Episode 99. This Heart Will Never Change
“Eww!”
Lawrence screamed, rising from her bed.
Everything she had seen and heard in Kelita’s body remained vividly in her memory.
The moment the parallel butterfly was shattered, only the thought of how she had survived vanished, as if cut with scissors.
“This is annoying. I’m dying of anger.”
The sight of herself crying and begging in front of Bercheria made her feel like she was going crazy with injustice. A child who was nothing more than a worm, trapped in a tower, fed dry bread.
Her prey, who had been beaten foolishly without even knowing who or what she was.
“How dare you!”
Lawrence shouted venomously.
She gave a few pennies to the foolish Lyone and bought Bercheria and Groovy.
She imprisoned one in the dungeon, the other in the tower created by the Supreme Being.
As time passed, Lawrence, who had been merely one of the candidates for the Empress, became the true Empress.
When Lawrence saw Lyone, who had sold her baby, at Gerard's side, pretending to be the Emperor's concubine and all, she was actually delighted.
Now, someone would take care of the foolish Emperor for her.
If anything were to arise as Empress, she believed it would be Lyone.
So she pretended to be good, crouched quietly, and waited for the right moment.
And then... the prey he had trivially dismissed had ruined everything.
"Bercheria. What the hell is Bercheria!"
Lawrence began to sob.
The resentment of the past days was driving her mad.
She could hear the maids' voices, unable to enter the room, worried about her, but she didn't want to pay any attention to that. She just wanted to kill everything that bothered her.
"Sob."
Then, a rattling sound came from outside the window.
"What is it now?"
Lawrence irritably approached the window, wiping away her tears.
She opened the noisy window and, as if by magic, saw a giant condor hovering in the air.
“Why are you crying? Your Majesty, the Empress.”
And even Dipper is sitting above her.
Everything was captured in her tear-blurred vision.
“Huheu.”
They hadn’t even touched a finger in a while, but Lawrence, upon seeing Dipper, burst into tears for no reason and began to sob out loud.
“What’s wrong?”
When Dipper climbed through the window and came inside, she embraced him as if she had been waiting for him.
Dipper hesitated for a moment at the unexpected action, but quickly accepted Lawrence.
Soon, their lips met.
Lawrence’s sorrow vanished at the unfamiliar sensation.
Bercheria was looking out the darkened window.
Leaning her shoulder against the windowsill, she quietly looked down at her empty palm.
The parallel butterfly was definitely in her hand, and it vanished just before it shattered.
Even though the divine substance that had swapped Kelita and Lawrence’s souls had completely disappeared, the two women were merely unconscious.
“Lacrahan.”
Lacrahan, who had been sitting on the couch, staring at the fireplace, raised his dark eyes toward Bercheria.
“Yes.”
“I remember the moment when the Supreme Being appeared and tried to take the Parallel Butterfly.”
“Yes. I know.”
“Did he really not say anything?”
Lacrahan rose from the couch with a smooth motion and walked toward Bercheria.
“It seems the Supreme Being made a deal with Lawrence. In exchange for Lawrence interfering with our relationship, he would protect her soul.”
Since that morning, Lacrahan had been busy dealing with the Wyatt issue.
Bercheria had many questions for him, but there was no time to listen.
“You must have rushed. If the Parallel Butterfly is destroyed, the Supreme Being will have broken his promise.”
“If a god breaks a promise with a human...”
“Yes, that’s right. They will suffer a pain close to extinction.”
Bercheria nodded, finally understanding.
She doesn't think anything could have happened in the brief moment when the Supreme Being disappeared with the Parallel Butterfly, but she still had a lingering sense of unease.
Still, if the Supreme Being had made a pact with Lawrence and was thus in a hurry to retrieve the Parallel Butterfly, it wasn't incomprehensible.
"What about Wyatt?"
"I think he'll be fine."
Lacrahan shook his head, thinking of Kellita.
“Wyatt is left-handed, but Princess Kelita’s torn dress was facing right.”
“Princess Kelita ripped it herself.”
“Wyatt said that too, but the royal family doesn’t believe it. Still, it’s fortunate that we’ve decided to hold off until the Princess wakes up.”
Wyatt felt a deep sense of guilt for having acted without Lacrahan’s orders.
However, thanks to him, he had seen the Supreme Being and resolved to settle a long-standing issue, so from Lacrahan’s perspective, it was a blessing in disguise.
“Since we haven’t harmed Empress Lawrence or Princess Kelita, we’re back to square one.”
Bercheria smiled bitterly.
As she looked out the dark window again, Lacrahan hugged Bercheria’s waist from behind.
Her small frame fit perfectly into his large frame.
“There’s no need to overthink it. It’s just the beginning anyway.”
His voice tickled as he whispered against the nape of her neck.
