Episode 95. Right, Mother?
“Tell me. What would be the most effective way to immobilize Lacrahan?”
Kelita sat on her bed, arms folded, staring at Dylan questioningly.
Dylan averted his gaze from Kelita, staring into empty space, but it was just a gaze he'd become accustomed to.
Kelita's every expression and action was read by Dylan.
"Something's different."
This was Dylan's biggest feeling lately.
Everyone except Gerard had strangely changed in their behavior.
Dylan, always watching from a distance, could sense it, but Gerard, right in the middle of it all, seemed oblivious.
Kelita, in particular, seemed to have become a completely different person.
“Dylan.”
Dylan, snapping out of his thoughts, moved his slanted eyes to look at Kelita.
Her usually smirking eyes were hardened, her eyebrows pushed up against her forehead.
“Didn’t you hear what I said? What is Lacrahan’s weakness?”
“...Why do you think I would know that?”
Dylan was strictly on duty as the Emperor’s escort.
Even as a Princess of the empire, she had no right to summon him and use him for personal gain.
“Do you think I didn’t know what you were thinking behind his back?”
“What are you saying...?”
“You always stay quiet, then blurt out a few words that can often catch you off guard. I’m trying to give you a high rating for that kind of sensitivity.”
Kelita shuffled across the messy floor and picked up an object from a corner.
It was a ring with a fairly large gemstone.
She walked back to Dylan and held it out to him.
“Let me ask you one last question. I absolutely have to marry Lacrahan this time. What must I do to make that happen?”
Dylan gazed at the ring on Kelita’s hand, then raised his eyes to her face.
Kelita, who was staring intently at Dylan, felt as if he were reading her mind.
It couldn't have been.
Dylan, who had been staring at her for a long time, spoke up.
"You can use the people around him."
"...What?"
In truth, it didn't really matter to him whether Kelita had changed or remained the same. Even so, his work wouldn't change going forward, and unless Gerard intervened, he couldn't be the first to speak out about the situation.
So, he could just tell her and get what he could.
"Lacrahan is an overly responsible man. Even in the North, he risked everything for the well-being of his people."
Kelita's lips slowly parted.
Then, with a grin, she was dragged upward.
"As expected."
She flicked the ring in her hand.
Watching Dylan lightly grab the ring as it fell from the air, Kelita was once again convinced that her eyes were not deceived.
"Whoa!"
It had been barely a few hours since her conversation with Dylan.
She hadn't expected the opportunity to come so quickly.
Left alone, Kelita was pondering which of Lacrahan's associates to target.
Then, as if by magic, Wyatt came to her.
She already knew that he had been Kelita's bodyguard long ago, before the war.
The most suitable person in the world had appeared before her.
"Princess! What on earth is this? Are you alright?"
The moment she saw Wyatt approaching with a worried face, her mind already formed a plan for how to tell the story.
If she had just mentioned that Wyatt had previously harassed her, no one in the palace would have refused to take her side.
If the Princess of the empire had been assaulted, everyone would have been outraged and thrown Wyatt in the dungeon without a word.
Kelita's face turned pale as she screamed.
"Is there anyone out there? Help me!"
She cried out, almost out of breath, and placed her hand on the chest of her dress.
Meeting Wyatt's eyes, she smiled and ripped the fabric apart with her own hands.
“...!”
Before the startled Wyatt could react, the half-open door swung open and the guards poured in.
“Is this guy crazy? How dare he attack the princess!”
“What are you doing? Hurry up and catch him!”
“Ha.”
Only then did Wyatt finally understand the meaning of Lacrahan’s words.
“Hmm. Well. It wasn’t like excuses were acceptable from the start.”
The Emperor’s entourage, including Kelita, was not the type to make sense from the beginning. They were the kind of people who would do such absurd things.
“Damn it.”
Wyatt, like Lacrahan, was cornered.
Bercheria was having tea time with the Empress on the terrace with the most scenic view in the palace.
After finishing the breakfast invited by Gerard, Bercheria stopped the Empress as she was returning to her room. She thought now, when Kelita and Gerard disappeared to talk, was the most appropriate time.
“It’s been a while.”
Lawrence nodded with a smile at Bercheria’s words.
“Yes, Bercheria.”
“As expected.”
Just as she had discussed with Lacrahan, the current Empress was clearly nothing more than a shell.
To confirm this fact, Lacrahan had just deliberately brought up the story of the unfamiliar man to Lawrence.
