Episode 89. Tempting Light, Parallel Butterfly
Two hours before the party began.
Gerard, who had just returned to the palace, was listening to the royal family's report, exhausted.
The accumulated fatigue from the north was washing over him as soon as he arrived. As he was about to stand after the report, he noticed the prime minister hesitantly checking Gerard's expression.
"What's wrong?"
The prime minister, knowing that provoking Gerard when he was in a bad mood would only cause a spark, was even more cautious.
"Princess Kelita requests to see Your Majesty, the Emperor."
"Ah, later..."
Gerard was about to say no, but then remembered what Kelita had said as she collapsed before entering the portal.
"Lacrahan."
He felt a surge of anticipation, hoping that perhaps something crucial regarding Lacrahan would emerge from her lips.
"Tell her to come in."
"Oh, yes."
Kelita, who had been waiting for him, appeared healthier than usual, far from gaunt.
“Your Majesty.”
“So, tell me. Was it Lacrahan who made you like this?”
Kelita shook her head.
“No way. I asked to see you to tell you that I want to marry Lacrahan.”
“What did you just say?”
Gerard stared at Kelita, who stood before him, dumbfounded.
His sister, who always made him laugh and joke around, was suddenly staring at him with wide eyes, as if she were a different person.
It was absurd.
“Announce my marriage to Lacrahan at the party, Your Majesty. And the wedding cannot be delayed. It must take place in a few days.”
Gerard frowned and habitually glanced at Lyone, who was sitting next to him.
“...Lyone.”
“Yes? Oh, yes, Your Majesty.”
Lyone, who would normally have stepped in for him, was staring at Kelita with a blank expression.
“What are you doing?”
“Yes? I’m not doing anything. I’m just staying by Your Majesty’s side.”
Gerard stared at Lyone, his face even more irritated than when he'd looked at Kelita.
"It's time to end this woman. I've kept her for too long."
He brushed back the stubble he'd grown to appear dignified.
Ever since his trip up North, he'd felt a strange increase in irritating things.
Lyone, who'd sometimes been too talkative and tiring for him, had become silent, as if she were crazy, and Kelita, always quiet, was now talking as if she were some kind of person.
"This is driving me crazy."
Gerard thought of the Empress Lawrence, who always did her job without a word.
"She might be sullen, but nothing is irritating about her."
He licked his lips and leaned forward.
"Kelita."
Kelita, who had always flinched like a baby rabbit at his name, was now looking up at the throne where Gerard sat with a shameless expression.
“The position of Emperor is not one where a Princess can carelessly ask for favors.”
The reason he had kept only Kelita alive among his siblings was not because she was useful or smart.
Rather, it was because she was too naive to harm anyone.
“You seem to have forgotten during your brief unconsciousness, so I, your brother, am telling you personally that you are not in a position to ask such things of me. Do you understand?”
The usual Kelita would have burst into tears at this point and replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
But she held her head high and spoke without breaking eye contact with Gerard.
“Your Majesty. If Grand Duke Lacrahan were to marry Bercheria, would Your Majesty be able to stand against two people who are so united?”
“...What?”
“That’s right. Two enemies would be one, and that can’t be good for Your Majesty.”
Gerard’s expression, which was so delicate that it was almost trembling, changed.
"But what if Grand Duke Lacrahan marries me?"
Kelita paused, blinking, as if asking him to consider this.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor will own all the troops in the North."
"The troops?"
"Yes."
Gerard recalled the Imperial Knights, whom he had been forced to hand over to the war hero Lacrahan.
The Knights, which had numbered around ten thousand at the time, had now grown into a well-organized force, numbering tens of thousands.
It was an army far beyond what a vassal state of the Empire could maintain within its own kingdom.
But since he was the one who had allowed it in the first place, he couldn't tackle it.
"Wait. But this is so strange."
Gerard glared at Kelita, his eyes wide.
"Why are you suddenly obsessed with Lacrahan? You didn't react like this when I asked you to get permission to marry him."
"...!"
"You've already been rejected, so why can't you give up?"
Kelita's expression changed as she stood before Gerard for the first time.
She clenched her fists and shouted,
"Because I love him!"
"What?"
Kelita was breathing heavily, as if she were confessing her love for the first time in her life.
"I love him. The Duke of Lacrahan."
"Love?"
"Yes, love. That's it."
Kelita's crazed eyes gleamed at Gerard.
"It's been like this since we first met."
Gerard rubbed his arm, goosebumps growing on his face, even though the confession wasn't directed at him.
