Episode 80. The Beginning of a Knot, Its End
Boom!
Murk opened the bathroom door and entered.
A thick layer of moisture surged in, revealing the silhouettes of two women standing face to face.
Just as the maid had said, the woman shone with a golden, solemn glow.
Beside her stood another woman.
“It’s been a while, Murk.”
It was Lilian, the Emperor’s sister, who should not be here more than anyone else, and who had a crush on Murk.
A restraint.
He feared that people would worship Murk more than himself, the Emperor.
To protect the knights and people who had shared his land, and to continue the Adkins family. To never abandon his duty as a god.
Mirk had lived solely for this.
But at this moment, his goal was being shaken to its core.
“Lilian.”
Murk walked toward the two women.
“I plan to stay at the winter lodge in the north for the time being. Please call me whenever you want to see me.”
Murk had never called Lilian.
That was their relationship. To begin with, gods and humans were not supposed to marry, or rather, love. A human named Lilian was attempting to break that taboo.
Of course, Murk looked at her like a stone.
“I apologize for rushing here without notice. But as the prospective hostess of the North, I feel I must at least say hello. It's not common for Your Grave to bring someone to the castle.”
“I see.”
But Murk, determined not to cause a scene, agreed with her play.
She resembled the Emperor in so many ways: her speech, her personality, even her face.
“To be honest, I was curious about what kind of person she was.”
Lilian shyly lowered her head, and Murk and Bercheria's gazes met.
Any hopes that might not be true were dashed.
Sparkling blond hair, eyes even brighter than hers.
Snow-white skin and small, crimson lips.
The woman who appeared before him was an afternoon lake, perfectly reflecting the scorching sun.
It was the sunset of a certain day, spread across a clear winter sky.
She was the very image of someone accused of being a witch.
But was she truly worthy of such condemnation?
“Murk.”
Boom!
Murk opened the bathroom door and entered.
A thick layer of moisture surged in, revealing the silhouettes of two women standing face to face.
Just as the maid had said, the woman shone with a golden, solemn glow.
Beside her stood another woman.
“It’s been a while, Murk.”
It was Lilian, the Emperor’s sister, who should not be here more than anyone else, and who had a crush on Murk.
A restraint.
He feared that people would worship Murk more than himself, the Emperor.
To protect the knights and people who had shared his land, and to continue the Adkins family. To never abandon his duty as a god.
Mirk had lived solely for this.
But at this moment, his goal was being shaken to its core.
“Lilian.”
Murk walked toward the two women.
“I plan to stay at the winter lodge in the north for the time being. Please call me whenever you want to see me.”
Murk had never called Lilian.
That was their relationship. To begin with, gods and humans were not supposed to marry, or rather, love. A human named Lilian was attempting to break that taboo.
Of course, Murk looked at her like a stone.
“I apologize for rushing here without notice. But as the prospective hostess of the North, I feel I must at least say hello. It's not common for Your Grave to bring someone to the castle.”
She was not unaware of the kindness shown to her all this time. So, the term "prospective hostess" didn't suit Lilian.
“I see.”
But Murk, determined not to cause a scene, agreed with her play.
She resembled the Emperor in so many ways: her speech, her personality, even her face.
“To be honest, I was curious about what kind of person she was.”
Lilian shyly lowered her head, and Murk and Bercheria's gazes met.
Any hopes that might not be true were dashed.
Sparkling blond hair, eyes even brighter than hers.
Snow-white skin and small, crimson lips.
The woman who appeared before him was an afternoon lake, perfectly reflecting the scorching sun.
It was the sunset of a certain day, spread across a clear winter sky.
She was the very image of someone accused of being a witch.
But was she truly worthy of such condemnation?
“Murk.”
He couldn’t tear his gaze away from the incongruous harmony of fair skin and blond hair, hidden by a flowing silk gown.
For a moment, the sensation of holding the woman in his palm came flooding back.
Her thin body, as if it would break with any force, and the feeling of her limp body.
A witch?
That such a frail person was a cruel witch who cast a curse on this northern land? No, she was just a mere human being.
“Murk.”
“Ah.”
Lilian was standing right in front of him.
“May I ask what danger that woman faced that brought her here?”
“And there are different types of danger?”
“Ah. Yes. How kind of you, Your Grace.”
Watching Lilian, her curly hair tucked behind her ears, Murk realized he was missing something.
And a significant one.
Even he, a god who had met all sorts of people, couldn't quite tear his eyes away from the blonde woman.