“I know. You’ll get through this.”
“Of course.”
Lacrahan let out a soft breath and smiled.
Compared to the time they're been apart, now that they were together, knowing everything, discussing everything, they felt closer to happiness.
Even if the Supreme Being held a knife to her throat right now, compared to the time she’d lived without knowing Lacrahan, these were days she was grateful for.
“Don’t you want to return to the North?”
“A little.”
Lacrahan slowly pressed his lips to her neck.
If he could return, then his people would live a more leisurely and abundant life.
Their King would be free, and Bercheria, the goddess of weather, would be by his side.
As Lacrahan’s lips moved down to her collarbone, Bercheria burst into laughter at the tickling sensation. Lacrahan hugged her tighter as she tried to run away, whispering,
“Sometimes, I feel resentful for the time I lived without knowing you.”
Even though it was something he had brought upon himself, his heart still felt childlike at times.
If only he had been with Bercheria sooner, closer.
Bercheria turned and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Me too.”
Lacrahan’s eyes widened at the obvious statement.
“You too?”
“Yes. Sometimes I feel impatient. Maybe it’s because I’m always being chased by someone, but I feel uneasy.”
Lacrahan wrapped his arms around Bercheria’s waist.
Bercheria, in turn, embraced him.
The silhouettes of the two of them, clinging to each other, were clearly reflected outside the window.
Lacrahan lifted Bercheria’s body.
It was hard to believe that she possessed the hidden power to kill or save humans if she wanted to.
“When we first met, I thought that.”
Bercheria asked, looking up at his sharply chiseled chin while still in his arms.
“What do you think?”
“Weakness. Because even among humans, you seemed particularly small and fragile.”
“Was it? And now?”
“You look bigger than anyone else now. Because you’re a goddess revered by everyone.”
Lacrahan lay Bercheria on the bed and sat next to her waist.
The sensation of running his hand through the luscious blonde hair scattered across the white blanket was indescribably pleasant.
“Bercheria.”
“Yes.”
“From now on, unimaginable pain may begin. The Supreme Being is not to be trifled with.”
“I know. I’m prepared.”
“Are you confident that your heart will not change, no matter what?”
Bercheria placed a hand on Lacrahan’s cheek.
Warm body heat seeped through her palm, and his forest-like scent seemed to pour out over her.
“I’m confident.”
When Bercheria thought of Lacrahan alone, her life was one of nothing to regret.
The hardships were the others who tried to interfere with their relationship.
What made it bearable each time was her trust in this man.
The belief that he would love Bercheria no matter what she did.
That alone was what had kept her going.
“Yes. That’s all that matters.”
Lacrahan lowered his head and gently kissed Bercheria's face. He kissed her round forehead, her moderately high nose, her pale cheeks, and her plump lips. As he bit her soft skin, a hot breath burst from between her lips.
His upper body tilted, and Bercheria clung to him with both arms.
She closed her eyes, allowing the sensations Lacrahan gave her to flood through her skin.
Firm muscles pressed gently against Bercheria.
The sensation of their close contact was stimulating.
Every time she felt him with her whole body, she felt something inexplicable welling up inside her.
The tightness that filled not only her body but her heart was a feeling she couldn't experience anywhere else but Lacrahan.
"I believe we will ultimately win."
Lacrahan carefully stroked Bercheria's hair, as if he were treating the most precious thing in the world.
His gentle hands traced her back, drawing her deeper into his embrace.
Bercheria buried her head in his shoulder, the movement sweetening even the air.
"What will the wedding be like?"
Lacrahan ran his fingers through Bercheria's silky hair.
An addictive sensation, like silk, enveloped his fingertips.
"With Princess Kelita's collapse, it will naturally be forgotten. Even if she were to wake up tomorrow, she'd have to settle Wyatt's affairs, so there's no room for the wedding."
"Thank goodness."
“Wyatt is so sorry, it’s a mess, but thanks to him, we’re at peace.”
Bercheria laughed out loud.
She remembered Wyatt’s cicada-like eyebrows twitching in amazement when he had blocked the Royal Guard.
“But next time, they’ll be even more obstructive.”
Bercheria nodded, still in his arms.
“I never thought I’d be at peace when I came to the palace.”
“Yes.”
Lacrahan found Bercheria admirable, proud, sometimes pitiful, and lovable.
She was the kind of woman whose love, far from fading, burned brighter with time.
“We’re not breaking up anymore.”
Bercheria climbed onto his lap, smoothing her short hair with the hand that had been around his neck the entire time.
“I know.”
Her golden eyes, carefully examining his well-stretched eyebrows, settled on his pupils.
The slight flickering of her eyes made him tense.
“Hold me.”
The tension soon gave way to excitement.
“I’ll hold you forever.”
Lacrahan laid Bercheria down on the bed and climbed into bed himself.
