Episode 45. The Mysterious Guardian Angel
Lacrahan sat across from Tatiana, cookies and warm tea between them.
Tatiana, who appeared with her bobbed hair in pigtails, who knew who had done it, looked quite adorable.
The children were receiving much love from the castle staff these days.
“Your Highness.”
Tatiana smiled brightly at Lacrahan, showing all her teeth.
“Did you call me aside so you could share cookies like this?”
“Yes. Eat.”
“Wow. Thank you.”
Tatiana clapped her hands in joy and savored the cookies made by Mrs. Morgan.
Lacrahan leaned back on the sofa, watching the child, and then said in a much softer voice than usual,
“I saw Tatiana in the forest a few days ago.”
Tatiana’s eyes widened as she ate her cookies.
“Me?”
“Yes. You were with a woman.”
“Oh! Did you see her?”
He was expecting her to be surprised, and finished her cookies with a crunch.
Then, she tapped her hands on the empty plate, wiping them off, and motioned for Lacrahan to come closer.
As he leaned in, the child placed both hands on her chubby cheeks and whispered,
“But you must keep that a secret.”
Lakrahan narrowed his eyes.
“Why a secret?”
“That is...”
Tatiana hesitated, ruffling the hem of her dress, and then spoke in a lower voice.
“Actually, she is the Grand Duke’s guardian angel.”
“...What?”
The unexpected answer left Lacrahan momentarily confused.
“My guardian angel?”
“Yes!”
Lacrahan studied Tatiana’s face.
There was no sign of her lying or making things up.
Tatiana was picking at the crumbs she had just shaken off.
Her legs dangling under the sofa seemed playful, not anxious.
“Did that woman say that?”
“Yes! He said I could protect His Highness if I told her what His Highness was doing and where he had been.”
Tatiana thought for a moment, then spoke again.
“But she is an angel, so she can’t be seen by people during the day. So we have to meet secretly at night. Oh! She sometimes gives me pocket money. I save it up and go to the tailor in town.”
“The tailor?”
“Yes! Melissa keeps growing, so sometimes she needs to buy clothes once a month. If I take that money, the tailor will make several outfits for Melissa.”
Lacrahan’s lips parted thinly.
Melissa, the youngest of the children, was still in diapers and tottering.
Tatiana was taking care of even the details he hadn’t noticed.
“And when my sister comes home, I tell her about my sister too. That way, I can protect both her and Your Highness.”
“Ha.”
Lacrahan exhaled in disbelief and leaned back in his chair.
Tatiana, who had been watching him, suddenly asked with a frightened expression,
“Your Highness. Did I do something wrong?”
Lacrahan slowly shook his head.
“No. You did nothing wrong.”
It wasn’t Tatiana who was at fault.
It was the adults who tried to deceive children to get what they wanted.
As time passed, he grew tired of human selfishness.
Those scumbags who didn’t care about selling their conscience for personal gain.
Lacrahan sat up straight and stroked Tatiana’s hair, who still had a worried expression on her face.
“Now that I look at you, Tatiana takes after your sister.”
“Really?”
A smile spread across Tatiana’s face.
“Yes. Both are innocent.”
Her small eyes twinkled.
“And?”
Lacrahan replied with a smirk.
“And pretty.”
Tatiana giggled and nodded.
“Yes! That’s right. Thank you, Your Highness!”
Bercheria headed down the back street of the castle without anyone noticing.
She was anxious that she might run into someone she knew and have her movements discovered, but thankfully, that didn't happen.
She moved more cautiously than usual, fearing that if Lacrahan followed her, trouble might arise.
"Ha."
It was only early evening, but her breath was already leaking out.
Bercheria stretched out her hand and focused all her attention on it.
She imagined the scene of falling snow, but nothing happened in the sky.
"It's okay."
Withdrawing her hand, Bercheria walked deeper into the forest again.
As the grass crunched beneath her feet, memories of her time with Lacrahan naturally came flooding back.
In fact, she had replayed that scene several times since leaving the forest.
The moment he sucked the venom out of her snakebite was vividly imprinted on her mind.
Why did this man make that face when he saw me?
Why was he worried about me?
It felt strange and incomprehensible.
Her mother, who had climbed the tower every day carrying dry bread, paid no attention to Bercheria's pain.
If she spoke back or refused to eat, she would be mercilessly beaten, and sometimes the pain would last for hours.
