Episode 42. Just Trying to Be Nice to You
“Like I’m really your protector.”
Lacrahan wanted her to change a little because of him.
He wanted her to return to the confident and glamorous Bercheria he’d seen in books.
“Even if we can’t act like we met out of passionate love, I want you to accept what I give you.”
“...What are you going to do for me?”
Lacrahan murmured, running a hand through the back of his hair, which hadn’t even been straightened.
“Just trying to be nice to you.”
Bercheria felt her heart skip a beat at those seemingly insignificant words.
“I want to make you realize that there are good people in this world. Enough to make up for all the loneliness and desolation you’ve felt up until now.”
The man who never gave in to anything suddenly wanted to be nice to her, feeling strange. Her heart pounded and she felt as if she were floating in midair.
Bercheria picked up her spoon again, avoiding eye contact.
“Eat this too.”
Lacrahan picked up a scone and brought it to Bercheria's lips.
Bercheria blinked, her eyes wide, then took the scone he offered her.
Lacrahan chuckled and rose from the bed.
"Eat the rest at your leisure. I'll be in the next room, so call if you need anything."
He left the room with a blank expression, unusual for someone who had just fed her a scone.
As the door closed, Bercheria covered her flushed face with her hand.
The scone, which should have been dry, was softly melting in her mouth, creating a light and sweet taste.
Laurent, who had been humming along the hallway, froze in shock at the sight before her.
"...What is this?"
An unseasonable party was being held in the square of Lacrahan's castle.
Feeling an ominous premonition, Laurent grabbed one of the people whose face looked familiar and asked,
"What are you doing?"
"Ah. Hello, Prince Der'Ansis."
“Yes. Thank you for the greeting. What are you doing now?”
“Preparing for His Highness the Grand Duke’s wedding.”
Lauren’s heart plummeted.
“Wedding... ha.”
Laurent held back her words for a moment, as if trying to suppress her anger, before asking again in a clear voice.
“So you’re saying you’re preparing for the wedding between Grand Duke Lacrahan and Bercheria?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’ll see.”
He turned around in irritation, but then returned to his seat and asked the woman.
Groovy, who had been given a name only 18 years after his birth, was now standing in the middle of the central discussion room, where only the Emperor’s closest associates were allowed entry.
Outside the round table sat the prime minister and other high-ranking imperial officials.
They were the elite who voted for or against important imperial matters.
Even Gerard was limited in what he could do independently without the approval of this council.
“It’s okay, don’t be nervous.”
Groovy looked around nervously at everyone before finally turning to Gerard.
Gerard lifted his chin slightly, as if to tell him not to worry and to just go ahead.
“Whew.”
His blond, boyish face settled into a calm state.
He’d only had a few proper meals, but his pale face was now vibrant and radiant.
Groovy, in that state, drew out the mana dormant within him.
“Like I’m really your protector.”
Lacrahan wanted her to change a little because of him.
He wanted her to return to the confident and glamorous Bercheria he’d seen in books.
“Even if we can’t act like we met out of passionate love, I want you to accept what I give you.”
“...What are you going to do for me?”
Lacrahan murmured, running a hand through the back of his hair, which hadn’t even been straightened.
“Just trying to be nice to you.”
Bercheria felt her heart skip a beat at those seemingly insignificant words.
“I want to make you realize that there are good people in this world. Enough to make up for all the loneliness and desolation you’ve felt up until now.”
The man who never gave in to anything suddenly wanted to be nice to her, feeling strange. Her heart pounded and she felt as if she were floating in midair.
Bercheria picked up her spoon again, avoiding eye contact.
“Eat this too.”
Lacrahan picked up a scone and brought it to Bercheria's lips.
Bercheria blinked, her eyes wide, then took the scone he offered her.
Lacrahan chuckled and rose from the bed.
"Eat the rest at your leisure. I'll be in the next room, so call if you need anything."
He left the room with a blank expression, unusual for someone who had just fed her a scone.
As the door closed, Bercheria covered her flushed face with her hand.
The scone, which should have been dry, was softly melting in her mouth, creating a light and sweet taste.
***
Laurent, who had been humming along the hallway, froze in shock at the sight before her.
"...What is this?"
An unseasonable party was being held in the square of Lacrahan's castle.
Feeling an ominous premonition, Laurent grabbed one of the people whose face looked familiar and asked,
"What are you doing?"
"Ah. Hello, Prince Der'Ansis."
“Yes. Thank you for the greeting. What are you doing now?”
“Preparing for His Highness the Grand Duke’s wedding.”
Lauren’s heart plummeted.
“Wedding... ha.”
Laurent held back her words for a moment, as if trying to suppress her anger, before asking again in a clear voice.
