Episode 69. You Did Nothing Wrong
"You did nothing wrong."
She nodded, covering her face.
"If you could have done anything, it would have hurt more. You did your best."
The soft, comforting voice brought some solace to her heart.
The sound of his heartbeat, beneath their skin, reached Bercheria.
True to his words, she had lived a life of perseverance, doing her best.
Even at a young age, she had never given up, and so she had finally escaped the tower and was living her own life.
"Lacrahan."
Bercheria tightened her grip on his arm.
The woman she had called "mother" was right before her, and the two of them were hiding, trying not to be discovered.
So, while she knew this was a ridiculous situation, she felt as if nothing would matter as long as she was with Lacrahan.
Bercheria could have endured the world on her own, but with him, she felt like she could overcome any obstacle with a smile.
So this is why people want to marry and spend their lives with someone.
Bercheria was suddenly feeling that way.
“Bercheria.”
When he called her name but didn’t say anything, Lacrahan nodded, seemingly satisfied.
“If you have something to say, it’s okay.”
“Not words...”
“No?”
“...a kiss.”
Lacrahan’s eyes widened at the embarrassed words.
Bercheria was always rational.
She had never asked him for physical contact before.
But if she felt the need, of course.
“Yes.”
Lacrahan naturally pressed Bercheria’s body against his, sitting on his lap.
“Huh!”
In an instant, she was right in front of him.
“I thought you read my mind.”
Lacrahan lowered his voice to a whisper.
“You’d be surprised how long I’ve been holding back.”
“...Really?”
“Yes.”
If he had demanded physical contact whenever he felt like it, they might have spent the entire day kissing.
“Did you still want to?”
“Yes.”
Lacrahan smiled slightly and brought his lips closer to Bercheria’s.
"With you, I become like that without even realizing it. I only keep it a secret because I'm afraid you'll think I'm an animal if they find out."
Lacrahan gently captured Bercheria's lips, her eyes widening.
He slowly pulled her in, then released her, and at the same time, nipped her in the mouth again.
His kisses became more tender and more intense as time passed.
Even though their lips met, the intensity was completely different.
It was similar to Lacrahan's voice.
Even though they spoke the same words, initially sharp, they gradually became sweeter in Bercheria's presence as time passed.
Lacrahan seemed to become gentler, more affectionate, and infinitely more generous when he loved someone.
As Bercheria turned her head to check on the woman's condition while they were kissing, Lacrahan turned her back to him.
"I'll see."
He whispered quickly as their lips separated for a moment.
Then he cupped her ear with his large hand.
As her face was locked in his, their lips deepened, and their posture became closer; their upper bodies pressed against each other.
The sound of his heartbeat permeated Bercheria.
Thump, thump, thump.
Even this sound was as unwavering as he was.
“Ah.”
Lacrahan carefully released his lips, which had been locked in a tangled grip, and looked at the woman.
“It seems like she’s about to do something.”
Bercheria blinked, slightly pushing away the lingering sensation of the kiss, and turned her head toward the woman.
She was standing still, staring into space.
“What do you think she’s going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
The woman stood there for a while, then suddenly raised her hand and drew a long line in the air.
Once, twice.
As she continued to move her hand, a faint light appeared there.
Lacrahan and Bercheria locked eyes, but neither could guess what the woman was doing.
As they held their breath and waited for the next moment, a burst of blue light appeared, and a small portal appeared in front of her.
“...!”
Both Bercheria and Lacrahan were startled and frozen.
The woman waited for the portal's trembling to calm down before stepping inside.
"What the heck..."
The portal, which had taken seven skilled wizards to complete, was created with just one finger and then disappeared inside.
"Ha."
An unbelievable scene unfolded before them.
The blue portal lingered for a few more seconds before vanishing without a trace.
The two slowly straightened up in the bushes.
"Does this make sense?"
"I don't know. It's something I've never seen before..."
As they stood there, briefly coping with the shock, a rustling sound of someone approaching was heard from behind.
Ethan, a member of the Imperial Guard, returned to his post today.
He had previously performed mundane tasks like patrolling the castle and standing guard, but his duties had completely changed since he discovered the Princess at the portal recently. He had somehow found himself guarding Princess Kelita. In fact, he was even more satisfied.
As long as he protected the sleeping Princess, there was no problem.