“Eww!”
Lawrence screamed, rising from her bed.
Everything she had seen and heard in Kelita’s body remained vividly in her memory.
The moment the parallel butterfly was shattered, only the thought of how she had survived vanished, as if cut with scissors.
“This is annoying. I’m dying of anger.”
The sight of herself crying and begging in front of Bercheria made her feel like she was going crazy with injustice. A child who was nothing more than a worm, trapped in a tower, fed dry bread.
Her prey, who had been beaten foolishly without even knowing who or what she was.
“How dare you!”
Lawrence shouted venomously.
She gave a few pennies to the foolish Lyone and bought Bercheria and Groovy.
She imprisoned one in the dungeon, the other in the tower created by the Supreme Being.
As time passed, Lawrence, who had been merely one of the candidates for the Empress, became the true Empress.
When Lawrence saw Lyone, who had sold her baby, at Gerard's side, pretending to be the Emperor's concubine and all, she was actually delighted.
Now, someone would take care of the foolish Emperor for her.
If anything were to arise as Empress, she believed it would be Lyone.
So she pretended to be good, crouched quietly, and waited for the right moment.
And then... the prey he had trivially dismissed had ruined everything.
"Bercheria. What the hell is Bercheria!"
Lawrence began to sob.
The resentment of the past days was driving her mad.
She could hear the maids' voices, unable to enter the room, worried about her, but she didn't want to pay any attention to that. She just wanted to kill everything that bothered her.
"Sob."
Then, a rattling sound came from outside the window.
"What is it now?"
Lawrence irritably approached the window, wiping away her tears.
She opened the noisy window and, as if by magic, saw a giant condor hovering in the air.
“Why are you crying? Your Majesty, the Empress.”
And even Dipper is sitting above her.
Everything was captured in her tear-blurred vision.
“Huheu.”
They hadn’t even touched a finger in a while, but Lawrence, upon seeing Dipper, burst into tears for no reason and began to sob out loud.
“What’s wrong?”
When Dipper climbed through the window and came inside, she embraced him as if she had been waiting for him.
Dipper hesitated for a moment at the unexpected action, but quickly accepted Lawrence.
Soon, their lips met.
Lawrence’s sorrow vanished at the unfamiliar sensation.
***
Bercheria was looking out the darkened window.
Leaning her shoulder against the windowsill, she quietly looked down at her empty palm.
The parallel butterfly was definitely in her hand, and it vanished just before it shattered.
Even though the divine substance that had swapped Kelita and Lawrence’s souls had completely disappeared, the two women were merely unconscious.
“Lacrahan.”
Lacrahan, who had been sitting on the couch, staring at the fireplace, raised his dark eyes toward Bercheria.
“Yes.”
“I remember the moment when the Supreme Being appeared and tried to take the Parallel Butterfly.”
“Yes. I know.”
“Did he really not say anything?”
Lacrahan rose from the couch with a smooth motion and walked toward Bercheria.
“It seems the Supreme Being made a deal with Lawrence. In exchange for Lawrence interfering with our relationship, he would protect her soul.”
Since that morning, Lacrahan had been busy dealing with the Wyatt issue.
Bercheria had many questions for him, but there was no time to listen.
“You must have rushed. If the Parallel Butterfly is destroyed, the Supreme Being will have broken his promise.”
“If a god breaks a promise with a human...”
“Yes, that’s right. They will suffer a pain close to extinction.”
Bercheria nodded, finally understanding.
She doesn't think anything could have happened in the brief moment when the Supreme Being disappeared with the Parallel Butterfly, but she still had a lingering sense of unease.
Still, if the Supreme Being had made a pact with Lawrence and was thus in a hurry to retrieve the Parallel Butterfly, it wasn't incomprehensible.
"What about Wyatt?"
"I think he'll be fine."
Lacrahan shook his head, thinking of Kellita.
“Wyatt is left-handed, but Princess Kelita’s torn dress was facing right.”
“Princess Kelita ripped it herself.”
“Wyatt said that too, but the royal family doesn’t believe it. Still, it’s fortunate that we’ve decided to hold off until the Princess wakes up.”
Wyatt felt a deep sense of guilt for having acted without Lacrahan’s orders.
However, thanks to him, he had seen the Supreme Being and resolved to settle a long-standing issue, so from Lacrahan’s perspective, it was a blessing in disguise.
“Since we haven’t harmed Empress Lawrence or Princess Kelita, we’re back to square one.”
Bercheria smiled bitterly.
As she looked out the dark window again, Lacrahan hugged Bercheria’s waist from behind.
Her small frame fit perfectly into his large frame.
“There’s no need to overthink it. It’s just the beginning anyway.”
His voice tickled as he whispered against the nape of her neck.
“I know. You’ll get through this.”
