Perhaps due to such memories, she found herself endlessly vulnerable to kind-hearted people.

Her heart would soften at the sound of soft and melodic speech.

She liked the way Lakrahan spoke as soon as she woke up in the morning.

This was a fact she hadn’t noticed before, as they mostly had conflicting opinions on most occasions.

“Must be hungry. Do you like scones?”

Lakrahan walked over to the table and picked up the tray that Mrs. Morgan had brought during lunch and approached Bercheria.

As he removed the food cover that was placed to prevent dust, the soup and scones inside the beautiful bowl were revealed.

“Eat. You must be hungry from sleeping.”

Bercheria looked up at him with round eyes.

“Am I eating alone?”

He sat down next to Bercheria’s neatly placed feet, crossing his long legs.
“I ate first while waiting. Mrs. Morgan said that the flavor of this soup improves as it cools. She explained that it becomes somewhat sweeter, though I don’t remember well.”

As Lakrahan spoke, he moved the cutlery closer to Bercheria to make it easier for her to eat.

Even though everything was ready, Bercheria simply stared at the food set aside for her.

“Why are you doing that?”

“It feels weird every time I see food prepared for me.”

Lakrahan swept back his disheveled hair.

“What does?”

“Food made for me.”

She smiled wistfully.

Only now, after having returned, could she objectively see what her life had been like then, which sometimes felt bittersweet.

“Once a day, my mother would come to the tower. She’d bring withered bread.”

“Was that your entire meal?”

“Yes.”

Lakrahan recalled a woman’s face from past memories.

He hadn’t seen her recently, but her face was definitely etched in his memory.

Where had he seen that woman?

Where, indeed.

The muscles in Lakrahan’s jaw tensed nervously.

There must have been a reason why her face appeared to him.

The world isn’t made up of coincidences alone.

He even wondered if she was truly human.

Perhaps she was a beast wearing a human guise.

In Lakrahan’s eyes, it was something one shouldn’t do as a human.

To be more precise, it was an action that a human could hardly undertake.

Even if you treated people like that, it would be unbelievable; let alone to recklessly treat the Guardian Deity who protects this empire.
Since childhood, she had been confined and brainwashed to the point where she couldn’t even rebel.

Lakrahan barely suppressed the rising anger from within him.

He couldn’t allow himself to look angrier in front of Bercheria, who had directly experienced such things.

“Actually, I knew from the beginning what was in that bread. I knew that eating it would make me lose my will and even make thinking unpleasant.”

Bercheria playfully twirled the tip of the fork that Lakrahan had set before her.

“But I ate it because I was hungry. There was no other option.”

“……”

“What’s really interesting is that the memories of the previous Awakened are left in me, so the smells and tastes of all sorts of foods come to mind.”

“……That must have been painful.”

“Even that I eventually gave up over time.”

Bercheria picked up a spoon, scooped up some soup, and put it in her mouth.

“I don’t know why we’re talking about something so uninteresting. Just forget it.”

As Lakrahan had said, the sufficiently cooled soup congealed a bit before smoothly spreading throughout her mouth.

“It’s delicious, really.”

Lakrahan brought the knife towards him and cut the scone to make it easier to eat.

Even Lakrahan, who had the best ability to cope, didn’t have a clue what to say to her now.

Although he didn’t say it out loud, he was determined to find the woman Bercheria called ‘Mother’ and make her pay the proper price.

No matter how long it takes, he would.
Until then, the sole comfort had been that he could protect Bercheria under the guise of marriage.

But did she think the same?

“If you have memories of other Awakened, you’d know what marriage is like.”

Bercheria wore an inscrutable expression.

Only then did Lakrahan recall that among the Awakened, none had married a human.

“Even if I had been married, it would be difficult for me to know what it was like. Not everything is retained, and it’s more like observing. I can’t know what emotions were felt, what was thought at the time.”

All of Bercheria’s Awakened selves had ended their lives without marrying.

“And humans don’t sincerely love gods.”

Lakrahan’s expression hardened.

There were no rules in this world that humans should not love gods or gods should not love humans.

Perhaps for the gods, but at least for humans, there were none.

“Why do you say that?”

Bercheria, who had been touching the scone with the tips of her fingers, lifted her eyes towards Lakrahan.

“It’s not me saying it. It’s the memories of the previous Bercherias.”

“Not even once?”

“At least not in my memory. Men always approach with enchanted eyes. Saying they love you, that they will give you everything.”

Some sang songs extolling love.

Others got down on their knees, pleading for love.

But none among them could bear the weight of the destiny that Bercheria carried.
In the end, they abandoned her at the crucial moment.

“Because you’re beautiful.”

“What?”

Lakrahan’s intense gaze slowly wrapped around her face.

“The Bercherias are famous for being beautiful. You are no exception.”

For a moment, Bercheria felt her face flush and dropped her eyes.

She gently rolled the crumbs of the scone between her fingers and responded as if talking to herself.

“Thank you.”

Lakrahan rose from the bed.

“I wanted to do it sooner, but it seems that the wedding ceremony can only happen this evening. It’s taking some time to arrange for an officiant to be the witness.”

“Yes.”

“It’s a relief you got some good sleep.”

It wasn’t that Lakrahan hadn’t considered waking Bercheria up several times as he waited for her to wake.

But whenever he got close, such thoughts inevitably vanished.

Because she had been crying.

Though it was a whisper barely audible, if you listened carefully, it was a plea.

She had also whispered prayers for forgiveness and pleas for salvation.

Bercheria’s voice was so desperate that anger surged up.

Mother, please, mother.

What must the world look like to her now?

Horrible?

Or merely like a playground for filthy beings?

“I have a request.”

Lakrahan hesitated for a moment, took a breath, and continued.

“If you change your mind, you can annul the marriage whenever you want, and if you want to leave, feel free to say so.”

“……Yes.”
“But while we’re married, I wish you would think of me as your real husband.”

At Lakrahan’s words, Bercheria’s lips slightly parted.

“As if I’m truly your guardian.”