Fearlessly (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15
“Ugh.”
Startled by the flailing movement of her feet, Lakrahan also opened his eyes and looked around.
Instinctively, the two of them suddenly pulled each other into a tight embrace.
Meanwhile, the tower—which had kept shrinking—had already reached their toes and vanished in an instant.
The moment every trace of the tower disappeared,
the two began an endless fall toward the ground.
The moon-shaped ornament that had been attached to the tower’s peak remained until the very end, then fell alongside them.
“Grab that!”
Bercheria shouted through the wind’s resistance, which pierced their bodies like blades, and Lakrahan strained to reach out and snatch it.
Between the two, who were holding each other tightly, the small ornament shimmered briefly and vanished.
They stared at each other with bewildered eyes.
They had never imagined such a situation could occur, so no clear plan of action came to mind.
The pitch-black night sky was steadily receding, while the green forest drew nearer.
Bercheria gritted her teeth and tightened her grip around Lakrahan.
Then she shouted into his ear,
“If I fail!”
Her voice was barely audible over the roaring wind.
“Use my body as a shield.”
Lakrahan’s eyes hardened.
“I won’t die—just focus on how you can survive.”
Atop a hill overlooking the northern portal,
Loren, the imperial prince of Deransis, stood with one foot resting on a knee-high rock, watching Lakrahan’s knights and Princess Kelita conversing.
“It’s surprising Lakrahan hasn’t shown up.”
He swept back his red hair and chewed idly on a blade of grass.
“Velophai. Do you know where he is?”
Beside him stood a man entirely enveloped in blue.
His blue hair and blue eyes alone were mysterious enough, but the fist-sized sapphire hanging from his thick neck was breathtakingly beautiful.
“No matter how many times I see it, it’s still incredible—how can such a massive body suddenly turn into a tiny lizard?”
“I just dislike encountering humans. Don’t worry about it. Look over there instead.”
Loren turned curiously toward where the other pointed.
Though Loren himself was exceptionally tall, he looked small beside the giant-like Velophai.
“Even if you’re both gods, it’s hard to believe you can sense exactly where someone is.”
Loren smirked, gesturing alternately between the blue forest and Velophai.
“Not every god possesses that ability.”
Velophai shifted his calm, sea-like eyes toward Loren.
“It’s not my power either.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s Bercheria’s power. Humans don’t know this, but she should be regarded as a higher being who encompasses all guardian deities.”
“What does that mean?”
“The sea and the earth—and what supports them.”
Velophai lifted his gaze to the sky.
“The weather—that’s Bercheria’s true domain, Loren.”
“Just as I thought.”
Loren leaned his upper body forward, resting his arms on his thigh atop the rock.
“She’s the perfect woman to be my wife, don’t you agree?”
“To be honest, she’s too precious to give to you, Loren.”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean now?”
Loren raised an eyebrow toward Velophai.
“I intend to make her the happiest woman in the world—and of course, restore her strength using my own attribute.”
Velophai let out a soft, breathy laugh at Loren’s words.
“I’ve told you repeatedly—only ice-attribute beings can be consumed by the goddess of weather. It’s impossible for someone like you, with a water attribute. Even if the Absolute God wants to separate Lakrahan and Bercheria, they can’t just rearrange attributes to fit.”
“Why reject it before even trying? I have a strange feeling it’ll work out.”
“Such baseless confidence.”
“And look—would any woman refuse the love of a handsome prince?”
Loren, beloved more than anyone else in his empire, viewed the world without restraint.
He seemed utterly unfamiliar with the concept of failure.
Of course, that was precisely why Velophai had come to him.
“Do whatever it takes—hurry and restore Bercheria’s full power before the continent’s guardians all collapse.”
“Understood.”
Loren straightened his shoulders, facing the forest where Bercheria was.
“If things weren’t desperate, you wouldn’t have come seeking help from a human. I know.”
Still unaccustomed to the North’s cold weather, Loren rubbed his reddened nose and turned around.
“I thought Lakrahan would be an obstacle, but it seems he won’t be much trouble. After all, he’s not in a position to refuse the Emperor’s marriage proposal.”
“The timing is good.”
The two gazed together at the fog-filled forest.
“Oh—by the way, how did you say you’d win Bercheria over?”
Loren grinned and pulled a tiny arrow from his pocket, like a toy.
It was a real arrow, complete with shaft and fletching, yet no bigger than a thumb.
“How absurd.”
“I took it from my father’s storeroom. Thought it might come in handy.”
“Do you think it’ll work on Bercheria?”
“We’ll find out once we try. Besides, when pursuing a beauty, one must spare no means or methods, right?”
“You’re certainly diligent.”
Velophai shook his head with a chuckle.
‘What should I summon? Rain? Lightning? Snow?’
Bercheria turned her face toward the sky.
There wasn’t even time to think.
‘Snow. At least it can absorb some of the impact.’
But it had to be a lot—a great deal, if possible.
As soon as Bercheria finished that thought, snow began falling heavily, thick enough to obscure vision.
Snow piled up instantly, yet it still wasn’t enough to feel safe.