After that, she descended the tower without a backward glance.
Having lived her entire life like that, Bercheria found it incredibly strange that someone would empathize with her pain.
Searching through the memories of the Awakened, she found that neither of them had ever received comfort from anyone.
Everyone was just asking for favors or trying to exploit the goddess's power for personal gain.
So, she never once considered it.
She's imagined someone out there sucking out the poison, looking at her with concern, waiting for her to wake up.
Unable to bear the awkwardness, she hastily assumed he was just that kind of person. Lacrahan would treat anyone, not just her.
But after seeing the countless scars etched on his body, she realized otherwise.
'Others call me a war hero, but they don't care what I went through to win that war.'
Lacrahan had known from the beginning.
That Bercheria shared his wounds. Only those who knew the depth of those wounds could embrace each other.
"Huh."
Bercheria paused and closed her eyes.
The Supreme God had created this world, wishing to control everyone in it.
But ever since humans began making their own choices, they had slipped beyond his control.
People believe that God sent down lesser gods like Bercheria and Beloveye to help humans, but that's not true.
The Supreme God sent them into the world to make humans, who had escaped His control, believe in Him once again.
Bercheria came down to this earth and has been by their side for hundreds of years.
"You could have helped me,"
Lacrahan sat across from Tatiana, cookies and warm tea between them.
Tatiana, who appeared with her bobbed hair in pigtails, who knew who had done it, looked quite adorable.
The children were receiving much love from the castle staff these days.
“Your Highness.”
Tatiana smiled brightly at Lacrahan, showing all her teeth.
“Did you call me aside so you could share cookies like this?”
“Yes. Eat.”
“Wow. Thank you.”
Tatiana clapped her hands in joy and savored the cookies made by Mrs. Morgan.
Lacrahan leaned back on the sofa, watching the child, and then said in a much softer voice than usual,
“I saw Tatiana in the forest a few days ago.”
Tatiana’s eyes widened as she ate her cookies.
“Me?”
“Yes. You were with a woman.”
“Oh! Did you see her?”
He was expecting her to be surprised, and finished her cookies with a crunch.
Then, she tapped her hands on the empty plate, wiping them off, and motioned for Lacrahan to come closer.
As he leaned in, the child placed both hands on her chubby cheeks and whispered,
“But you must keep that a secret.”
Lakrahan narrowed his eyes.
“Why a secret?”
“That is...”
Tatiana hesitated, ruffling the hem of her dress, and then spoke in a lower voice.
“Actually, she is the Grand Duke’s guardian angel.”
“...What?”
The unexpected answer left Lacrahan momentarily confused.
“My guardian angel?”
“Yes!”
Lacrahan studied Tatiana’s face.
There was no sign of her lying or making things up.
Tatiana was picking at the crumbs she had just shaken off.
Her legs dangling under the sofa seemed playful, not anxious.
“Did that woman say that?”
“Yes! He said I could protect His Highness if I told her what His Highness was doing and where he had been.”
Tatiana thought for a moment, then spoke again.
“But she is an angel, so she can’t be seen by people during the day. So we have to meet secretly at night. Oh! She sometimes gives me pocket money. I save it up and go to the tailor in town.”
“The tailor?”
“Yes! Melissa keeps growing, so sometimes she needs to buy clothes once a month. If I take that money, the tailor will make several outfits for Melissa.”
Lacrahan’s lips parted thinly.
Melissa, the youngest of the children, was still in diapers and tottering.
Tatiana was taking care of even the details he hadn’t noticed.
“And when my sister comes home, I tell her about my sister too. That way, I can protect both her and Your Highness.”
“Ha.”
Lacrahan exhaled in disbelief and leaned back in his chair.
Tatiana, who had been watching him, suddenly asked with a frightened expression,
“Your Highness. Did I do something wrong?”
Lacrahan slowly shook his head.
“No. You did nothing wrong.”
It wasn’t Tatiana who was at fault.
It was the adults who tried to deceive children to get what they wanted.
As time passed, he grew tired of human selfishness.
Those scumbags who didn’t care about selling their conscience for personal gain.
Lacrahan sat up straight and stroked Tatiana’s hair, who still had a worried expression on her face.
“Now that I look at you, Tatiana takes after your sister.”
“Really?”
A smile spread across Tatiana’s face.
“Yes. Both are innocent.”
Her small eyes twinkled.