“So you’re saying you’re preparing for the wedding between Grand Duke Lacrahan and Bercheria?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’ll see.”
He turned around in irritation, but then returned to his seat and asked the woman.
“One more thing. In Periat, what do you have to do after the wedding to be officially recognized as married?”
“Huh? Oh. Nothing.”
“...Huh?”
The woman smiled.
“Just having the wedding ceremony makes it legal. Everyone present becomes a witness.”
Laurent felt dizzy.
“Wait, who would allow the law to be like that...”
The woman looked at him, and Laurent laughed awkwardly.
“That’s what they say, you know. Haha.”
He turned, allowing the wind to blow, to find Bercheria.
He already knew where her room was, but he deliberately headed to Lacrahan's bedroom.
Last night, he'd learned that the two had shared a sacred object called Bercheria's Staff, which was why they were so attached to each other, and that it prevented Bercheria from losing her powers and going berserk.
Of course, that didn't mean he could rejoice in seeing her get married right before his eyes, but at least he could avoid the delusion that she was in love with another man.
"Bercheria."
He knocked on Lacrahan's bedroom and heard a noise from inside.
"...What brings Prince Laurent here?"
Laurent tried his best to sound nonchalant.
"There's still some time left until the wedding, right?"
"...Yes?"
"I thought you'd be free. Shall we go for a walk?"
Bercheria looked down at him, as if to say, "What kind of fool are you talking about?"
“Huh? Oh. Nothing.”
“...Huh?”
The woman smiled.
“Just having the wedding ceremony makes it legal. Everyone present becomes a witness.”
Laurent felt dizzy.
“Wait, who would allow the law to be like that...”
The woman looked at him, and Laurent laughed awkwardly.
“That’s what they say, you know. Haha.”
He turned, allowing the wind to blow, to find Bercheria.
He already knew where her room was, but he deliberately headed to Lacrahan's bedroom.
Last night, he'd learned that the two had shared a sacred object called Bercheria's Staff, which was why they were so attached to each other, and that it prevented Bercheria from losing her powers and going berserk.
Of course, that didn't mean he could rejoice in seeing her get married right before his eyes, but at least he could avoid the delusion that she was in love with another man.
"Bercheria."
He knocked on Lacrahan's bedroom and heard a noise from inside.
"...What brings Prince Laurent here?"
Laurent tried his best to sound nonchalant.
"There's still some time left until the wedding, right?"
"...Yes?"
"I thought you'd be free. Shall we go for a walk?"
Bercheria looked down at him, as if to say, "What kind of fool are you talking about?"
Then she remembered that she had broken her promise to take a walk with him a few days ago.
"Then, an hour or so would be fine?"
Laurent smiled broadly at Bercheria's words.
"That's enough. An hour is more than enough time."
"What's enough time for?"
Laurent answered, raising one arm and extending it to Bercheria.
“It’s enough time to show off my charms.”
Owl, who had been on his shoulder, waddled down on all fours and jumped onto Bercheria’s shoulder.
As a laugh erupted from her lips, Laurent smiled and walked ahead.
“Well, shall we go, Lady?”
Bercheria briefly glanced toward the study where Lacrahan had entered, but soon turned her head to see Owl on her shoulder.
Lacrahan, who had probably been waiting for her to wake up all morning, hadn’t been able to properly do his business, thought it would be a good idea to leave for an hour or so.
Besides, it was reassuring to know that she wasn’t going alone and that Laurent was with her.
“I’ll make an hour feel like ten minutes.”
Watching Laurent playfully greet her, Bercheria let out another burst of laughter, like a burst of soap bubbles.
“Let’s get started. Groovy.”
"Then, an hour or so would be fine?"
Laurent smiled broadly at Bercheria's words.
"That's enough. An hour is more than enough time."
"What's enough time for?"
Laurent answered, raising one arm and extending it to Bercheria.
“It’s enough time to show off my charms.”
Owl, who had been on his shoulder, waddled down on all fours and jumped onto Bercheria’s shoulder.
As a laugh erupted from her lips, Laurent smiled and walked ahead.
“Well, shall we go, Lady?”
Bercheria briefly glanced toward the study where Lacrahan had entered, but soon turned her head to see Owl on her shoulder.
Lacrahan, who had probably been waiting for her to wake up all morning, hadn’t been able to properly do his business, thought it would be a good idea to leave for an hour or so.
Besides, it was reassuring to know that she wasn’t going alone and that Laurent was with her.
“I’ll make an hour feel like ten minutes.”
Watching Laurent playfully greet her, Bercheria let out another burst of laughter, like a burst of soap bubbles.
***
“Let’s get started. Groovy.”
Groovy, who had been given a name only 18 years after his birth, was now standing in the middle of the central discussion room, where only the Emperor’s closest associates were allowed entry.
