteness, Bercheria continued to push forward, oblivious to the fact that her body was about to tumble out the window.
And sure enough.
“Huh?”
Her body lurched downwards, losing her balance and falling.
Lauren, who had been waiting for that momentum, easily caught her.
“Gotcha!”
“...!”
Laurent smiled faintly as he gazed at Bercheria, who had fallen into his arms like a Princess, but his face gradually grew serious. He had expected this, but the delicate features and innately delicate aura seemed to grip his heart tightly.
“You’re far more beautiful than I imagined, Bercheria.”
The moment she heard her name coming from the stranger’s lips, Bercheria felt as if a huge rock had been dropped on her heart. The silhouette of the man who had pretended to be her mother and searched for her, only to be hit in the eye and collapse in the forest, flashed before her eyes.
A life-threatening game of hide-and-seek.
From the moment Mother discovered Bercheria's whereabouts, she would never be able to escape.
She would continue to come to her, disguised as someone else.
It could have been a familiar face, or a stranger she'd never seen before.
Perhaps Bercheria would become suspicious of everyone around her, tormented, and eventually fall into her mother's hands.
At that moment, hearing her name from a stranger's lips, a wave of fear washed over her.
Otherwise, there was only one possibility.
"Are you, perhaps, sent by Lacrahan?"
"No."
The man answered without a moment's hesitation, blowing his layered red hair to his lips.
The hair, sparkling in the sunlight, radiated a beautiful color, as if it were radiating its own light.
Bercheria stared into his crimson eyes, momentarily forgetting she was even in his arms.
The bright red eyes, trapped within his half-smile, felt alien yet familiar.
"I'm not from here. I'm Prince Laurent of Der'Ansis, protected by the sea god, Beloveye..."
“Prince Laurent. What are you doing there?”
Laurent let out another huff of annoyance at the voice that suddenly interrupted.
“What kind of... Haha, don’t mind it, Bercheria.”
He looked at Bercheria again with elegant eyes, who was expressing his intention to get off with his whole body.
“Now, listen carefully. I am Derran, protected by Beloveye, the god of the sea...”
“Prince Laurent of the Der'Ansis Empire.”
Laurent made his eyes the size of buttonholes and turned around.
Lacrahan, who had appeared at some point, was looking at him.
It wasn’t hard to tell that this man was Lacrahan.
Laurent greeted Lacrahan sincerely.
“Your Highness, the Grand Duke Lacrahan. Could you give me a moment to finish speaking with this beautiful woman?”
Lacrahan’s eyes narrowed, but Laurent’s lips pursed, showing no concern for what Lacrahan was thinking.
As Laurent turned to face Bercheria again, Lacrahan opened his mouth again with a kind smile.
"If you wish to introduce yourself, I believe you have already done so. Prince Laurent Cranston Aaron."
Laurent finally couldn't hold it in and lowered his lips. Then, when his eyes met Bercheria's, he smiled charmingly again.
"Then we will talk later. My beautiful lady."
He straightened Bercheria and bowed on one knee.
Bercheria studied Laurent's face intently, almost rudely.
She'd searched for the strange man who had disguised himself as her mother before.
Her mother had that characteristic look in her eyes: cold and piercing.
For a moment, she suspected him when her name was called, but Laurent's gaze was pure yet brimming with confidence. She felt reassured, knowing he was different from her mother. Furthermore, given her mother's characteristic fear of animals and other living things, Laurent had no reason to be suspicious.
As she stood there, startled by the unfamiliar situation, Laurent gently grabbed one of her hands and brought it to his lips.
"It was an honor to meet you, Lady."
Raising her eyes, Laurent brushed his lips against the pale back of her hand like a feather.
It was a simple greeting, unlike his usual sensuous gesture.
After greeting her, Laurent straightened hia back and stood, placing the Owl on his shoulder on the back of the hand he had just kissed.
"Owl."
As Bercheria looked at Laurent with an overwhelmed face, he tilted his head again, whispering,
“It’s the lizard’s name. Owl. He likes it when you call him that.”
Laurent left Bercheria, who was gazing lovingly at the lizard, and approached Lacrahan.
It was only a few steps, but the intensity of his gaze made that short distance feel embarrassing.
“I was just going to pick you up, but it seems Prince Laurent has already adapted to the North.”
Laurent laughed heartily.
“I always adapt well, no matter where I am. I’m not picky.”
He added, wiggling his eyebrows at Lacrahan.
