Episode 100. Win or Lose
Bercheria awoke to the faint moonlight.
She seemed to have closed her eyes for a moment, but it seemed quite some time had passed.
The spot where Lacrahan had been lying was now tidied and empty, and outside the window, snowflakes were beginning to fall. A faint white light could be seen on the ground, indicating that the snow had already fallen for some time.
The people of the capital, who had never seen snow even in midwinter due to the changing weather, had been enjoying the snow to their heart's content since Bercheria's guardian returned.
"Lacrahan."
When she called out quietly but received no answer, Bercheria rose from her bed and went outside.
The cool air felt refreshing against her skin, leaving her eyes defenseless.
After walking for a while, unfamiliar noises flooded Bercheria's sensitive ears.
-Kueeeeek!
Bercheria's brow furrowed.
-Hold on! Quick, catch him straight!
- This monster!
She walked urgently towards the sound.
She arrived at a secluded alley hidden behind the splendid imperial palace.
In the dark shadows, Muha was flapping his massive wings in agony.
“Why on earth is Muha here...”
It was a scene completely incomprehensible why Muha, who had lived his entire life in the north, had left the forest and was being held by the royal guards.
Kkeueek!
The royal guards had wrapped Muha’s two feet tightly with iron chains and pinned them to the ground. Every time the giant bird flapped its wings to escape, they stabbed its torso or legs with spears.
At the sight of Muha’s agony, Bercheria’s feet reflexively shot out.
Just as she was about to approach the royal guards...
“Shhh!”
Bercheria’s body, gripped by his arm, spun half a turn before being stopped by Lacrahan’s large hand.
“Lacrahan!”
His pitch-black eyes studied her with concern.
“Who’s there?”
When one of the knights shouted in their direction, Lacrahan cradled Bercheria in his arms and lowered himself to avoid detection.
“Why, who’s there?”
The knight’s shoes stopped just before the bushes where Lacrahan was hiding.
Bercheria met Lacrahan’s gaze, holding her breath.
Their gazes silently met in the darkness.
“Did I misunderstand?”
The knight glanced around the air before returning to his seat.
“No one.”
Kekeke!
Before the knight could finish speaking, Muha began to thrash and flap his wings again.
The startled knight hurriedly returned to his seat.
As soon as he disappeared, Bercheria clutched the hem of Lacrahan’s clothes.
Her eyes trembled violently as she watched Muha in pain.
“Why on earth is Muha here?”
While Lacrahan was sleeping beside Bercheria, he witnessed Muha flying outside the window, struck by the guards' bars, and falling to the ground.
But he couldn't tell her that.
Instead, he placed a hand on Bercheria's head and ruffled her soft blond hair.
"Don't worry. Muha is a divine beast, so something like that won't happen to him."
Despite his comfort, Bercheria remained unconvinced.
"Lacrahan. Why are people so cruel? Even if they're divine beasts, they're still dumb beasts."
"That's right."
"Muha doesn't attack people recklessly unless it's his territory. Back then, we invaded his territory..."
"Yes, it's okay. I know you don't have to say anything."
Only humans would recklessly attack someone without their consent.
Bercheria turned her head away from Mucha, who was bleeding painfully.
Everyone had a weakness.
They sacrificed themselves to protect that weakness, and were sacrificed themselves.
To Lacrahan, that presence was undoubtedly Bercheria, and to Bercheria, Muha seemed to be the same.
“Will they kill Muha?”
Lacrahan shook his head slowly.
“Probably not. Lawrence still needs that bird.”
“Has Lawrence woken up?”
“Yes. Just now.”
Lacrahan had been awake when he discovered Muha because he had received a report about Lawrence.
“I haven’t heard anything about her condition since then.”
Bercheria gritted her teeth and nodded.
How far would her ill-fated relationship with Lawrence extend?
Their relationship was like a vast, unfathomable swamp.
“Everything Lyone does is heard, but Lawrence is relatively quiet. I think it’s because she’s been so marginalized in the imperial court.”
Bercheria’s face darkened at the name Lyone. Just as she was about to speak, Muha screamed in pain again, cutting off their conversation.
As if reading Bercheria’s desire to stop the royal knights, Lacrahan grabbed her shoulder.
“If we leave now, things will only get worse.”
“But we can’t just stand by and watch.”
“We can’t ignore the possibility that Dipper, not Lawrence, brought him here. For now, it’s best to wait and see.”
Bercheria’s eyes darkened as she remembered the image of Dipper and Lawrence together.
“Mother...”
Bercheria exhaled slowly and corrected herself.
