Episode 49. Confession about Confession
“Do you truly love that weather goddess?”
“...”
“No. Honestly. Let’s be frank. Grand Duke, the weather goddess, and honestly, she’s incredibly pretty. Be honest. What’s the big deal if you say I love you? You’re getting married!”
Lacrahan stopped walking and turned his head to look at Wyatt.
Until now, he had been lost, unable to properly understand his own feelings. He had never loved someone, so he didn’t know what it felt like or how it came across.
He was too wounded to fully express his feelings, and Bercheria had too many issues to overcome.
But that didn’t mean he wanted to be swept along without knowing his own feelings or what the right choice was.
Lacrahan wanted his life to flow according to his own choices.
It was because he knew that a person's future was unpredictable, unpredictable when, where, or how it would unfold.
"I told them to make it as simple and unfussy as possible."
Bercheria let out a short laugh at Lacrahan's words.
Even now, looking at her again, she was dazzlingly beautiful in that snow-white dress.
The graceful profile and clean neckline visible beneath the transparent veil were breathtaking.
It wasn't something he had known before.
Bercheria was objectively beautiful, no matter who saw her.
But what made it feel new was that the clothes she was wearing, the makeup, and the atmosphere she was wearing were all designed just for Lacrahan.
At that thought, his chest lurched.
Lacrahan hadn't realized he was so easily shaken, his heart pounding like it was going to burst.
He'd thought he possessed a steely resolve, seeing himself not even blinking as someone died before his eyes. But even that seemed to be an illusion.
It seemed there were still lingering, unexpressed, tender emotions within him.
Lacrahan leaned in toward her.
Feeling Lacrahan's gaze, Bercheria turned her head and stared at him quietly, then blinked and leaned forward again.
"What did you say earlier?"
Startled, Lacrahan spread her hands in the air.
"No. Don't feel pressured about that at all. That was just..."
"Was that a lie?"
Lacrahan lowered her gaze and whispered.
"That's not it."
For the first time in his life, he felt his skin burning.
Just when he felt he couldn't bear the silence anymore, Bercheria spoke first.
"Thank you."
A beautiful voice rang out. But a puzzled look crossed Lacrahan's face, unable to understand the meaning.
"Huh?"
"I sincerely appreciate you wanting to help me."
"Oh, yes."
The voice somehow felt like a tickle in his heart.
"Me too."
Lacrahan realized he had stiffened uncharacteristically and dangled his long legs under the chair.
Leaning back, he relaxed the tension that had been so tense around him just moments before.
“Thank you for showing up instead of running away. I almost got married alone.”
Bercheria let out a light laugh at Lacrahan’s joke.
It was the same laughter he’d heard the first day she’d come to this castle.
A clear sound like tiny water droplets popping.
Bercheria touched the knot of the bouquet with her fingertips.
“I have something to tell you.”
Lacrahan’s shoulders stiffened at Bercheria’s words.
“Do it.”
Even though she wasn’t responding to his confession, the tension she’d just released came rushing back in full force.
“Say whatever you want. I’ll accept it all.”
Thanks to this, he was rambling, adding something unexpected.
Bercheria raised her head and looked at Lacrahan.
“Emperor Gerard will soon come through the portal and arrive here.”
The completely unexpected words spilled out of Bercheria, and Lacrahan couldn’t take them in for a moment, so he asked back.
“What does that mean?”
“It’s literally true. The Emperor is now departing for the North.”
“He’s coming here?”
Lacrahan’s jaw bulged, his muscles tightening.
Since Kelita had only recently returned, he figured there would still be some time.
He hadn’t considered it insufficient time to hold the wedding ceremony with Bercheria and organize the North.
'Was Gerard really this quick-witted?'
“Where did you hear that information?”
Bercheria shook her head.
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Do you truly love that weather goddess?”
“...”
“No. Honestly. Let’s be frank. Grand Duke, the weather goddess, and honestly, she’s incredibly pretty. Be honest. What’s the big deal if you say I love you? You’re getting married!”
Lacrahan stopped walking and turned his head to look at Wyatt.
Until now, he had been lost, unable to properly understand his own feelings. He had never loved someone, so he didn’t know what it felt like or how it came across.
He was too wounded to fully express his feelings, and Bercheria had too many issues to overcome.
But that didn’t mean he wanted to be swept along without knowing his own feelings or what the right choice was.
Lacrahan wanted his life to flow according to his own choices.
It was because he knew that a person's future was unpredictable, unpredictable when, where, or how it would unfold.