“Whether it’s the environment or the people.”
“Yes, I see.”
The two laughed heartily at each other like old friends.
At first, Lacrahan had assumed Laurent was simply visiting to impress Gerard.
But now that he was right in front of him, he was surprisingly foxy.
He didn’t seem like the type to bend over backwards just to impress someone.
Surely Bercheria wasn't the target?
Lacrahan tried to ignore the random thoughts that had occurred to him.
"It's reassuring to hear you're not picky. I hope the North will be a good memory for you during your stay."
"Of course, more than that."
Laurent turned to Bercheria, who was playing with Owl behind him.
"It will be a good memory. I'm sure."
Bercheria suddenly raised her head, and when her eyes met the two men's, she blinked slowly and asked,
"Can I sleep with this lizard tonight?"
Laurent and Lacrahan answered simultaneously.
"No."
"No!"
Lacrahan frowned, surprised by his own unconscious words.
It was just a small lizard, but it felt strangely irritating.
Perhaps it was because Laurent carried it around like a part of his body.
In any case, since only Lacrahan knew Bercheria's true circumstances, he had to be careful not to let her, so innocent as she was, get caught up in a playboy like Laurent and suffer.
"If the lizard runs away or gets lost, things will get complicated, so I think it's better if the owner keeps it."
At Lacrahan's words, Laurent lifted his shoulders as if he had no other choice.
Owl, who had been quietly watching, stuck out his tongue before plopping down on Bercheria's palm.
Kelita was walking along the forest path alone, without a maid.
"I've never been hated in my life."
Tears fell down her gorgeous dress.
The hem of her skirt, always clean, was now dirty with dirt.
Until now, Kelita had always thought of herself as a flower.
Wherever she went, she bloomed beautifully, and people praised her endlessly.
There was no need for effort or difficult answers.
Just by her very existence, Kelita was someone who had no reason to fail.
'I've been interpreting the Princess's silence for ten years as a sign of denial.'
The memory of Lacrahan's voice brought a surge of emotion.
She had simply waited as usual until everyone around her told her to get married.
Every time she came to the North, he had been kind, and whenever she'd brought up engagement, Lacrahan had always replied that he wasn't thinking about marriage or engagement at the moment.
So she asked if he had anyone else.
Lacrahan insisted it wasn't like that every time.
So she waited.
Until he found her again. After all, Emperor Gerard wanted that too.
"It's unfair."
It was clear that the golden-haired, golden-eyed woman was the reason for the rift in their relationship, which had been so peaceful until then.
"Sob."
Tears welled up again as she thought of Lacrahan kissing her.
She saw his eyes gazing at the blonde woman.
"I shouldn't have looked. I shouldn't have gone."
If she had, she wouldn't have felt this way.
"Is that woman Bercheria?"
"I shouldn't have said something like that."
Why did Bercheria, the goddess of weather, come to mind at that moment? Even though she knew it couldn't be the case.
"Princess Kelita doesn't seem to be in a state to make a sound judgment right now. Why don't you go get some fresh air and come back? We'll talk later."
"Haa. What should I say to His Majesty the Emperor?"
Kelita left the castle and walked towards the forest surrounding the castle.
Perhaps the reason such nonsense arose was because of the tall tower in the north, where Bercheria was said to reside.
Several years ago, when she had come to the north, Kelita remembered going to see the tower with her maid, Rosie, but giving up and returning.
“It looked peculiar, shrouded in fog.”
Kelita looked around, tilting her head and wiping her nose.
“Why is the tower gone?”
The tower, which had stood upright for over half a century, was nowhere to be found, no matter how hard she searched.
“Huh?”
As she looked around, Kelita caught sight of an old woman staggering toward her. She was carrying a rather large load in her hand, and she was staggering towards her. Kelita instinctively looked behind her at the magnificent castle of Lacrahan.
“Ugh.”
Laurent, who had come close to the small tangerine trees planted closely beneath the open window, tilted his head to the side and asked,
"Do you like it?"
Bercheria answered, unable to take her eyes off the pretty green lizard.
"No."
Laurent smiled lightly and held the lizard, Owl, closer to her.
"Want to touch it?"
While Lacrahan's voice was very low and soft, this man's voice had a fresh, healthy, bright energy.
"No. It's okay."
Bercheria said, unconsciously extending her arm out the window.
The lizard, sticking out its long tongue, twitched its small arm and swayed its legs as if it wanted to come to Bercheria.