But why was Lilian so calm?
Even with the woman with flowing blonde hair before him, her attention was entirely focused on Murk.
What kind of eyes could she have? Eyes?
"The decoration."
Murk pointed to the yellow ribbon on Lilian's dress.
"It suits you well."
"Yes?"
"Is red in style these days? It seems to stand out."
Lilian covered her lips with both hands and smiled shyly.
"Thank you for the compliment. It's not trendy, but from tomorrow on, I think I'll be more drawn to dresses with red decorations."
Murk's nod seemed like a response to her words, but it was actually an unconscious response confirming his own thoughts.
Murk decided to settle the situation at this point.
"Lilian."
"Yes, Your Grace."
“Would you mind stepping aside for a moment?”
“Yes?”
“I have something to discuss with her.”
Lilian's expression stiffened for a moment, then brightened as if nothing had happened.
She clung to Murk's arm.
"Will you come see Lilian when you're done talking?"
It was a silent threat, offering one thing in exchange for the other.
"I will."
Yes. No matter how he looked at it, this woman resembled the Emperor.
"Wow! I can't wait."
Lilian clapped her hands and approached Bercheria.
"Then, shall we have tea time tomorrow at lunchtime? I love hearing the stories of commoners. It's always fascinating to hear how they bravely strive to survive despite the hardships of life."
For a moment, the sensation of holding the woman in his palm came flooding back.
Her thin body, as if it would break with any force, and the feeling of her limp body.
A witch?
That such a frail person was a cruel witch who cast a curse on this northern land? No, she was just a mere human being.
“Murk.”
“Ah.”
Lilian was standing right in front of him.
“May I ask what danger that woman faced that brought her here?”
“And there are different types of danger?”
“Ah. Yes. How kind of you, Your Grace.”
Watching Lilian, her curly hair tucked behind her ears, Murk realized he was missing something.
And a significant one.
Even he, a god who had met all sorts of people, couldn't quite tear his eyes away from the blonde woman.
But why was Lilian so calm?
Even with the woman with flowing blonde hair before him, her attention was entirely focused on Murk.
What kind of eyes could she have? Eyes?
"The decoration."
Murk pointed to the yellow ribbon on Lilian's dress.
"It suits you well."
"Yes?"
"Is red in style these days? It seems to stand out."
Lilian covered her lips with both hands and smiled shyly.
"Thank you for the compliment. It's not trendy, but from tomorrow on, I think I'll be more drawn to dresses with red decorations."
Murk's nod seemed like a response to her words, but it was actually an unconscious response confirming his own thoughts.
Murk decided to settle the situation at this point.
"Lilian."
"Yes, Your Grace."
“Would you mind stepping aside for a moment?”
“Yes?”
“I have something to discuss with her.”
Lilian's expression stiffened for a moment, then brightened as if nothing had happened.
She clung to Murk's arm.
"Will you come see Lilian when you're done talking?"
It was a silent threat, offering one thing in exchange for the other.
"I will."
Yes. No matter how he looked at it, this woman resembled the Emperor.
"Wow! I can't wait."
Lilian clapped her hands and approached Bercheria.
"Then, shall we have tea time tomorrow at lunchtime? I love hearing the stories of commoners. It's always fascinating to hear how they bravely strive to survive despite the hardships of life."
When Bercheria remained silent, Lilian covered her lips in surprise.
"Oh my. Was my expression too harsh? Conversations with noble ladies have become a habit... Did I offend you?"
Bercheria shook her head calmly.
Lilian smiled bashfully again, linking arms with Bercheria and making a cute bunny-like expression.
“So, you’ll be spending time with Lilian?”
“No.”
Lilian’s face froze, still smiling, at the sudden reply.
“...”
Lilian’s hand, which was holding Bercheria’s arm, suddenly tightened.
Having been confined to a small apartment, Bercheria's strength had weakened to the point of weakness, and she was shoved backwards.
“Ugh.”
Her body, about to fall to the bathroom floor, collided with a hard chest.
Murk grabbed Bercheria’s shoulder with his large hand and straightened her upright.
Their skin, touching through the thin gown, felt scorching hot, and her shoulders instinctively hunched.
“I think that’s enough greetings.”
Despite Murk’s words, Lilian stared blankly at his hand as if deaf.
More precisely, his hand was gripping Bercheria’s shoulder.
“Lilian.”
“Ah.”