"Oh dear. I couldn't sleep last night, so I'm so tired."
He yawned and leaned back in his chair.
Since there was no Emperor or captain of the guards in the palace, he could just kill time and leave.
Princess Kelita lay on the bed at the far end of the large room, having not woken up for quite some time.
People were saying she would die soon.
But Ethan had a different idea.
When she emerged from the portal that day, Kelita didn't look like she was going to die at all. If anything, he sometimes wondered if she was just pretending to sleep like that.
"Ugh, it's cold."
He sank back into his chair and began to fall asleep, having missed the night before while playing poker with his friends.
The silence that had been hanging in the ornate room vanished, soon replaced by the sound of snoring.
How much time had passed?
His feet, resting limply on the bed, suddenly rose and fell, as if a muscle had cramped, then stopped.
Another thud.
After repeating that motion several times, Kelita's upper body, lying on the bed, slowly rose.
"..."
Kelita sat on the bed and looked around.
"What the hell is going on?"
A strange sound, like scraping the floor, came out, startling her, and she clutched her neck.
"Ah. Ah."
"You did nothing wrong."
She nodded, covering her face.
"If you could have done anything, it would have hurt more. You did your best."
The soft, comforting voice brought some solace to her heart.
The sound of his heartbeat, beneath their skin, reached Bercheria.
True to his words, she had lived a life of perseverance, doing her best.
Even at a young age, she had never given up, and so she had finally escaped the tower and was living her own life.
"Lacrahan."
Bercheria tightened her grip on his arm.
The woman she had called "mother" was right before her, and the two of them were hiding, trying not to be discovered.
So, while she knew this was a ridiculous situation, she felt as if nothing would matter as long as she was with Lacrahan.
Bercheria could have endured the world on her own, but with him, she felt like she could overcome any obstacle with a smile.
So this is why people want to marry and spend their lives with someone.
Bercheria was suddenly feeling that way.
“Bercheria.”
When he called her name but didn’t say anything, Lacrahan nodded, seemingly satisfied.
“If you have something to say, it’s okay.”
“Not words...”
“No?”
“...a kiss.”
Lacrahan’s eyes widened at the embarrassed words.
Bercheria was always rational.
She had never asked him for physical contact before.
But if she felt the need, of course.
“Yes.”
Lacrahan naturally pressed Bercheria’s body against his, sitting on his lap.
“Huh!”
In an instant, she was right in front of him.
“I thought you read my mind.”
Lacrahan lowered his voice to a whisper.
“You’d be surprised how long I’ve been holding back.”
“...Really?”
“Yes.”
If he had demanded physical contact whenever he felt like it, they might have spent the entire day kissing.
“Did you still want to?”
“Yes.”
Lacrahan smiled slightly and brought his lips closer to Bercheria’s.
"With you, I become like that without even realizing it. I only keep it a secret because I'm afraid you'll think I'm an animal if they find out."
Lacrahan gently captured Bercheria's lips, her eyes widening.
He slowly pulled her in, then released her, and at the same time, nipped her in the mouth again.
His kisses became more tender and more intense as time passed.
Even though their lips met, the intensity was completely different.
It was similar to Lacrahan's voice.
Even though they spoke the same words, initially sharp, they gradually became sweeter in Bercheria's presence as time passed.
Lacrahan seemed to become gentler, more affectionate, and infinitely more generous when he loved someone.
As Bercheria turned her head to check on the woman's condition while they were kissing, Lacrahan turned her back to him.
"I'll see."
He whispered quickly as their lips separated for a moment.
Then he cupped her ear with his large hand.
As her face was locked in his, their lips deepened, and their posture became closer; their upper bodies pressed against each other.
The sound of his heartbeat permeated Bercheria.
Thump, thump, thump.
Even this sound was as unwavering as he was.
“Ah.”
Lacrahan carefully released his lips, which had been locked in a tangled grip, and looked at the woman.
“It seems like she’s about to do something.”
Bercheria blinked, slightly pushing away the lingering sensation of the kiss, and turned her head toward the woman.
She was standing still, staring into space.
“What do you think she’s going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
The woman stood there for a while, then suddenly raised her hand and drew a long line in the air.
Once, twice.
As she continued to move her hand, a faint light appeared there.
Lacrahan and Bercheria locked eyes, but neither could guess what the woman was doing.