“And?”
Lacrahan replied with a smirk.
“And pretty.”
Tatiana giggled and nodded.
“Yes! That’s right. Thank you, Your Highness!”
***
Bercheria headed down the back street of the castle without anyone noticing.
She was anxious that she might run into someone she knew and have her movements discovered, but thankfully, that didn't happen.
She moved more cautiously than usual, fearing that if Lacrahan followed her, trouble might arise.
"Ha."
It was only early evening, but her breath was already leaking out.
Bercheria stretched out her hand and focused all her attention on it.
She imagined the scene of falling snow, but nothing happened in the sky.
"It's okay."
Withdrawing her hand, Bercheria walked deeper into the forest again.
As the grass crunched beneath her feet, memories of her time with Lacrahan naturally came flooding back.
In fact, she had replayed that scene several times since leaving the forest.
The moment he sucked the venom out of her snakebite was vividly imprinted on her mind.
Why did this man make that face when he saw me?
Why was he worried about me?
It felt strange and incomprehensible.
Her mother, who had climbed the tower every day carrying dry bread, paid no attention to Bercheria's pain.
If she spoke back or refused to eat, she would be mercilessly beaten, and sometimes the pain would last for hours.
After that, she descended the tower without a backward glance.
Having lived her entire life like that, Bercheria found it incredibly strange that someone would empathize with her pain.
Searching through the memories of the Awakened, she found that neither of them had ever received comfort from anyone.
Everyone was just asking for favors or trying to exploit the goddess's power for personal gain.
So, she never once considered it.
She's imagined someone out there sucking out the poison, looking at her with concern, waiting for her to wake up.
Unable to bear the awkwardness, she hastily assumed he was just that kind of person. Lacrahan would treat anyone, not just her.
But after seeing the countless scars etched on his body, she realized otherwise.
'Others call me a war hero, but they don't care what I went through to win that war.'
Lacrahan had known from the beginning.
That Bercheria shared his wounds. Only those who knew the depth of those wounds could embrace each other.
"Huh."
Bercheria paused and closed her eyes.
The Supreme God had created this world, wishing to control everyone in it.
But ever since humans began making their own choices, they had slipped beyond his control.
People believe that God sent down lesser gods like Bercheria and Beloveye to help humans, but that's not true.
The Supreme God sent them into the world to make humans, who had escaped His control, believe in Him once again.
Bercheria came down to this earth and has been by their side for hundreds of years.
"You could have helped me,"
Her dense golden eyelashes rose, and the eyes within them turned skyward.
"Humans were stealing the power of the gods and erasing the memories of the Awakened, and you didn't care about me, did you?"
The Supreme God left Bercheria to suffer.
He simply watched as she writhed in agony.
In Bercheria's absence, humans' selfishness grew, and war broke out, killing people.
Even as good people like Lacrahan were hurt and suffering, God did nothing.
“Marriage? You ordered me to marry the Prince of another empire? Countless lives were lost, and you stood by, and now you’re taking action just for my sake?”
Bercheria laughed, dumbfounded.
“Just wait and see what I do.”
She walked towards Muha.
The Supreme Being can’t read the minds of non-Godlike humans.
That was only natural.
“As long as I’m in a human body, you can’t know anything about me anyway.”
Bercheria walked briskly, deliberately making her footsteps sound.
The emotions that had been weighing on her heart felt as if they were slowly evaporating.
“Muha!”
The tower was now out of sight, but Muha was probably still nearby.
“Where’s Muha?”
“I won’t die. I may get wounded, but I won’t die.”
So don’t worry. This isn’t the tower.
As they drew closer to their destination, Bercheria felt her confidence surge.
“Don’t worry. Even if I happen to meet my mother here, it’ll be okay. I'm no longer a child trapped in a tower."
"Humans were stealing the power of the gods and erasing the memories of the Awakened, and you didn't care about me, did you?"
The Supreme God left Bercheria to suffer.
He simply watched as she writhed in agony.
In Bercheria's absence, humans' selfishness grew, and war broke out, killing people.
Even as good people like Lacrahan were hurt and suffering, God did nothing.
“Marriage? You ordered me to marry the Prince of another empire? Countless lives were lost, and you stood by, and now you’re taking action just for my sake?”
Bercheria laughed, dumbfounded.
“Just wait and see what I do.”
She walked towards Muha.