Lilian gave a small nod, a smile playing on her lips.
“Yes. See you later, Your Grace.”
Lilian came out of the bathroom and hung onto the bedpost as soon as she entered the guest room.
“Take it off quickly. Quickly.”
The maids rushed over and began to untie the laces of her dress that were constricting her body.
The dress opened, releasing the breath she had been holding.
“Haa.”
Lilian let out a gasp of air and roughly pulled down the dress she was wearing.
Then, her eyes suddenly caught the decorations on her skirt, and she stopped and lifted her hand up.
“Take it off. Gently.”
“Yes, Princess.”
The maids quickly came over and began to carefully remove her dress.
Lilian glanced at the busy maids and then looked out the snowy window.
“You see the red decoration on this dress? Bring me everything in a similar color.”
“Yes?”
The maids didn’t answer right away, just stared at each other.
Lilian, now in her corset, raised an eyebrow at them.
“Why?”
The Countess, the eldest of the maids, spoke cautiously.
“May I ask you all to step outside for a moment?”
As the maids left, the Countess asked again.
“Princess, did you just say red?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I think you’ve mistaken the color.”
The only one of the maids who knew that Lilian was colorblind, she put her hand to her mouth and whispered.
“It’s not red, it’s yellow, Princess.”
“What?”
The Countess pointed to the ribbon decoration again.
“There’s nothing red on your dress, Princess.”
Lilian’s expression hardened.
“But surely...”
She bit the flesh inside her mouth until it bled.
The Countess was not only a maid who was by her side every day, acting as her hands and feet, but her husband also served as the Emperor’s minister.
So it couldn’t be a lie.
So, did Murk deceive me?
“Why...”
Why did he insist on pointing to the decorations on her dress and mentioning the color?
‘Are you trying to confirm that I can’t tell colors?’
Previously, Murk had no idea that Lilian was colorblind.
To be more precise, he hadn't even been curious about Lilian's condition. She'd constantly begged the Emperor to marry him, but Murk always refused, so there was no way he'd be interested in her.
Then, in the bathroom, Murk had noticed she was colorblind and insisted on confirming it right then and there.
"Why?"
Because of her?
Why on earth?
What color could possibly be hidden in the bathroom?
Lilian thought of the small woman who had appeared unusually dim.
She tapped her fingernails and opened the cage she'd carried from the imperial palace to the Winter Palace, and then back to Murk's castle.
It was a wine she'd brought with her to drink if she happened to dine with him.
It was a wild berry, aka blackberry, that produced only one or two bottles a year.
This rare wine was so sweet and smooth that those unfamiliar with alcohol often mistook it for a beverage.
A single sip could paralyze a person's reason.
"I brought it hoping to get Murk drunk, but..."
Lilian held it out to the Countess.
“You said she was in the dining room, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Bring her to me.”
When Lilian handed over the bottle of wine, the seasoned Countess immediately understood his intention and smiled.
“Don’t worry. I will definitely bring that woman here, so you can do whatever you want, Princess.”
And the scene ended.
Bercheria’s eyes sparkled.
That was it.
There was no way not to love him from the beginning.
In her monotonous eyes, he was the only one with color.
Among those who cursed her as a dirty blonde, he alone saw her as a woman, as a human being.
“How did I endure that time?”
When she was no longer a god, when Murk was a god, when that was the beginning and the end.
How she had fallen in love with him because of that wine. How Murk, how he had been imprisoned in God’s garden and punished.
Why she, herself, had become Bercheria.
She remembered everything.
She saw Murk, or rather, Lacrahan, in her eyes.
It was entirely her fault that she fell in love with him, and the gods had punished her. Seeing the beginning, she understood everything.
The saying that patience and perseverance would solve everything was a lie. She would no longer yield to the absolute god. She would protect his love, her love. It was time to find the sacred object that would bind them together forever.
That very thing that would allow them to recognize each other and be together in the next life, and the life after that.
"Oh my. Was my expression too harsh? Conversations with noble ladies have become a habit... Did I offend you?"
Bercheria shook her head calmly.
Lilian smiled bashfully again, linking arms with Bercheria and making a cute bunny-like expression.
“So, you’ll be spending time with Lilian?”
“No.”
Lilian’s face froze, still smiling, at the sudden reply.
“...”
Lilian’s hand, which was holding Bercheria’s arm, suddenly tightened.
Having been confined to a small apartment, Bercheria's strength had weakened to the point of weakness, and she was shoved backwards.