Seeing Rosie suddenly open the door and enter, Lacrahan and Bercheria were speechless.
Bercheria, in particular, was so shocked that she didn't even know what expression to make.
How on earth could she explain the situation where she had been caught kissing Lacrahan in the Princess's chambers, of all places, Rosie served.
Just moments ago, at the party, when the Emperor announced that Kelita and Lacrahan would be married, she, as Kelita's maid, must have been watching from the sidelines.
So, the one who couldn't understand this situation more than anything was Rosie.
Rosie's mouth was agape, her expression strange.
Lacrahan lowered his hand from around Bercheria's waist and hid her behind his back. He then turned to Rosie.
"You said you were Princess Kelita's maid?"
"Ah, ah. Yes."
Rosie closed her mouth and nodded.
Then, she lowered her gaze to the floor.
She waited for Lacrahan, who was staring at her with a calm gaze, to speak next.
He was a little surprised by Rosie's behavior. He had expected her to immediately shout and call the royal guards, but he was puzzled that she didn't.
"As you can see, we are intruders, so if you want, you can call the royal guards right now. I'll be quiet, so don't worry."
Rosie's eyes widened in surprise at Lacrahan's words.
He tilted his head back slightly and whispered so only Bercheria could hear.
"It might be a good thing. If the Emperor finds out we were here, he won't think about marrying me and Kelita."
"Are you trying to make a big deal out of it?"
"In times of trouble, confidence is always helpful."
Watching Lacrahan speak calmly, Bercheria bit her lip, almost laughing.
The strange thing was that being with Lacrahan gave her the confidence to solve any problem.
It felt like they could handle anything together.
Lacrahan allowed Bercheria's smile to spread across his own lips.
“I wonder what the Emperor’s expression will be if I tell him we just randomly entered a room while looking for a place to sneak a kiss.”
Lacrahan, smiling like a playful child, turned his head back to Rosie.
She stared blankly at Bercheria again, then lowered her gaze in surprise when their eyes met.
The way she fiddled with her hands seemed quite uneasy.
“Um, by the way. There’s something I’d like to ask you both.”
At Rosie’s sudden question, Bercheria and Lacrahan exchanged glances, then looked back at her.
“Feel free to ask me anything you want, Rosie.”
Bercheria tried to keep her voice as calm as possible.
“Why did you two intrude here? Is there a reason?”
Lacrahan tried to answer, but Bercheria blocked him with her hand.
Then she took a step forward.
“Rosie. I saw you in the north, taking care of Kelita.”
When Rosie came to Bercheria and suggested tea time with Kelita, she seemed a bit rough around the edges, but she felt a deep affection for her. She wasn't like the typical castle staff who worked out of a sense of duty.
There was a kind of trust built between them over a long period of time.
Therefore, she figured that honesty and attempts at compromise would likely work better than lying.
"We believe something is wrong with Kelita."
And as expected.
At Bercheria's words, Rosie suddenly raised her head.
"...A problem?"
"Hasn't Kelita been acting strange lately?"
Rosie's hand, which had been gathered at the front of her skirt, stung and curled inward.
"Tell me, Rosie. Hasn't Princess Kelita felt like a different person?"
Rosie opened her mouth in surprise.
"Oh, uh, uh, uh."
Just then, a commotion was heard behind her.
The maids were walking toward them, carrying cleaning supplies.
Rosie knew Kelita's room was a mess, so she had planned to clean it while Kelita was away for a party.
That's why she had called the maids before coming here.
Rosie looked anxiously between the hallway and the two of them, then said,
"Don't make a sound, yes?"
Then she turned and carefully closed the door.
Rosie's voice soon filtered into the room.
"The Princess said to clean it later."
Two hours before the party began.
Gerard, who had just returned to the palace, was listening to the royal family's report, exhausted.
The accumulated fatigue from the north was washing over him as soon as he arrived. As he was about to stand after the report, he noticed the prime minister hesitantly checking Gerard's expression.
"What's wrong?"
The prime minister, knowing that provoking Gerard when he was in a bad mood would only cause a spark, was even more cautious.
"Princess Kelita requests to see Your Majesty, the Emperor."
"Ah, later..."
Gerard was about to say no, but then remembered what Kelita had said as she collapsed before entering the portal.
"Lacrahan."
He felt a surge of anticipation, hoping that perhaps something crucial regarding Lacrahan would emerge from her lips.
"Tell her to come in."
"Oh, yes."
Kelita, who had been waiting for him, appeared healthier than usual, far from gaunt.