As they held their breath and waited for the next moment, a burst of blue light appeared, and a small portal appeared in front of her.
“...!”
Both Bercheria and Lacrahan were startled and frozen.
The woman waited for the portal's trembling to calm down before stepping inside.
"What the heck..."
The portal, which had taken seven skilled wizards to complete, was created with just one finger and then disappeared inside.
"Ha."
An unbelievable scene unfolded before them.
The blue portal lingered for a few more seconds before vanishing without a trace.
The two slowly straightened up in the bushes.
"Does this make sense?"
"I don't know. It's something I've never seen before..."
As they stood there, briefly coping with the shock, a rustling sound of someone approaching was heard from behind.
***
Ethan, a member of the Imperial Guard, returned to his post today.
He had previously performed mundane tasks like patrolling the castle and standing guard, but his duties had completely changed since he discovered the Princess at the portal recently. He had somehow found himself guarding Princess Kelita. In fact, he was even more satisfied.
As long as he protected the sleeping Princess, there was no problem.
"Oh dear. I couldn't sleep last night, so I'm so tired."
He yawned and leaned back in his chair.
Since there was no Emperor or captain of the guards in the palace, he could just kill time and leave.
Princess Kelita lay on the bed at the far end of the large room, having not woken up for quite some time.
People were saying she would die soon.
But Ethan had a different idea.
When she emerged from the portal that day, Kelita didn't look like she was going to die at all. If anything, he sometimes wondered if she was just pretending to sleep like that.
"Ugh, it's cold."
He sank back into his chair and began to fall asleep, having missed the night before while playing poker with his friends.
The silence that had been hanging in the ornate room vanished, soon replaced by the sound of snoring.
How much time had passed?
His feet, resting limply on the bed, suddenly rose and fell, as if a muscle had cramped, then stopped.
Another thud.
After repeating that motion several times, Kelita's upper body, lying on the bed, slowly rose.
"..."
Kelita sat on the bed and looked around.
"What the hell is going on?"
A strange sound, like scraping the floor, came out, startling her, and she clutched her neck.
"Ah. Ah."
She tried to make a sound again, but only a strange sound came out.
Kelita slowly got up from the bed and twisted her body this way and that.
The blanket fell to the floor, and her body was completely flat on the ground.
Kelita briefly watched a man dozing in a chair at the end of the spacious room, then passed him and went outside.
The man was still dozing, oblivious to Kelita's departure.
She walked gently barefoot down the hallway, passing the familiar imperial scenery as she went to find the person she needed most.
Her hair was disheveled, her face pale and tired. And Kelita's face, with its usual bright smile gone, seemed like someone else's.
When she arrived at her destination, she knocked mechanically on the door.
Then, a commotion was heard from inside, and the door swung open.
Kelita's maid, Rosie, had just finished drinking her tea when she spotted Kelita at the door. She dropped her cup on the floor.
"Princess Kelita!"
Rosie exclaimed in near-surprise.
Kelita stared at Rosie for a moment before speaking curtly.
"Rosie. Where is that woman? Bercheria?"
Rustling.
The sound of someone approaching was heard from behind the bushes where Lacrahan and Bercheria had been hiding.
Lacrahan grabbed the sword at his waist and hid Bercheria behind him.
The forest they were in was so remote that every tree was covered in lush foliage, nearly bending its branches.
This caused shadows here and there, giving the forest an overall dark atmosphere.
Unable to see anyone walking through the shadows, the two watched nervously ahead.
Lakrahan tried to comfort Bercheria, as if to say, "Don't worry." But the unbelievable thing he'd just witnessed left him feeling chilled.
Was it even possible for a single person to create a portal?
Not only had he never thought about it before, but even after seeing it with his own eyes, it still felt impossible unless she was a deity.
The book Lacrahan had read clearly stated that creating a portal required the union of all the energy existing on this land.
It was clearly recorded that even the seven great wizards had spent nearly a decade of trial and error before creating a portal.
'This is unbelievable.'
Lacrahan let out a breath of disbelief and stared at the figure approaching him.
The first to appear was a four-legged beast.
'A wild dog?'
And behind it, a boy covered in dust appeared.
"...?"
A blond boy with golden eyes and white skin.
A boy who looked exactly like Bercheria was walking out.
The boy immediately let out a breath of exclamation, as if he were dumbfounded.