The Supreme Being can’t read the minds of non-Godlike humans.
That was only natural.
“As long as I’m in a human body, you can’t know anything about me anyway.”
Bercheria walked briskly, deliberately making her footsteps sound.
The emotions that had been weighing on her heart felt as if they were slowly evaporating.
“Muha!”
The tower was now out of sight, but Muha was probably still nearby.
“Where’s Muha?”
“I won’t die. I may get wounded, but I won’t die.”
So don’t worry. This isn’t the tower.
As they drew closer to their destination, Bercheria felt her confidence surge.
“Don’t worry. Even if I happen to meet my mother here, it’ll be okay. I'm no longer a child trapped in a tower."
"Kuweek." Muha's cries were heard nearby.
A pitch-black darkness fell over Bercheria's tense head.
"...!"
She tilted her head and looked up, seeing Muha's wings slowly approaching, as if covering the sky.
"Muha!"
As the giant condor Mucha turned, she saw an unfamiliar man holding Muha's shiny hair.
The muscular man with bronze skin was looking down at Bercheria, brushing back his long hair that swayed in the air.
Gerard, dressed in splendid attire, lightly mounted the white horse, the pride of the Periat royal family.
"Wow, whoa."
He looked around, patting the back of the white horse, which was reserved for only the most powerful in the royal family.
Directly opposite him was Dylan, the captain of the guard, on a jet-black horse, and Groovy, riding the same horse.
"How beautiful."
A few days later, Groovy, released from the dungeon, wearing clean clothes and eating good food, shone as beautifully as the sun even in the evening.
Even those who had initially shunned him and laughed at him now turned around once more, admiring the boy's appearance.
So, the saying that innate beauty cannot be hidden, no matter what, was not without reason.
“Dylan.”
At Gerard’s voice, Dylan, who had been monitoring the number of people passing through the portal, quickly turned his head.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Gerard’s brown lips curled upwards.
“I keep getting the feeling that Bercheria, who is said to be in the north, isn’t real.”
Dylan, who was quite perceptive even among Gerard’s close associates, was flustered at the moment, unable to immediately understand Gerard’s words.
“The ignorant people of the north probably assumed the woman in the north was Bercheria just by looking at her blonde hair and golden eyes. In fact, that kind of appearance is more common than you think.”
Gerard glanced at Groovy, and Dylan finally let out a sigh of exclamation.
“Think about it. Bercheria is in Periat, so why hasn’t the protective energy returned?”
“Of course...”
Dylan’s sharp eyes tightened.
“It’s probably because she’s not Bercheria.”
A pitch-black darkness fell over Bercheria's tense head.
"...!"
She tilted her head and looked up, seeing Muha's wings slowly approaching, as if covering the sky.
"Muha!"
As the giant condor Mucha turned, she saw an unfamiliar man holding Muha's shiny hair.
The muscular man with bronze skin was looking down at Bercheria, brushing back his long hair that swayed in the air.
***
Gerard, dressed in splendid attire, lightly mounted the white horse, the pride of the Periat royal family.
"Wow, whoa."
He looked around, patting the back of the white horse, which was reserved for only the most powerful in the royal family.
Directly opposite him was Dylan, the captain of the guard, on a jet-black horse, and Groovy, riding the same horse.
"How beautiful."
A few days later, Groovy, released from the dungeon, wearing clean clothes and eating good food, shone as beautifully as the sun even in the evening.
Even those who had initially shunned him and laughed at him now turned around once more, admiring the boy's appearance.
So, the saying that innate beauty cannot be hidden, no matter what, was not without reason.
“Dylan.”
At Gerard’s voice, Dylan, who had been monitoring the number of people passing through the portal, quickly turned his head.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Gerard’s brown lips curled upwards.
“I keep getting the feeling that Bercheria, who is said to be in the north, isn’t real.”
Dylan, who was quite perceptive even among Gerard’s close associates, was flustered at the moment, unable to immediately understand Gerard’s words.
“The ignorant people of the north probably assumed the woman in the north was Bercheria just by looking at her blonde hair and golden eyes. In fact, that kind of appearance is more common than you think.”
Gerard glanced at Groovy, and Dylan finally let out a sigh of exclamation.
“Think about it. Bercheria is in Periat, so why hasn’t the protective energy returned?”
“Of course...”
Dylan’s sharp eyes tightened.
“It’s probably because she’s not Bercheria.”
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