“Ugh.”
Her body, about to fall to the bathroom floor, collided with a hard chest.
Murk grabbed Bercheria’s shoulder with his large hand and straightened her upright.
Their skin, touching through the thin gown, felt scorching hot, and her shoulders instinctively hunched.
“I think that’s enough greetings.”
Despite Murk’s words, Lilian stared blankly at his hand as if deaf.
More precisely, his hand was gripping Bercheria’s shoulder.
“Lilian.”
“Ah.”
Lilian gave a small nod, a smile playing on her lips.
“Yes. See you later, Your Grace.”
***
Lilian came out of the bathroom and hung onto the bedpost as soon as she entered the guest room.
“Take it off quickly. Quickly.”
The maids rushed over and began to untie the laces of her dress that were constricting her body.
The dress opened, releasing the breath she had been holding.
“Haa.”
Lilian let out a gasp of air and roughly pulled down the dress she was wearing.
Then, her eyes suddenly caught the decorations on her skirt, and she stopped and lifted her hand up.
“Take it off. Gently.”
“Yes, Princess.”
The maids quickly came over and began to carefully remove her dress.
Lilian glanced at the busy maids and then looked out the snowy window.
“You see the red decoration on this dress? Bring me everything in a similar color.”
“Yes?”
The maids didn’t answer right away, just stared at each other.
Lilian, now in her corset, raised an eyebrow at them.
“Why?”
The Countess, the eldest of the maids, spoke cautiously.
“May I ask you all to step outside for a moment?”
As the maids left, the Countess asked again.
“Princess, did you just say red?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I think you’ve mistaken the color.”
The only one of the maids who knew that Lilian was colorblind, she put her hand to her mouth and whispered.
“It’s not red, it’s yellow, Princess.”
“What?”
The Countess pointed to the ribbon decoration again.
“There’s nothing red on your dress, Princess.”
Lilian’s expression hardened.
“But surely...”
She bit the flesh inside her mouth until it bled.
The Countess was not only a maid who was by her side every day, acting as her hands and feet, but her husband also served as the Emperor’s minister.
So it couldn’t be a lie.
So, did Murk deceive me?
“Why...”
Why did he insist on pointing to the decorations on her dress and mentioning the color?
‘Are you trying to confirm that I can’t tell colors?’
Previously, Murk had no idea that Lilian was colorblind.
To be more precise, he hadn't even been curious about Lilian's condition. She'd constantly begged the Emperor to marry him, but Murk always refused, so there was no way he'd be interested in her.
Then, in the bathroom, Murk had noticed she was colorblind and insisted on confirming it right then and there.
"Why?"
Because of her?
Why on earth?
What color could possibly be hidden in the bathroom?
Lilian thought of the small woman who had appeared unusually dim.
She tapped her fingernails and opened the cage she'd carried from the imperial palace to the Winter Palace, and then back to Murk's castle.
It was a wine she'd brought with her to drink if she happened to dine with him.
It was a wild berry, aka blackberry, that produced only one or two bottles a year.
This rare wine was so sweet and smooth that those unfamiliar with alcohol often mistook it for a beverage.
A single sip could paralyze a person's reason.
"I brought it hoping to get Murk drunk, but..."
Lilian held it out to the Countess.
“You said she was in the dining room, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Bring her to me.”
When Lilian handed over the bottle of wine, the seasoned Countess immediately understood his intention and smiled.
“Don’t worry. I will definitely bring that woman here, so you can do whatever you want, Princess.”
And the scene ended.
Bercheria’s eyes sparkled.
***
That was it.
There was no way not to love him from the beginning.
In her monotonous eyes, he was the only one with color.
Among those who cursed her as a dirty blonde, he alone saw her as a woman, as a human being.
“How did I endure that time?”
When she was no longer a god, when Murk was a god, when that was the beginning and the end.
How she had fallen in love with him because of that wine. How Murk, how he had been imprisoned in God’s garden and punished.
Why she, herself, had become Bercheria.
She remembered everything.
She saw Murk, or rather, Lacrahan, in her eyes.
It was entirely her fault that she fell in love with him, and the gods had punished her. Seeing the beginning, she understood everything.
The saying that patience and perseverance would solve everything was a lie. She would no longer yield to the absolute god. She would protect his love, her love. It was time to find the sacred object that would bind them together forever.
That very thing that would allow them to recognize each other and be together in the next life, and the life after that.
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