In that situation, if it had been the real Lawrence, she would have clearly defended herself.
But the Empress remained speechless, staring blankly at Kelita.
'Because you used the Parallel Butterfly, now you're barely a shell.'
Bercheria knew Lawrence better than anyone else.
Seeing Lawrence, who brought her dry bread every day, was one of her most important tasks.
"The last time I saw you was at the tower, right? Don't you remember?"
When a true soul enters another body using the Parallel Butterfly, only a soul close to instinct remains in the original body.
Only the primal truth remains.
Under normal circumstances, no one would notice this, but if they did, they could get all the answers they wanted.
If only she could coax her well.
For someone like Bercheria, who had so many questions, this meant a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had arrived.
"The tower?"
Watching Lawrence tilt her head, Bercheria took a sip of her still-warm tea.
“You took me when I was a baby, built the Tower of Bercheria, and imprisoned me there, right? Remember?”
The Empress rolled her eyes at the obvious question.
“If I had lived outside, it would have been really hard.”
Bercheria raised her eyes and looked at Lawrence.
“People hate me, right, Mother?”
Lawrence’s eyes, which had been wide open in surprise, closed, and a smile spread across his lips.
“Yes, that’s right. People hate you.”
Bercheria looked at Lawrence with sparkling golden eyes.
“I know. That’s why I’m grateful to you, Mother.”
“Of course you should.”
“When I first came to the palace, I was miserable because I didn’t know anyone, but seeing your face brought me relief.”
Lawrence tilted her head and asked back,
“How did you know what I looked like?”
Bercheria smiled lightly.
“I didn’t know your face. But there’s something called a feeling. There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize you, Mother.”
The Empress blinked, then smiled, her red lips parting.
“I see. That’s right.”
Bercheria snickered, a bitter smile forming.
Was it okay to ask the necessary questions now?
“Was the Tower of Bercheria made by the Absolute God?”
She pushed a cookie toward Lawrence.
Lawrence naturally picked it up and crunched it.
“Yes, of course. I can’t make something like that.”
“How long did you plan to keep it locked up?”
“Until death, if possible.”
Bercheria’s hand, about to set down her teacup, froze for a moment before moving again.
“I see. Then why did you let me escape? You could have stopped me at any time.”
Lawrence suddenly looked around warily, then leaned in closer to Bercheria.
“This is a secret, so you can’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t tell.”
“Even if you ran away, the Absolute God couldn’t stop you anyway. The Absolute God cannot interfere with human will. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
"You think it happened by your own will, but it wasn't. I planned it."
Lawrence shrugged proudly.
Perhaps such behavior was closer to her instincts.
Blatant and vulgar.
Bercheria had to suppress her rising anger.
"Why did you plan it?"
Lawrence's lips curled into a smile, her face brimming with anticipation.
"That's the only way I can have it."
At the unexpected words, all emotion vanished from Bercheria's face.
Can I have it?
What on earth?
“Tell me. What would be the most effective way to immobilize Lacrahan?”
Kelita sat on her bed, arms folded, staring at Dylan questioningly.
Dylan averted his gaze from Kelita, staring into empty space, but it was just a gaze he'd become accustomed to.
Kelita's every expression and action was read by Dylan.
"Something's different."
This was Dylan's biggest feeling lately.
Everyone except Gerard had strangely changed in their behavior.
Dylan, always watching from a distance, could sense it, but Gerard, right in the middle of it all, seemed oblivious.
Kelita, in particular, seemed to have become a completely different person.
“Dylan.”
Dylan, snapping out of his thoughts, moved his slanted eyes to look at Kelita.
Her usually smirking eyes were hardened, her eyebrows pushed up against her forehead.
“Didn’t you hear what I said? What is Lacrahan’s weakness?”
“...Why do you think I would know that?”
Dylan was strictly on duty as the Emperor’s escort.
Even as a Princess of the empire, she had no right to summon him and use him for personal gain.
“Do you think I didn’t know what you were thinking behind his back?”
“What are you saying...?”
“You always stay quiet, then blurt out a few words that can often catch you off guard. I’m trying to give you a high rating for that kind of sensitivity.”
Kelita shuffled across the messy floor and picked up an object from a corner.
It was a ring with a fairly large gemstone.
She walked back to Dylan and held it out to him.
“Let me ask you one last question. I absolutely have to marry Lacrahan this time. What must I do to make that happen?”
Dylan gazed at the ring on Kelita’s hand, then raised his eyes to her face.