"It's so cute, it hurts my heart."
Bercheria had never found anything cute in her life, but for some reason, the lizard kept stealing her gaze.
"Ah."
As Bercheria reached out toward the lizard, the red-haired man gradually increased the distance between them.
Already captivated by its cuteness, Bercheria continued to push forward, oblivious to the fact that her body was about to tumble out the window.
And sure enough.
“Huh?”
Her body lurched downwards, losing her balance and falling.
Lauren, who had been waiting for that momentum, easily caught her.
“Gotcha!”
“...!”
Laurent smiled faintly as he gazed at Bercheria, who had fallen into his arms like a Princess, but his face gradually grew serious. He had expected this, but the delicate features and innately delicate aura seemed to grip his heart tightly.
“You’re far more beautiful than I imagined, Bercheria.”
The moment she heard her name coming from the stranger’s lips, Bercheria felt as if a huge rock had been dropped on her heart. The silhouette of the man who had pretended to be her mother and searched for her, only to be hit in the eye and collapse in the forest, flashed before her eyes.
A life-threatening game of hide-and-seek.
From the moment Mother discovered Bercheria's whereabouts, she would never be able to escape.
She would continue to come to her, disguised as someone else.
It could have been a familiar face, or a stranger she'd never seen before.
Perhaps Bercheria would become suspicious of everyone around her, tormented, and eventually fall into her mother's hands.
At that moment, hearing her name from a stranger's lips, a wave of fear washed over her.
Otherwise, there was only one possibility.
"Are you, perhaps, sent by Lacrahan?"
"No."
The man answered without a moment's hesitation, blowing his layered red hair to his lips.
The hair, sparkling in the sunlight, radiated a beautiful color, as if it were radiating its own light.
Bercheria stared into his crimson eyes, momentarily forgetting she was even in his arms.
The bright red eyes, trapped within his half-smile, felt alien yet familiar.
"I'm not from here. I'm Prince Laurent of Der'Ansis, protected by the sea god, Beloveye..."
“Prince Laurent. What are you doing there?”
Laurent let out another huff of annoyance at the voice that suddenly interrupted.
“What kind of... Haha, don’t mind it, Bercheria.”
He looked at Bercheria again with elegant eyes, who was expressing his intention to get off with his whole body.
“Now, listen carefully. I am Derran, protected by Beloveye, the god of the sea...”
“Prince Laurent of the Der'Ansis Empire.”
Laurent made his eyes the size of buttonholes and turned around.
Lacrahan, who had appeared at some point, was looking at him.
It wasn’t hard to tell that this man was Lacrahan.
Laurent greeted Lacrahan sincerely.
“Your Highness, the Grand Duke Lacrahan. Could you give me a moment to finish speaking with this beautiful woman?”
Lacrahan’s eyes narrowed, but Laurent’s lips pursed, showing no concern for what Lacrahan was thinking.
As Laurent turned to face Bercheria again, Lacrahan opened his mouth again with a kind smile.
"If you wish to introduce yourself, I believe you have already done so. Prince Laurent Cranston Aaron."
Laurent finally couldn't hold it in and lowered his lips. Then, when his eyes met Bercheria's, he smiled charmingly again.
"Then we will talk later. My beautiful lady."
He straightened Bercheria and bowed on one knee.
Bercheria studied Laurent's face intently, almost rudely.
She'd searched for the strange man who had disguised himself as her mother before.
Her mother had that characteristic look in her eyes: cold and piercing.
For a moment, she suspected him when her name was called, but Laurent's gaze was pure yet brimming with confidence. She felt reassured, knowing he was different from her mother. Furthermore, given her mother's characteristic fear of animals and other living things, Laurent had no reason to be suspicious.
As she stood there, startled by the unfamiliar situation, Laurent gently grabbed one of her hands and brought it to his lips.
"It was an honor to meet you, Lady."
Raising her eyes, Laurent brushed his lips against the pale back of her hand like a feather.
It was a simple greeting, unlike his usual sensuous gesture.
After greeting her, Laurent straightened hia back and stood, placing the Owl on his shoulder on the back of the hand he had just kissed.
"Owl."
As Bercheria looked at Laurent with an overwhelmed face, he tilted his head again, whispering,
“It’s the lizard’s name. Owl. He likes it when you call him that.”
Laurent left Bercheria, who was gazing lovingly at the lizard, and approached Lacrahan.