“Bercheria! Can you gather the snow in one spot?”
Lakrahan gestured toward the forest, now nearly within reach.
Beneath them stood a large leafy tree, and beneath it, a cluster of bushes was visible.
“Just scatter it roughly—I’ll control the direction!”
Bercheria focused her power to concentrate the snow there.
Though born an Awakened One, she’d never used her abilities before—but even a mistreated god was still a god.
Merely by imagining it, Bercheria already had the situation under control.
Snow piled up to human height atop the tree and bushes, and with a soft thud, the two landed on it.
After bouncing off the tree twice and losing direction, Lakrahan kicked the trunk to steer them toward the snow-covered bushes.
It was fortunate the snow had piled endlessly—but the problem was they couldn’t tell how deep those bushes were.
Holding onto each other like lifelines, the two plunged straight down through the snow.
Thud.
And the place they landed was on grass.
“Haah… haah…”
“Whew…”
Only when their bodies touched the solid ground did relief finally wash over them—they were alive.
Buried in the thicket, the two couldn’t get up for a while.
“My bones feel shattered. How many times today?”
At Lakrahan’s voice, Bercheria let out a pained groan.
She wanted to ask if he was alright, but the pain was too intense for words.
Just as they tried to rise, a sudden, ear-splitting shout rang out.
Lakrahan covered Bercheria’s mouth and flattened his body low.
Where are you! Answer me!
“Ugh!”
Bercheria’s eyes widened in shock.
The voice was different, but it was her mother.
Her mother was searching for her, right nearby.
A rustling sound came from afar.
Bercheria. My darling. Where are you? Your mother is looking for you. Come out quickly.
Through a gap about half a finger wide in the bushes, they saw a woman’s feet approaching.
Lakrahan frowned at the unusually ornate shoes and the lace-trimmed hem of her dress.
Darling. You know how much your mother loves you. Come here quickly. Don’t trust humans—you know how monstrous they truly are.
Lakrahan turned and met Bercheria’s eyes, who lay beneath him.
Seeing her gaze filled with fear and confusion, he slowly shook his head.
He wanted nothing more than to grab that woman, demand why she’d done such cruel things, and inflict even greater pain than what she’d caused Bercheria—
‘But not now.’
She wasn’t someone he could confront unprepared.
He’d need thorough preparation to finish her in one move.
Bercheria. My beloved daughter, Berche.
As the woman drew closer, Lakrahan covered Bercheria’s trembling face so she wouldn’t see anything.
Berche Shall we talk? Mama won’t scold you. You know that, right?
“Ugh!”
Bercheria turned her head, overcome with nausea—and the woman stopped walking.
Lakrahan reached silently for the hilt of the sword at his waist, gripping it tightly to prevent any sound.
Berche There you are!
Rosie, Kelita’s handmaiden, sat in the carriage, tidying the hem of her mistress’s dress as Kelita cheerfully gazed out the window.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
“No. I’m fine.”
“You’ve been in the carriage quite a while.”
“That’s fine too.”
Rosie wanted to suggest waiting at the palace instead, but she wasn’t the type of maid to meddle unnecessarily.
Besides, the Emperor himself had given Lakrahan a special order to secure a marriage promise—entering the palace without an escort from her future husband might bring the Emperor’s wrath.
Though, to be precise, it was probably the court officials whispering in the Emperor’s ear.
“Your Highness, please tell me if anything troubles you.”
“Yes, thank you. I only have you, Rosie.”
Though Rosie had served in the royal household for quite some time, there were moments when she couldn’t quite understand Kelita.
Since childhood, Kelita had been adored by everyone.
Even Gerard—the cruelest and most greedy among her siblings—never interfered with her.
Simply by wearing pretty clothes and offering cheerful smiles, everyone dropped their guard around her.
Rosie hadn’t lived long, but observing nobles, she’d occasionally seen women like Kelita—
those content with receiving affection without deeper thought.
They never doubted they’d marry well and live loved.
They spent long years dreaming of who that man might be.
Would he be handsome? Tall? Have a pleasant voice?
What look would he give me?
Girls who spent their youth lost in such thoughts belonged to that sort.
Most seemed to live exactly as they’d imagined…
Yet now, on the verge of achieving her dream, Kelita couldn’t understand why she felt so uneasy.
“Um, Kel—”
Kelita, Your Highness.
A bold voice from outside the carriage cut off Rosie’s words.
“Rosie. Would you open it? What’s going on?”
Kelita gestured toward the outside.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
When she opened the carriage window, an enormous man—nearly as wide as a door—suddenly stuck his head in.
“Oh my!”
Seeing Rosie’s startled reaction, Kelita laughed aloud and leaned her face against the window frame.
“Wyatt. Has His Grace the Duke returned?”
“No. It’s not that…”
Wyatt scratched his forehead and glanced behind himself.
“Oh dear!”
Spotting the scene behind him, Kelita covered her gaping mouth with both hands like a little girl.
Snow was pouring down from the sky in torrents.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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I have a inkling that Lione is probably Berche’s ‘Mother’?