Outside the round table sat the prime minister and other high-ranking imperial officials.
They were the elite who voted for or against important imperial matters.
Even Gerard was limited in what he could do independently without the approval of this council.
“It’s okay, don’t be nervous.”
Groovy looked around nervously at everyone before finally turning to Gerard.
Gerard lifted his chin slightly, as if to tell him not to worry and to just go ahead.
“Whew.”
His blond, boyish face settled into a calm state.
He’d only had a few proper meals, but his pale face was now vibrant and radiant.
Groovy, in that state, drew out the mana dormant within him.
“Wow, ”
His arms rose as his body swelled, blue waves spilling out.
“Ah.”
“Oh my goodness.”
The old officials exclaimed in awe.
While it was rare to see Gerard's pathological capture of witches and wizards and the actual use of magic, encountering someone with such a vast amount of mana wasn't easy.
As the anecdote about recruiting seven wizards to create the portal suggests, the amount of mana a single person could possess was extremely limited.
"It's beyond imagination,"
The prime minister muttered, his mouth agape.
Then, as if a thought had suddenly occurred to him, he covered his mouth and whispered to Dylan, who was right next to him.
"You said that the boy was born in prison?"
Dylan glanced at the Emperor and answered in a low voice.
"Yes, that's right."
Suspicious, Dylan even sought out a former knight several years ago to hear the story of Groovy's birth.
"Isn't that just a rumor? If you live in that prison for even a few years, your memories will be distorted and you'll lose track of what's real."
Dylan initially thought the same.
But for a child born in prison, there was no reality to distort, no world to confuse.
After all, that prison was the entire world.
“I confirmed the facts.”
The prime minister furrowed his white eyebrows.
“The captain of the guard personally?”
“Yes. Personally.”
Even as the two conversed, Groovy continued to spread his mana even wider.
If left alone, he wondered how far his powers would extend.
“Fine. I’ll stop there.”
However, if a normal person without magical abilities were exposed to strong mana, they would go mad or die.
It was the same effect as passing through a portal without the Locust imprinted on their permit.
After all, the portal itself was a conglomerate of mana.
“We can’t all just lie down like Kelita.”
At Gerard’s words, mana was sucked into the boy’s body.
Groovy wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked towards the chair, then sank down on the floor right next to it.
“Ha.”
A ragged breath escaped him, and clean air was sucked in again.
While the high-ranking officials and the judge conversed, Groovy concentrated solely on breathing in and out.
Perhaps the people here will never know, until the day they die, how precious and precious it is to breathe such clean air.
The damp, damp air of the underground seemed to gnaw at his lungs with every breath.
Whenever survivors of the prison occasionally told him stories about the outside world, Groovy prayed to God that he would be allowed to breathe on the surface just once before he died.
He wants to die breathing fresh air.
“Even so, isn’t he still immature? If he misuses his power, everyone who enters the portal will go mad or die.”
“Your Majesty, I acknowledge that child’s abilities, but it’s unrealistic.”
“Even so, we can’t allow Bercheria to run wild, can we?”
“What if we leave Bercheria alone like this? The imperial prestige will collapse!”
As the conference room grew noisy, Gerard said in an annoyed voice.
“Enough, everyone, be quiet for now.”
When they still wouldn’t shut up, he banged his hand on the table.
“Can’t you hear me telling you to be quiet?”
Only then did they firmly shut their mouths and lower their heads, watching Gerard’s expression.
“There’s no time to hesitate. Lacrahan is rushing to marry Bercheria.”
The officials, who hadn’t heard this news, had their faces painted with shock.
“Are you really saying that Lacrahan and Bercheria are getting married? Really?”
The Emperor opened his mouth, then closed it as if annoyed. He then gestured toward Dylan.
Dylan stepped forward and explained the note the Emperor had received, the story of the old man from the north who had come to visit him and told him about Bercheria, and the events leading up to that point.
Even as he spoke, the Emperor's gaze remained fixed on Groovy.
"He looks a lot like Bercheria."
Gerard kept chuckling, trying to hide the snickers.
"Even though he's a boy, he's beautiful enough to rival Bercheria. In fact, it wouldn't be a loss if either of them survived."
Since that morning, Gerard's heart had expanded even wider than the Pacific Ocean below.
"Then where did you get the certainty that the woman Lacrahan is marrying is Bercheria? It could be wrong, right?"
Gerard furrowed his brow and slowly raised his head. At the Prime Minister's words, he gaped blankly, as if he'd just realized something he'd completely forgotten.
"That's right. No one knows."
Gerard realized he'd been thinking in a rut all along.
"Yes, no one knows. Why didn't I think of that when no one else does?"
Gerard's lips twisted upward as he muttered to himself.