“Lawrence was the one who, because I alone wasn’t enough, stole Muha and used him to climb the tower.”
She clenched her fists until they hurt.
“I can’t forgive her.”
She shouldn’t have forgiven.
“I don’t even want to understand.”
There wasn’t even a need.
From now on, the two of them had no reason to care about anyone else but themselves.
Win or lose.
It had to end with one of two things.
There was no conclusion from the beginning that Lacrahan and Bercheria would break up.
“I’ll find a way to save Muha.”
Bercheria’s eyes flushed red at Lacrahan’s words.
“You didn’t hate Muha?”
He traced his finger over Bercheria’s eyelids and smiled faintly.
“Yes, I do.”
“But why...”
“Because my opinion doesn’t matter anyway.”
Lacrahan understood Bercheria’s loneliness.
“If you want it, I want it, and if you hate it, I hate it.”
Over the course of several lifetimes, the two lived in complete isolation, oblivious to each other.
Bercheria, who would inevitably spend her time alone if not for each other, knew how she must have felt toward Muha.
He, too, was obsessed with his people.
“I will continue to be like that, Bercheria.”
The golden eyes that had been staring at Lacrahan closed tightly at Muha’s screams again.
Barcheria leaned her face against his shoulder and stared coldly at the guardsmen who were brutally stabbing Muha.
As soon as Kelita opened her eyes, she was wracked by pain, as if she had been beaten all over.
Her limbs felt awkward, as if they had been amputated and reattached, and her head ached as if it were going to split open.
“Princess? Are you awake? Are you alright?”
Kelita frowned with a headache, but a familiar face loomed into her vision.
“Rosie... eh? Is it Rosie?”
“Do you recognize me?”
Kelita raised her head and stared blankly at Rosie and the other maids surrounding her bed.
“What are you talking about? Of course, I recognize you. How could I not recognize Rosie...”
As Kelita’s gaze descended, her face grew increasingly horrified.
“Ugh!”
Kelita trembled as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.
“What is this!”
Her usually tidy room was a mess.
All her treasured possessions were strewn across the floor like trash, and the maids who had been attending to her were just blankly staring at this absurd sight, not even bothering to clean it up.
Kelita blinked and then asked Rosie,
“Did Periat go under?”
“Yes?”
Bercheria awoke to the faint moonlight.
She seemed to have closed her eyes for a moment, but it seemed quite some time had passed.
The spot where Lacrahan had been lying was now tidied and empty, and outside the window, snowflakes were beginning to fall. A faint white light could be seen on the ground, indicating that the snow had already fallen for some time.
The people of the capital, who had never seen snow even in midwinter due to the changing weather, had been enjoying the snow to their heart's content since Bercheria's guardian returned.
"Lacrahan."
When she called out quietly but received no answer, Bercheria rose from her bed and went outside.
The cool air felt refreshing against her skin, leaving her eyes defenseless.
After walking for a while, unfamiliar noises flooded Bercheria's sensitive ears.
-Kueeeeek!
Bercheria's brow furrowed.
-Hold on! Quick, catch him straight!
- This monster!
She walked urgently towards the sound.
She arrived at a secluded alley hidden behind the splendid imperial palace.
In the dark shadows, Muha was flapping his massive wings in agony.
“Why on earth is Muha here...”
It was a scene completely incomprehensible why Muha, who had lived his entire life in the north, had left the forest and was being held by the royal guards.
Kkeueek!
The royal guards had wrapped Muha’s two feet tightly with iron chains and pinned them to the ground. Every time the giant bird flapped its wings to escape, they stabbed its torso or legs with spears.
At the sight of Muha’s agony, Bercheria’s feet reflexively shot out.
Just as she was about to approach the royal guards...
“Shhh!”
Bercheria’s body, gripped by his arm, spun half a turn before being stopped by Lacrahan’s large hand.
“Lacrahan!”
His pitch-black eyes studied her with concern.
“Who’s there?”
When one of the knights shouted in their direction, Lacrahan cradled Bercheria in his arms and lowered himself to avoid detection.
“Why, who’s there?”
The knight’s shoes stopped just before the bushes where Lacrahan was hiding.
Bercheria met Lacrahan’s gaze, holding her breath.
Their gazes silently met in the darkness.
“Did I misunderstand?”
The knight glanced around the air before returning to his seat.
“No one.”
Kekeke!
Before the knight could finish speaking, Muha began to thrash and flap his wings again.
The startled knight hurriedly returned to his seat.
As soon as he disappeared, Bercheria clutched the hem of Lacrahan’s clothes.
Her eyes trembled violently as she watched Muha in pain.
“Why on earth is Muha here?”