It was only a few steps, but the intensity of his gaze made that short distance feel embarrassing.
“I was just going to pick you up, but it seems Prince Laurent has already adapted to the North.”
Laurent laughed heartily.
“I always adapt well, no matter where I am. I’m not picky.”
He added, wiggling his eyebrows at Lacrahan.
“Whether it’s the environment or the people.”
“Yes, I see.”
The two laughed heartily at each other like old friends.
At first, Lacrahan had assumed Laurent was simply visiting to impress Gerard.
But now that he was right in front of him, he was surprisingly foxy.
He didn’t seem like the type to bend over backwards just to impress someone.
Surely Bercheria wasn't the target?
Lacrahan tried to ignore the random thoughts that had occurred to him.
"It's reassuring to hear you're not picky. I hope the North will be a good memory for you during your stay."
"Of course, more than that."
Laurent turned to Bercheria, who was playing with Owl behind him.
"It will be a good memory. I'm sure."
Bercheria suddenly raised her head, and when her eyes met the two men's, she blinked slowly and asked,
"Can I sleep with this lizard tonight?"
Laurent and Lacrahan answered simultaneously.
"No."
"No!"
Lacrahan frowned, surprised by his own unconscious words.
It was just a small lizard, but it felt strangely irritating.
Perhaps it was because Laurent carried it around like a part of his body.
In any case, since only Lacrahan knew Bercheria's true circumstances, he had to be careful not to let her, so innocent as she was, get caught up in a playboy like Laurent and suffer.
"If the lizard runs away or gets lost, things will get complicated, so I think it's better if the owner keeps it."
At Lacrahan's words, Laurent lifted his shoulders as if he had no other choice.
Owl, who had been quietly watching, stuck out his tongue before plopping down on Bercheria's palm.
***
Kelita was walking along the forest path alone, without a maid.
"I've never been hated in my life."
Tears fell down her gorgeous dress.
The hem of her skirt, always clean, was now dirty with dirt.
Until now, Kelita had always thought of herself as a flower.
Wherever she went, she bloomed beautifully, and people praised her endlessly.
There was no need for effort or difficult answers.
Just by her very existence, Kelita was someone who had no reason to fail.
'I've been interpreting the Princess's silence for ten years as a sign of denial.'
The memory of Lacrahan's voice brought a surge of emotion.
She had simply waited as usual until everyone around her told her to get married.
Every time she came to the North, he had been kind, and whenever she'd brought up engagement, Lacrahan had always replied that he wasn't thinking about marriage or engagement at the moment.
So she asked if he had anyone else.
Lacrahan insisted it wasn't like that every time.
So she waited.
Until he found her again. After all, Emperor Gerard wanted that too.
"It's unfair."
It was clear that the golden-haired, golden-eyed woman was the reason for the rift in their relationship, which had been so peaceful until then.
"Sob."
Tears welled up again as she thought of Lacrahan kissing her.
She saw his eyes gazing at the blonde woman.
"I shouldn't have looked. I shouldn't have gone."
If she had, she wouldn't have felt this way.
"Is that woman Bercheria?"
"I shouldn't have said something like that."
Why did Bercheria, the goddess of weather, come to mind at that moment? Even though she knew it couldn't be the case.
"Princess Kelita doesn't seem to be in a state to make a sound judgment right now. Why don't you go get some fresh air and come back? We'll talk later."
"Haa. What should I say to His Majesty the Emperor?"
Kelita left the castle and walked towards the forest surrounding the castle.
Perhaps the reason such nonsense arose was because of the tall tower in the north, where Bercheria was said to reside.
Several years ago, when she had come to the north, Kelita remembered going to see the tower with her maid, Rosie, but giving up and returning.
“It looked peculiar, shrouded in fog.”
Kelita looked around, tilting her head and wiping her nose.
“Why is the tower gone?”
The tower, which had stood upright for over half a century, was nowhere to be found, no matter how hard she searched.
“Huh?”
As she looked around, Kelita caught sight of an old woman staggering toward her. She was carrying a rather large load in her hand, and she was staggering towards her. Kelita instinctively looked behind her at the magnificent castle of Lacrahan.
“Ugh.”
The old woman groaned and glanced at Kelita. Kelita blinked and simply stared at him.
“Oh dear.”
The old woman, limping and patting her back, drew closer to Kelita and gestured openly for her help. Kelita watched her silently, then finally spoke.
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