He'd been pondering how to fake the death of Bercheria.
What if that child played the role of Bercheria, and he could bring the real Bercheria back and display her in his treasure vault? What if he could tie her up there and gaze at her beautiful hair and those eyes that sparkled like the sun at any moment?
Gerard shuddered at the thought that passed through his body.
His arms rose as his body swelled, blue waves spilling out.
“Ah.”
“Oh my goodness.”
The old officials exclaimed in awe.
While it was rare to see Gerard's pathological capture of witches and wizards and the actual use of magic, encountering someone with such a vast amount of mana wasn't easy.
As the anecdote about recruiting seven wizards to create the portal suggests, the amount of mana a single person could possess was extremely limited.
"It's beyond imagination,"
The prime minister muttered, his mouth agape.
Then, as if a thought had suddenly occurred to him, he covered his mouth and whispered to Dylan, who was right next to him.
"You said that the boy was born in prison?"
Dylan glanced at the Emperor and answered in a low voice.
"Yes, that's right."
Suspicious, Dylan even sought out a former knight several years ago to hear the story of Groovy's birth.
"Isn't that just a rumor? If you live in that prison for even a few years, your memories will be distorted and you'll lose track of what's real."
Dylan initially thought the same.
But for a child born in prison, there was no reality to distort, no world to confuse.
After all, that prison was the entire world.
“I confirmed the facts.”
The prime minister furrowed his white eyebrows.
“The captain of the guard personally?”
“Yes. Personally.”
Even as the two conversed, Groovy continued to spread his mana even wider.
If left alone, he wondered how far his powers would extend.
“Fine. I’ll stop there.”
However, if a normal person without magical abilities were exposed to strong mana, they would go mad or die.
It was the same effect as passing through a portal without the Locust imprinted on their permit.
After all, the portal itself was a conglomerate of mana.
“We can’t all just lie down like Kelita.”
At Gerard’s words, mana was sucked into the boy’s body.
Groovy wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked towards the chair, then sank down on the floor right next to it.
“Ha.”
A ragged breath escaped him, and clean air was sucked in again.
While the high-ranking officials and the judge conversed, Groovy concentrated solely on breathing in and out.
Perhaps the people here will never know, until the day they die, how precious and precious it is to breathe such clean air.
The damp, damp air of the underground seemed to gnaw at his lungs with every breath.
Whenever survivors of the prison occasionally told him stories about the outside world, Groovy prayed to God that he would be allowed to breathe on the surface just once before he died.
He wants to die breathing fresh air.
“Even so, isn’t he still immature? If he misuses his power, everyone who enters the portal will go mad or die.”
“Your Majesty, I acknowledge that child’s abilities, but it’s unrealistic.”
“Even so, we can’t allow Bercheria to run wild, can we?”
“What if we leave Bercheria alone like this? The imperial prestige will collapse!”
As the conference room grew noisy, Gerard said in an annoyed voice.
“Enough, everyone, be quiet for now.”
When they still wouldn’t shut up, he banged his hand on the table.
“Can’t you hear me telling you to be quiet?”
Only then did they firmly shut their mouths and lower their heads, watching Gerard’s expression.
“There’s no time to hesitate. Lacrahan is rushing to marry Bercheria.”
The officials, who hadn’t heard this news, had their faces painted with shock.
“Are you really saying that Lacrahan and Bercheria are getting married? Really?”
The Emperor opened his mouth, then closed it as if annoyed. He then gestured toward Dylan.
Dylan stepped forward and explained the note the Emperor had received, the story of the old man from the north who had come to visit him and told him about Bercheria, and the events leading up to that point.
Even as he spoke, the Emperor's gaze remained fixed on Groovy.
"He looks a lot like Bercheria."
Gerard kept chuckling, trying to hide the snickers.
"Even though he's a boy, he's beautiful enough to rival Bercheria. In fact, it wouldn't be a loss if either of them survived."
Since that morning, Gerard's heart had expanded even wider than the Pacific Ocean below.
"Then where did you get the certainty that the woman Lacrahan is marrying is Bercheria? It could be wrong, right?"
Gerard furrowed his brow and slowly raised his head. At the Prime Minister's words, he gaped blankly, as if he'd just realized something he'd completely forgotten.
"That's right. No one knows."
Gerard realized he'd been thinking in a rut all along.
"Yes, no one knows. Why didn't I think of that when no one else does?"
Gerard's lips twisted upward as he muttered to himself.
He'd been pondering how to fake the death of Bercheria.
What if that child played the role of Bercheria, and he could bring the real Bercheria back and display her in his treasure vault? What if he could tie her up there and gaze at her beautiful hair and those eyes that sparkled like the sun at any moment?
Gerard shuddered at the thought that passed through his body.
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