While Lacrahan was sleeping beside Bercheria, he witnessed Muha flying outside the window, struck by the guards' bars, and falling to the ground.
But he couldn't tell her that.
Instead, he placed a hand on Bercheria's head and ruffled her soft blond hair.
"Don't worry. Muha is a divine beast, so something like that won't happen to him."
Despite his comfort, Bercheria remained unconvinced.
"Lacrahan. Why are people so cruel? Even if they're divine beasts, they're still dumb beasts."
"That's right."
"Muha doesn't attack people recklessly unless it's his territory. Back then, we invaded his territory..."
"Yes, it's okay. I know you don't have to say anything."
Only humans would recklessly attack someone without their consent.
Bercheria turned her head away from Mucha, who was bleeding painfully.
Everyone had a weakness.
They sacrificed themselves to protect that weakness, and were sacrificed themselves.
To Lacrahan, that presence was undoubtedly Bercheria, and to Bercheria, Muha seemed to be the same.
“Will they kill Muha?”
Lacrahan shook his head slowly.
“Probably not. Lawrence still needs that bird.”
“Has Lawrence woken up?”
“Yes. Just now.”
Lacrahan had been awake when he discovered Muha because he had received a report about Lawrence.
“I haven’t heard anything about her condition since then.”
Bercheria gritted her teeth and nodded.
How far would her ill-fated relationship with Lawrence extend?
Their relationship was like a vast, unfathomable swamp.
“Everything Lyone does is heard, but Lawrence is relatively quiet. I think it’s because she’s been so marginalized in the imperial court.”
Bercheria’s face darkened at the name Lyone. Just as she was about to speak, Muha screamed in pain again, cutting off their conversation.
As if reading Bercheria’s desire to stop the royal knights, Lacrahan grabbed her shoulder.
“If we leave now, things will only get worse.”
“But we can’t just stand by and watch.”
“We can’t ignore the possibility that Dipper, not Lawrence, brought him here. For now, it’s best to wait and see.”
Bercheria’s eyes darkened as she remembered the image of Dipper and Lawrence together.
“Mother...”
Bercheria exhaled slowly and corrected herself.
“Lawrence was the one who, because I alone wasn’t enough, stole Muha and used him to climb the tower.”
She clenched her fists until they hurt.
“I can’t forgive her.”
She shouldn’t have forgiven.
“I don’t even want to understand.”
There wasn’t even a need.
From now on, the two of them had no reason to care about anyone else but themselves.
Win or lose.
It had to end with one of two things.
There was no conclusion from the beginning that Lacrahan and Bercheria would break up.
“I’ll find a way to save Muha.”
Bercheria’s eyes flushed red at Lacrahan’s words.
“You didn’t hate Muha?”
He traced his finger over Bercheria’s eyelids and smiled faintly.
“Yes, I do.”
“But why...”
“Because my opinion doesn’t matter anyway.”
Lacrahan understood Bercheria’s loneliness.
“If you want it, I want it, and if you hate it, I hate it.”
Over the course of several lifetimes, the two lived in complete isolation, oblivious to each other.
Bercheria, who would inevitably spend her time alone if not for each other, knew how she must have felt toward Muha.
He, too, was obsessed with his people.
“I will continue to be like that, Bercheria.”
The golden eyes that had been staring at Lacrahan closed tightly at Muha’s screams again.
Barcheria leaned her face against his shoulder and stared coldly at the guardsmen who were brutally stabbing Muha.
***
As soon as Kelita opened her eyes, she was wracked by pain, as if she had been beaten all over.
Her limbs felt awkward, as if they had been amputated and reattached, and her head ached as if it were going to split open.
“Princess? Are you awake? Are you alright?”
Kelita frowned with a headache, but a familiar face loomed into her vision.
“Rosie... eh? Is it Rosie?”
“Do you recognize me?”
Kelita raised her head and stared blankly at Rosie and the other maids surrounding her bed.
“What are you talking about? Of course, I recognize you. How could I not recognize Rosie...”
As Kelita’s gaze descended, her face grew increasingly horrified.
“Ugh!”
Kelita trembled as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.
“What is this!”
Her usually tidy room was a mess.
All her treasured possessions were strewn across the floor like trash, and the maids who had been attending to her were just blankly staring at this absurd sight, not even bothering to clean it up.
Kelita blinked and then asked Rosie,
“Did Periat go under?”
“Yes?”
“No, that’s right. If Periat hadn’t gone under, why would my room be in such a mess...”
Kelita pursed her lips before finishing her sentence.
As if recalling a forgotten dream, events up to that point began to flood back into her mind.