"If I have two choices, as you say, to love or not."
The more difficult and complex the problem, the simpler the thought had to be. If there were only two paths before him, and he had to take one immediately.
"I love Bercheria."
Wyatt, who had been questioning so cheerfully just a moment ago, suddenly scratched his head with a dazed expression.
"Haha, is that so? Hahaha."
He also suddenly began blinking wildly, as if something had caught his eye. Since he was always a bit quirky, Lacrahan brushed it off lightly.
"I don't want to falsely swear my love in front of my people. Whether Bercheria is sincere or not, I intend to give my all in this marriage."
"Um, but, Grand Duke, that."
"It's heartbreaking to see her carry so much burden alone. I want to be there to help her. I want to make her feel a little more reliant on me."
“No, why are you confessing so harshly all of a sudden? Um, just be quiet, Your Highness.”
Lacrahan took a deep breath as he looked at Wyatt.
“You’ll probably never know. Once you start liking someone, from then on...!”
Lacrahan turned to walk forward again, but the moment he saw the scene before him, he froze.
“Hmph.”
Mrs. Morgan, who had been standing behind Bercheria, let out a gasp and bit her lip as if nothing had happened. It wasn’t just Mrs. Morgan. The other castle members standing with her were also in a state of confusion, trying to hide their expressions at Lacrahan’s passionate confession.
“Ha.”
It would have been better if it were just them. Bercheria, who had been watching him from the front, had become a stone sculpture, clutching a dainty bouquet tightly to her chest. As Lacrahan and Bercheria stood facing each other, not knowing what to do, Mrs. Morgan, unable to bear it any longer, stepped forward.
“Yes, now we have the wedding ceremony, so let’s go to the waiting room. You know the bride and groom need to be in the waiting room together, right?”
She nodded to those with her, and a swarm of people gathered around and dragged Lacrahan away.
“The groom needs to get ready quickly, too.”
They diligently led the two to the flower-decorated waiting room for the bride and groom. Along the way, the women whispered to Lacrahan whenever they had a chance.
“You need to go in and relax.”
“You need to compliment her sincerely, saying she’s pretty, yes?”
“That’ll make the first night go smoothly. You’re absolutely right, saying she’s pretty, yes?”
The women, who had been giggling among themselves, opened the door and pushed Lacrahan inside.
“Wait a minute!”
It seemed his opinion hadn’t mattered from the start, as the door closed only after Bercheria had entered.
Click.
“...”
“...Ahem.”
The two stared at the floor opposite each other, then simultaneously walked to the chairs in the center of the room.
“Shall we sit down?”
At Lacrahan's words, Bercheria nodded awkwardly and sat down slightly on her haunches. The scent of flowers, plucked from the greenhouse, wafted in the air. These were the flowers the women of Lacrahan Castle paid the most attention to.
Of course, they put a lot of effort into the wedding hall, but the chairs in the waiting room were what took the longest. This was where the soon-to-be couple would stay before walking to the priest and exchanging their wedding vows. The women unanimously insisted that this place, the most exciting and beautiful, should be more beautiful than any other.
"I told them to make it as simple and unfussy as possible."
Bercheria let out a short laugh at Lacrahan's words.
Even now, looking at her again, she was dazzlingly beautiful in that snow-white dress.
The graceful profile and clean neckline visible beneath the transparent veil were breathtaking.
It wasn't something he had known before.
Bercheria was objectively beautiful, no matter who saw her.
But what made it feel new was that the clothes she was wearing, the makeup, and the atmosphere she was wearing were all designed just for Lacrahan.
At that thought, his chest lurched.
Lacrahan hadn't realized he was so easily shaken, his heart pounding like it was going to burst.
He'd thought he possessed a steely resolve, seeing himself not even blinking as someone died before his eyes. But even that seemed to be an illusion.
It seemed there were still lingering, unexpressed, tender emotions within him.
Lacrahan leaned in toward her.
Feeling Lacrahan's gaze, Bercheria turned her head and stared at him quietly, then blinked and leaned forward again.
"What did you say earlier?"
Startled, Lacrahan spread her hands in the air.
"No. Don't feel pressured about that at all. That was just..."
"Was that a lie?"
Lacrahan lowered her gaze and whispered.
"That's not it."
For the first time in his life, he felt his skin burning.
Just when he felt he couldn't bear the silence anymore, Bercheria spoke first.
"Thank you."
A beautiful voice rang out. But a puzzled look crossed Lacrahan's face, unable to understand the meaning.
"Huh?"