“Your Majesty.”
“So, tell me. Was it Lacrahan who made you like this?”
Kelita shook her head.
“No way. I asked to see you to tell you that I want to marry Lacrahan.”
“What did you just say?”
Gerard stared at Kelita, who stood before him, dumbfounded.
His sister, who always made him laugh and joke around, was suddenly staring at him with wide eyes, as if she were a different person.
It was absurd.
“Announce my marriage to Lacrahan at the party, Your Majesty. And the wedding cannot be delayed. It must take place in a few days.”
Gerard frowned and habitually glanced at Lyone, who was sitting next to him.
“...Lyone.”
“Yes? Oh, yes, Your Majesty.”
Lyone, who would normally have stepped in for him, was staring at Kelita with a blank expression.
“What are you doing?”
“Yes? I’m not doing anything. I’m just staying by Your Majesty’s side.”
Gerard stared at Lyone, his face even more irritated than when he'd looked at Kelita.
"It's time to end this woman. I've kept her for too long."
He brushed back the stubble he'd grown to appear dignified.
Ever since his trip up North, he'd felt a strange increase in irritating things.
Lyone, who'd sometimes been too talkative and tiring for him, had become silent, as if she were crazy, and Kelita, always quiet, was now talking as if she were some kind of person.
"This is driving me crazy."
Gerard thought of the Empress Lawrence, who always did her job without a word.
"She might be sullen, but nothing is irritating about her."
He licked his lips and leaned forward.
"Kelita."
Kelita, who had always flinched like a baby rabbit at his name, was now looking up at the throne where Gerard sat with a shameless expression.
“The position of Emperor is not one where a Princess can carelessly ask for favors.”
The reason he had kept only Kelita alive among his siblings was not because she was useful or smart.
Rather, it was because she was too naive to harm anyone.
“You seem to have forgotten during your brief unconsciousness, so I, your brother, am telling you personally that you are not in a position to ask such things of me. Do you understand?”
The usual Kelita would have burst into tears at this point and replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
But she held her head high and spoke without breaking eye contact with Gerard.
“Your Majesty. If Grand Duke Lacrahan were to marry Bercheria, would Your Majesty be able to stand against two people who are so united?”
“...What?”
“That’s right. Two enemies would be one, and that can’t be good for Your Majesty.”
Gerard’s expression, which was so delicate that it was almost trembling, changed.
"But what if Grand Duke Lacrahan marries me?"
Kelita paused, blinking, as if asking him to consider this.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor will own all the troops in the North."
"The troops?"
"Yes."
Gerard recalled the Imperial Knights, whom he had been forced to hand over to the war hero Lacrahan.
The Knights, which had numbered around ten thousand at the time, had now grown into a well-organized force, numbering tens of thousands.
It was an army far beyond what a vassal state of the Empire could maintain within its own kingdom.
But since he was the one who had allowed it in the first place, he couldn't tackle it.
"Wait. But this is so strange."
Gerard glared at Kelita, his eyes wide.
"Why are you suddenly obsessed with Lacrahan? You didn't react like this when I asked you to get permission to marry him."
"...!"
"You've already been rejected, so why can't you give up?"
Kelita's expression changed as she stood before Gerard for the first time.
She clenched her fists and shouted,
"Because I love him!"
"What?"
Kelita was breathing heavily, as if she were confessing her love for the first time in her life.
"I love him. The Duke of Lacrahan."
"Love?"
"Yes, love. That's it."
Kelita's crazed eyes gleamed at Gerard.
"It's been like this since we first met."
Gerard rubbed his arm, goosebumps growing on his face, even though the confession wasn't directed at him.
***
Seeing Rosie suddenly open the door and enter, Lacrahan and Bercheria were speechless.
Bercheria, in particular, was so shocked that she didn't even know what expression to make.
How on earth could she explain the situation where she had been caught kissing Lacrahan in the Princess's chambers, of all places, Rosie served.
Just moments ago, at the party, when the Emperor announced that Kelita and Lacrahan would be married, she, as Kelita's maid, must have been watching from the sidelines.
So, the one who couldn't understand this situation more than anything was Rosie.
Rosie's mouth was agape, her expression strange.
Lacrahan lowered his hand from around Bercheria's waist and hid her behind his back. He then turned to Rosie.
"You said you were Princess Kelita's maid?"
"Ah, ah. Yes."
Rosie closed her mouth and nodded.
Then, she lowered her gaze to the floor.
She waited for Lacrahan, who was staring at her with a calm gaze, to speak next.