Kelita, who was staring intently at Dylan, felt as if he were reading her mind.
It couldn't have been.
Dylan, who had been staring at her for a long time, spoke up.
"You can use the people around him."
"...What?"
In truth, it didn't really matter to him whether Kelita had changed or remained the same. Even so, his work wouldn't change going forward, and unless Gerard intervened, he couldn't be the first to speak out about the situation.
So, he could just tell her and get what he could.
"Lacrahan is an overly responsible man. Even in the North, he risked everything for the well-being of his people."
Kelita's lips slowly parted.
Then, with a grin, she was dragged upward.
"As expected."
She flicked the ring in her hand.
Watching Dylan lightly grab the ring as it fell from the air, Kelita was once again convinced that her eyes were not deceived.
***
"Whoa!"
It had been barely a few hours since her conversation with Dylan.
She hadn't expected the opportunity to come so quickly.
Left alone, Kelita was pondering which of Lacrahan's associates to target.
Then, as if by magic, Wyatt came to her.
She already knew that he had been Kelita's bodyguard long ago, before the war.
The most suitable person in the world had appeared before her.
"Princess! What on earth is this? Are you alright?"
The moment she saw Wyatt approaching with a worried face, her mind already formed a plan for how to tell the story.
If she had just mentioned that Wyatt had previously harassed her, no one in the palace would have refused to take her side.
If the Princess of the empire had been assaulted, everyone would have been outraged and thrown Wyatt in the dungeon without a word.
Kelita's face turned pale as she screamed.
"Is there anyone out there? Help me!"
She cried out, almost out of breath, and placed her hand on the chest of her dress.
Meeting Wyatt's eyes, she smiled and ripped the fabric apart with her own hands.
“...!”
Before the startled Wyatt could react, the half-open door swung open and the guards poured in.
“Is this guy crazy? How dare he attack the princess!”
“What are you doing? Hurry up and catch him!”
“Ha.”
Only then did Wyatt finally understand the meaning of Lacrahan’s words.
“Hmm. Well. It wasn’t like excuses were acceptable from the start.”
The Emperor’s entourage, including Kelita, was not the type to make sense from the beginning. They were the kind of people who would do such absurd things.
“Damn it.”
Wyatt, like Lacrahan, was cornered.
***
Bercheria was having tea time with the Empress on the terrace with the most scenic view in the palace.
After finishing the breakfast invited by Gerard, Bercheria stopped the Empress as she was returning to her room. She thought now, when Kelita and Gerard disappeared to talk, was the most appropriate time.
“It’s been a while.”
Lawrence nodded with a smile at Bercheria’s words.
“Yes, Bercheria.”
“As expected.”
Just as she had discussed with Lacrahan, the current Empress was clearly nothing more than a shell.
To confirm this fact, Lacrahan had just deliberately brought up the story of the unfamiliar man to Lawrence.
In that situation, if it had been the real Lawrence, she would have clearly defended herself.
But the Empress remained speechless, staring blankly at Kelita.
'Because you used the Parallel Butterfly, now you're barely a shell.'
Bercheria knew Lawrence better than anyone else.
Seeing Lawrence, who brought her dry bread every day, was one of her most important tasks.
"The last time I saw you was at the tower, right? Don't you remember?"
When a true soul enters another body using the Parallel Butterfly, only a soul close to instinct remains in the original body.
Only the primal truth remains.
Under normal circumstances, no one would notice this, but if they did, they could get all the answers they wanted.
If only she could coax her well.
For someone like Bercheria, who had so many questions, this meant a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had arrived.
"The tower?"
Watching Lawrence tilt her head, Bercheria took a sip of her still-warm tea.
“You took me when I was a baby, built the Tower of Bercheria, and imprisoned me there, right? Remember?”
The Empress rolled her eyes at the obvious question.
“If I had lived outside, it would have been really hard.”
Bercheria raised her eyes and looked at Lawrence.
“People hate me, right, Mother?”
Lawrence’s eyes, which had been wide open in surprise, closed, and a smile spread across his lips.
“Yes, that’s right. People hate you.”
Bercheria looked at Lawrence with sparkling golden eyes.
“I know. That’s why I’m grateful to you, Mother.”
“Of course you should.”
“When I first came to the palace, I was miserable because I didn’t know anyone, but seeing your face brought me relief.”
Lawrence tilted her head and asked back,
“How did you know what I looked like?”
Bercheria smiled lightly.