As if observing, the events she had done unfolded in a flash.
“What is this?”
It wasn't my doing, but I was convinced it was real.
Otherwise, how could I remember it so vividly?
"Am I really crazy?"
Then, Kelita's memories stopped on Bercheria.
"This guy,"
Kelita spat out, irritated.
“Wyatt tried to rape me, and why would you stop him? Are you crazy?”
Furthermore, Bercheria threatened to kill Kelita while holding a strange butterfly in her hand.
“I’m angry,”
Kelita muttered, her face brimming with tears.
Her memories were patchy, but this was definitely something she had experienced.
And it was something she would have to take revenge on.
“I won’t let this happen.”
Kelita didn’t know that she had given her body to Lawrence because of the parallel butterfly and was trapped in that deep unconsciousness. She didn’t know what had happened because of it.
She didn’t know that it was best to just guess from the memories etched into her body.
All that filled Kelita was anger at Bercheria and Lacrahan.
“How could you treat me, a Princess, so carelessly? Does this make sense?”
Kelita suddenly woke up from a faint and screamed endlessly, but the maids bowed their heads, oblivious to the situation.
“I’m sorry, Princess.”
“I’ll call the maids and clean up the room right now. Please stop being so angry.”
Kelita gasped, looking at the subservient maids.
She’d told Gerard she’d marry Lacrahan at the party, but there was a good chance it would all go unanswered. She hadn’t been able to lock Wyatt in the dungeon.
Now, if Lacrahan tried to uncover the truth of Wyatt’s crimes, she could waste all her time.
Kelita chewed, watching the maids busily cleaning.
“How on earth can I get Lacrahan back? I’m going crazy with anger.”
Kelita was cornered.
No one would want to take a woman who’d been abandoned by the same man twice.
This wasn’t the life she’d dreamed of since she was a child.
“Ugh. It sucks.”
Kelita buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Rosie, who had been observing her, spoke up.
“I...”
Kelita nervously questioned Rosie's voice.
"Why?"
"Really, Princess Kelita?"
Kelita exclaimed in disbelief.
"Then who do you think I am?"
"Oh, no. I'm sorry."
Rosie bent down to pick up the things that had fallen to the floor, her gaze darting to observe Rosie's.
Kelita pursed her lips before finishing her sentence.
As if recalling a forgotten dream, events up to that point began to flood back into her mind.
As if observing, the events she had done unfolded in a flash.
“What is this?”
It wasn't my doing, but I was convinced it was real.
Otherwise, how could I remember it so vividly?
"Am I really crazy?"
Then, Kelita's memories stopped on Bercheria.
"This guy,"
Kelita spat out, irritated.
“Wyatt tried to rape me, and why would you stop him? Are you crazy?”
Furthermore, Bercheria threatened to kill Kelita while holding a strange butterfly in her hand.
“I’m angry,”
Kelita muttered, her face brimming with tears.
Her memories were patchy, but this was definitely something she had experienced.
And it was something she would have to take revenge on.
“I won’t let this happen.”
Kelita didn’t know that she had given her body to Lawrence because of the parallel butterfly and was trapped in that deep unconsciousness. She didn’t know what had happened because of it.
She didn’t know that it was best to just guess from the memories etched into her body.
All that filled Kelita was anger at Bercheria and Lacrahan.
“How could you treat me, a Princess, so carelessly? Does this make sense?”
Kelita suddenly woke up from a faint and screamed endlessly, but the maids bowed their heads, oblivious to the situation.
“I’m sorry, Princess.”
“I’ll call the maids and clean up the room right now. Please stop being so angry.”
Kelita gasped, looking at the subservient maids.
She’d told Gerard she’d marry Lacrahan at the party, but there was a good chance it would all go unanswered. She hadn’t been able to lock Wyatt in the dungeon.
Now, if Lacrahan tried to uncover the truth of Wyatt’s crimes, she could waste all her time.
Kelita chewed, watching the maids busily cleaning.
“How on earth can I get Lacrahan back? I’m going crazy with anger.”
Kelita was cornered.
No one would want to take a woman who’d been abandoned by the same man twice.
This wasn’t the life she’d dreamed of since she was a child.
“Ugh. It sucks.”
Kelita buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Rosie, who had been observing her, spoke up.
“I...”
Kelita nervously questioned Rosie's voice.
"Why?"
"Really, Princess Kelita?"
Kelita exclaimed in disbelief.
"Then who do you think I am?"
"Oh, no. I'm sorry."
Rosie bent down to pick up the things that had fallen to the floor, her gaze darting to observe Rosie's.
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