Then, upon spotting Lacrahan, he grumbled,
"Excuse me. Could you help me?"
Lacrahan's brow furrowed, and the boy smiled awkwardly and wrapped his arm around his shoulder.
“I’ve been chased out by His Majesty the Emperor, and I have nowhere to go.”
Lacrahan and Bercheria looked at each other, speechless.
Bercheria and Groovy sat side by side on a flat stone, gazing at Lacrahan, lost in thought. Lacrahan needed time to gather his thoughts, and since they had a stone to sit on, they could wait for him as long as they wanted.
“...”
Groovy rubbed his nose with the back of his hand and, as if his gaze had turned, looked at Bercheria.
From her eyes to her nose and lips.
As her features came into view, it was honestly astonishing.
He wondered if this was exactly what it would look like if he made another face of himself, set it down in front of it, and put a wig on it.
“Wow.”
Bercheria let out an exclamation without realizing it, and she turned her head towards Goovy as well.
She, too, was dumbfounded when she saw Groovy up close.
“How can people look so similar?”
Kelita slowly got up from the bed and twisted her body this way and that.
The blanket fell to the floor, and her body was completely flat on the ground.
Kelita briefly watched a man dozing in a chair at the end of the spacious room, then passed him and went outside.
The man was still dozing, oblivious to Kelita's departure.
She walked gently barefoot down the hallway, passing the familiar imperial scenery as she went to find the person she needed most.
Her hair was disheveled, her face pale and tired. And Kelita's face, with its usual bright smile gone, seemed like someone else's.
When she arrived at her destination, she knocked mechanically on the door.
Then, a commotion was heard from inside, and the door swung open.
Kelita's maid, Rosie, had just finished drinking her tea when she spotted Kelita at the door. She dropped her cup on the floor.
"Princess Kelita!"
Rosie exclaimed in near-surprise.
Kelita stared at Rosie for a moment before speaking curtly.
"Rosie. Where is that woman? Bercheria?"
***
Rustling.
The sound of someone approaching was heard from behind the bushes where Lacrahan and Bercheria had been hiding.
Lacrahan grabbed the sword at his waist and hid Bercheria behind him.
The forest they were in was so remote that every tree was covered in lush foliage, nearly bending its branches.
This caused shadows here and there, giving the forest an overall dark atmosphere.
Unable to see anyone walking through the shadows, the two watched nervously ahead.
Lakrahan tried to comfort Bercheria, as if to say, "Don't worry." But the unbelievable thing he'd just witnessed left him feeling chilled.
Was it even possible for a single person to create a portal?
Not only had he never thought about it before, but even after seeing it with his own eyes, it still felt impossible unless she was a deity.
The book Lacrahan had read clearly stated that creating a portal required the union of all the energy existing on this land.
It was clearly recorded that even the seven great wizards had spent nearly a decade of trial and error before creating a portal.
'This is unbelievable.'
Lacrahan let out a breath of disbelief and stared at the figure approaching him.
The first to appear was a four-legged beast.
'A wild dog?'
And behind it, a boy covered in dust appeared.
"...?"
A blond boy with golden eyes and white skin.
A boy who looked exactly like Bercheria was walking out.
The boy immediately let out a breath of exclamation, as if he were dumbfounded.
Then, upon spotting Lacrahan, he grumbled,
"Excuse me. Could you help me?"
Lacrahan's brow furrowed, and the boy smiled awkwardly and wrapped his arm around his shoulder.
“I’ve been chased out by His Majesty the Emperor, and I have nowhere to go.”
Lacrahan and Bercheria looked at each other, speechless.
***
Bercheria and Groovy sat side by side on a flat stone, gazing at Lacrahan, lost in thought. Lacrahan needed time to gather his thoughts, and since they had a stone to sit on, they could wait for him as long as they wanted.
“...”
Groovy rubbed his nose with the back of his hand and, as if his gaze had turned, looked at Bercheria.
From her eyes to her nose and lips.
As her features came into view, it was honestly astonishing.
He wondered if this was exactly what it would look like if he made another face of himself, set it down in front of it, and put a wig on it.
“Wow.”
Bercheria let out an exclamation without realizing it, and she turned her head towards Goovy as well.
She, too, was dumbfounded when she saw Groovy up close.
“How can people look so similar?”
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