“Of course.”
Lacrahan let out a soft breath and smiled.
Compared to the time they're been apart, now that they were together, knowing everything, discussing everything, they felt closer to happiness.
Even if the Supreme Being held a knife to her throat right now, compared to the time she’d lived without knowing Lacrahan, these were days she was grateful for.
“Don’t you want to return to the North?”
“A little.”
Lacrahan slowly pressed his lips to her neck.
If he could return, then his people would live a more leisurely and abundant life.
Their King would be free, and Bercheria, the goddess of weather, would be by his side.
As Lacrahan’s lips moved down to her collarbone, Bercheria burst into laughter at the tickling sensation. Lacrahan hugged her tighter as she tried to run away, whispering,
“Sometimes, I feel resentful for the time I lived without knowing you.”
Even though it was something he had brought upon himself, his heart still felt childlike at times.
If only he had been with Bercheria sooner, closer.
Bercheria turned and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Me too.”
Lacrahan’s eyes widened at the obvious statement.
“You too?”
“Yes. Sometimes I feel impatient. Maybe it’s because I’m always being chased by someone, but I feel uneasy.”
Lacrahan wrapped his arms around Bercheria’s waist.
Bercheria, in turn, embraced him.
The silhouettes of the two of them, clinging to each other, were clearly reflected outside the window.
Lacrahan lifted Bercheria’s body.
It was hard to believe that she possessed the hidden power to kill or save humans if she wanted to.
“When we first met, I thought that.”
Bercheria asked, looking up at his sharply chiseled chin while still in his arms.
“What do you think?”
“Weakness. Because even among humans, you seemed particularly small and fragile.”
“Was it? And now?”
“You look bigger than anyone else now. Because you’re a goddess revered by everyone.”
Lacrahan lay Bercheria on the bed and sat next to her waist.
The sensation of running his hand through the luscious blonde hair scattered across the white blanket was indescribably pleasant.
“Bercheria.”
“Yes.”
“From now on, unimaginable pain may begin. The Supreme Being is not to be trifled with.”
“I know. I’m prepared.”
“Are you confident that your heart will not change, no matter what?”
Bercheria placed a hand on Lacrahan’s cheek.
Warm body heat seeped through her palm, and his forest-like scent seemed to pour out over her.
“I’m confident.”
When Bercheria thought of Lacrahan alone, her life was one of nothing to regret.
The hardships were the others who tried to interfere with their relationship.
What made it bearable each time was her trust in this man.
The belief that he would love Bercheria no matter what she did.
That alone was what had kept her going.
“Yes. That’s all that matters.”
Lacrahan lowered his head and gently kissed Bercheria's face. He kissed her round forehead, her moderately high nose, her pale cheeks, and her plump lips. As he bit her soft skin, a hot breath burst from between her lips.
His upper body tilted, and Bercheria clung to him with both arms.
She closed her eyes, allowing the sensations Lacrahan gave her to flood through her skin.
Firm muscles pressed gently against Bercheria.
The sensation of their close contact was stimulating.
Every time she felt him with her whole body, she felt something inexplicable welling up inside her.
The tightness that filled not only her body but her heart was a feeling she couldn't experience anywhere else but Lacrahan.
"I believe we will ultimately win."
Lacrahan carefully stroked Bercheria's hair, as if he were treating the most precious thing in the world.
His gentle hands traced her back, drawing her deeper into his embrace.
Bercheria buried her head in his shoulder, the movement sweetening even the air.
"What will the wedding be like?"
Lacrahan ran his fingers through Bercheria's silky hair.
An addictive sensation, like silk, enveloped his fingertips.
"With Princess Kelita's collapse, it will naturally be forgotten. Even if she were to wake up tomorrow, she'd have to settle Wyatt's affairs, so there's no room for the wedding."
"Thank goodness."
“Wyatt is so sorry, it’s a mess, but thanks to him, we’re at peace.”
Bercheria laughed out loud.
She remembered Wyatt’s cicada-like eyebrows twitching in amazement when he had blocked the Royal Guard.
“But next time, they’ll be even more obstructive.”
Bercheria nodded, still in his arms.
“I never thought I’d be at peace when I came to the palace.”
“Yes.”
Lacrahan found Bercheria admirable, proud, sometimes pitiful, and lovable.
She was the kind of woman whose love, far from fading, burned brighter with time.
“We’re not breaking up anymore.”
Bercheria climbed onto his lap, smoothing her short hair with the hand that had been around his neck the entire time.
“I know.”
Her golden eyes, carefully examining his well-stretched eyebrows, settled on his pupils.
The slight flickering of her eyes made him tense.
“Hold me.”
The tension soon gave way to excitement.
“I’ll hold you forever.”
Lacrahan laid Bercheria down on the bed and climbed into bed himself.
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