He was a little surprised by Rosie's behavior. He had expected her to immediately shout and call the royal guards, but he was puzzled that she didn't.
"As you can see, we are intruders, so if you want, you can call the royal guards right now. I'll be quiet, so don't worry."
Rosie's eyes widened in surprise at Lacrahan's words.
He tilted his head back slightly and whispered so only Bercheria could hear.
"It might be a good thing. If the Emperor finds out we were here, he won't think about marrying me and Kelita."
"Are you trying to make a big deal out of it?"
"In times of trouble, confidence is always helpful."
Watching Lacrahan speak calmly, Bercheria bit her lip, almost laughing.
The strange thing was that being with Lacrahan gave her the confidence to solve any problem.
It felt like they could handle anything together.
Lacrahan allowed Bercheria's smile to spread across his own lips.
“I wonder what the Emperor’s expression will be if I tell him we just randomly entered a room while looking for a place to sneak a kiss.”
Lacrahan, smiling like a playful child, turned his head back to Rosie.
She stared blankly at Bercheria again, then lowered her gaze in surprise when their eyes met.
The way she fiddled with her hands seemed quite uneasy.
“Um, by the way. There’s something I’d like to ask you both.”
At Rosie’s sudden question, Bercheria and Lacrahan exchanged glances, then looked back at her.
“Feel free to ask me anything you want, Rosie.”
Bercheria tried to keep her voice as calm as possible.
“Why did you two intrude here? Is there a reason?”
Lacrahan tried to answer, but Bercheria blocked him with her hand.
Then she took a step forward.
“Rosie. I saw you in the north, taking care of Kelita.”
When Rosie came to Bercheria and suggested tea time with Kelita, she seemed a bit rough around the edges, but she felt a deep affection for her. She wasn't like the typical castle staff who worked out of a sense of duty.
There was a kind of trust built between them over a long period of time.
Therefore, she figured that honesty and attempts at compromise would likely work better than lying.
"We believe something is wrong with Kelita."
And as expected.
At Bercheria's words, Rosie suddenly raised her head.
"...A problem?"
"Hasn't Kelita been acting strange lately?"
Rosie's hand, which had been gathered at the front of her skirt, stung and curled inward.
"Tell me, Rosie. Hasn't Princess Kelita felt like a different person?"
Rosie opened her mouth in surprise.
"Oh, uh, uh, uh."
Just then, a commotion was heard behind her.
The maids were walking toward them, carrying cleaning supplies.
Rosie knew Kelita's room was a mess, so she had planned to clean it while Kelita was away for a party.
That's why she had called the maids before coming here.
Rosie looked anxiously between the hallway and the two of them, then said,
"Don't make a sound, yes?"
Then she turned and carefully closed the door.
Rosie's voice soon filtered into the room.
"The Princess said to clean it later."
What should we do? It was a waste of effort.
Lacrahan and Bercheria sat side by side behind the bed, their only hiding place, their foreheads close together, and whispered.
“If even the closest maid notices something strange about Kelita, then there’s definitely a problem.”
“Yes.”
Just then, the commotion outside grew louder, and someone rattled the doorknob.
Lacrahan and Bercheria crouched even lower.
“No matter what, it’s better not to be found out.”
As the two waited, the chatter outside gradually faded away.
Just when they felt they could finally relax,
“Lacrahan.”
Bercheria grabbed his hand urgently.
Raising an eyebrow, Lacrahan looked where Bercheria was pointing.
Then, a thin, twinkling light emerged from under the bed.
The silver butterfly, as if alive, folded and unfolded its tiny wings, each time a subtle light reflected and shone enticingly.
Lacrahan's lips gently lifted.
"Parallel Butterfly."
Lacrahan and Bercheria sat side by side behind the bed, their only hiding place, their foreheads close together, and whispered.
“If even the closest maid notices something strange about Kelita, then there’s definitely a problem.”
“Yes.”
Just then, the commotion outside grew louder, and someone rattled the doorknob.
Lacrahan and Bercheria crouched even lower.
“No matter what, it’s better not to be found out.”
As the two waited, the chatter outside gradually faded away.
Just when they felt they could finally relax,
“Lacrahan.”
Bercheria grabbed his hand urgently.
Raising an eyebrow, Lacrahan looked where Bercheria was pointing.
Then, a thin, twinkling light emerged from under the bed.
The silver butterfly, as if alive, folded and unfolded its tiny wings, each time a subtle light reflected and shone enticingly.
Lacrahan's lips gently lifted.
"Parallel Butterfly."
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