"I sincerely appreciate you wanting to help me."
"Oh, yes."
The voice somehow felt like a tickle in his heart.
"Me too."
Lacrahan realized he had stiffened uncharacteristically and dangled his long legs under the chair.
Leaning back, he relaxed the tension that had been so tense around him just moments before.
“Thank you for showing up instead of running away. I almost got married alone.”
Bercheria let out a light laugh at Lacrahan’s joke.
It was the same laughter he’d heard the first day she’d come to this castle.
A clear sound like tiny water droplets popping.
Bercheria touched the knot of the bouquet with her fingertips.
“I have something to tell you.”
Lacrahan’s shoulders stiffened at Bercheria’s words.
“Do it.”
Even though she wasn’t responding to his confession, the tension she’d just released came rushing back in full force.
“Say whatever you want. I’ll accept it all.”
Thanks to this, he was rambling, adding something unexpected.
Bercheria raised her head and looked at Lacrahan.
“Emperor Gerard will soon come through the portal and arrive here.”
The completely unexpected words spilled out of Bercheria, and Lacrahan couldn’t take them in for a moment, so he asked back.
“What does that mean?”
“It’s literally true. The Emperor is now departing for the North.”
“He’s coming here?”
Lacrahan’s jaw bulged, his muscles tightening.
Since Kelita had only recently returned, he figured there would still be some time.
He hadn’t considered it insufficient time to hold the wedding ceremony with Bercheria and organize the North.
'Was Gerard really this quick-witted?'
“Where did you hear that information?”
Bercheria shook her head.
“I can’t tell you that.”
She couldn’t say she’d heard it from the guardian deity of the Kingdom of Contana.
“But you can trust me.”
Lacrahan stood up.
“I know. If you believe it, I believe it.”
Lacrahan calculated the time frantically in his head.
It didn’t take long to travel from the Imperial Palace to the portal.
And passing through the portal took a few minutes at most.
If the Emperor had already departed, there was no time.
Could the wedding ceremony be completed before he arrived?
If the priest could just certify their marriage, things would be much easier.
Even if he is the Emperor, he cannot take the wife of the Northern Grand Duke to the imperial palace unless there is a great reason.
Even if her status were Bercheria, it wouldn't be easy because of the nature of a wife belonging to her husband's status. It was no different from dragging the King of a country to the imperial palace for no particular reason.
"Bercheria."
"Yes."
"Would you wait here for a moment? I'll check if the priest has arrived and come back. If preparations are complete, I'll send someone, so we can begin the ceremony right away."
"Understood."
"Yes."
Lacrahan turned to leave, but then turned back to her.
When Bercheria looked up at him, Lacrahan paused, as if hesitating, before speaking.
"You look especially beautiful today."
As Bercheria's lips parted slightly, Lacrahan impulsively bent down and lowered his head to her.
Their lips almost touching, he paused for a moment, then lifted her chin, brushed his lips lightly like a feather against her round forehead above her veil, and then pulled away.
"I'll be back."
As Lacrahan turned and left the room, Bercheria's breath, which had been held until then, leaked out thinly from her lips.
“But you can trust me.”
Lacrahan stood up.
“I know. If you believe it, I believe it.”
Lacrahan calculated the time frantically in his head.
It didn’t take long to travel from the Imperial Palace to the portal.
And passing through the portal took a few minutes at most.
If the Emperor had already departed, there was no time.
Could the wedding ceremony be completed before he arrived?
If the priest could just certify their marriage, things would be much easier.
Even if he is the Emperor, he cannot take the wife of the Northern Grand Duke to the imperial palace unless there is a great reason.
Even if her status were Bercheria, it wouldn't be easy because of the nature of a wife belonging to her husband's status. It was no different from dragging the King of a country to the imperial palace for no particular reason.
"Bercheria."
"Yes."
"Would you wait here for a moment? I'll check if the priest has arrived and come back. If preparations are complete, I'll send someone, so we can begin the ceremony right away."
"Understood."
"Yes."
Lacrahan turned to leave, but then turned back to her.
When Bercheria looked up at him, Lacrahan paused, as if hesitating, before speaking.
"You look especially beautiful today."
As Bercheria's lips parted slightly, Lacrahan impulsively bent down and lowered his head to her.
Their lips almost touching, he paused for a moment, then lifted her chin, brushed his lips lightly like a feather against her round forehead above her veil, and then pulled away.
"I'll be back."
As Lacrahan turned and left the room, Bercheria's breath, which had been held until then, leaked out thinly from her lips.
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