“I didn’t know your face. But there’s something called a feeling. There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize you, Mother.”
The Empress blinked, then smiled, her red lips parting.
“I see. That’s right.”
Bercheria snickered, a bitter smile forming.
Was it okay to ask the necessary questions now?
“Was the Tower of Bercheria made by the Absolute God?”
She pushed a cookie toward Lawrence.
Lawrence naturally picked it up and crunched it.
“Yes, of course. I can’t make something like that.”
“How long did you plan to keep it locked up?”
“Until death, if possible.”
Bercheria’s hand, about to set down her teacup, froze for a moment before moving again.
“I see. Then why did you let me escape? You could have stopped me at any time.”
Lawrence suddenly looked around warily, then leaned in closer to Bercheria.
“This is a secret, so you can’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t tell.”
“Even if you ran away, the Absolute God couldn’t stop you anyway. The Absolute God cannot interfere with human will. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
"You think it happened by your own will, but it wasn't. I planned it."
Lawrence shrugged proudly.
Perhaps such behavior was closer to her instincts.
Blatant and vulgar.
Bercheria had to suppress her rising anger.
"Why did you plan it?"
Lawrence's lips curled into a smile, her face brimming with anticipation.
"That's the only way I can have it."
At the unexpected words, all emotion vanished from Bercheria's face.
Can I have it?
What on earth?
"Does it have anything to do with the woman who gave birth to me?"
"What?"
"Is she here in the palace?"
"..."
"Mother. Right now, I..."
Just as Bercheria was about to speak again, a murmur of voices could be heard from somewhere.
Lawrence stood up and looked towards the crowd gathering.
Bercheria, still unable to hear the next words, followed Lawrence's gaze with an anxious expression.
But the next moment, she too had no choice but to stand up.
The guards were dragging Wyatt out from both sides like a felon.
Behind them, Kelita watched the scene, trembling like a victim.
"What the hell is going on?"
Bercheria hurried down towards Wyatt.
"I told you to let go of this?"
Wyatt was resisting fiercely.
He knew he was trapped, but he couldn't just sit back and let it happen.
"What did I do to deserve this? I just came here to ask her something! I didn't even lift a finger!"
The guard holding him looked at Kelita, who was trembling behind him, dumbfounded.
She was holding onto her torn dress and glaring at Wyatt with fearful eyes.
"Huh."
Wyatt wasn't angry, but dumbfounded.
After all, he'd been guarding Kelita for over a year. She definitely wasn't that kind of woman back then.
"How on earth did you end up like that?"
He turned around, his voice irritated. Just then, someone blocked the guard and Wyatt's path.
"Wait a minute."
A small woman stood before them, her presence towering over them.
Bercheria, her golden hair gently tucked behind her ears, stood squarely in their path.
Her tone was gentle, neither rude nor forceful.
"I'd like to hear an explanation of what happened."
Everyone's steps stopped in front of Bercheria.
"Who's going to tell me?"
"What?"
"Is she here in the palace?"
"..."
"Mother. Right now, I..."
Just as Bercheria was about to speak again, a murmur of voices could be heard from somewhere.
Lawrence stood up and looked towards the crowd gathering.
Bercheria, still unable to hear the next words, followed Lawrence's gaze with an anxious expression.
But the next moment, she too had no choice but to stand up.
The guards were dragging Wyatt out from both sides like a felon.
Behind them, Kelita watched the scene, trembling like a victim.
"What the hell is going on?"
Bercheria hurried down towards Wyatt.
***
"I told you to let go of this?"
Wyatt was resisting fiercely.
He knew he was trapped, but he couldn't just sit back and let it happen.
"What did I do to deserve this? I just came here to ask her something! I didn't even lift a finger!"
The guard holding him looked at Kelita, who was trembling behind him, dumbfounded.
She was holding onto her torn dress and glaring at Wyatt with fearful eyes.
"Huh."
Wyatt wasn't angry, but dumbfounded.
After all, he'd been guarding Kelita for over a year. She definitely wasn't that kind of woman back then.
"How on earth did you end up like that?"
He turned around, his voice irritated. Just then, someone blocked the guard and Wyatt's path.
"Wait a minute."
A small woman stood before them, her presence towering over them.
Bercheria, her golden hair gently tucked behind her ears, stood squarely in their path.
Her tone was gentle, neither rude nor forceful.
"I'd like to hear an explanation of what happened."
Everyone's steps stopped in front of Bercheria.
"Who's going to tell me?"
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