Chapter 158: Traitors (3)

 

Ner recalled the last days spent with her grandmother, a fortune teller.

 

She never left the side of her grandmother who was very weak.

 

Ner vividly remembered being enveloped in tremendous fear.

 

After all, her grandmother was the only ally she had in the Blackwood domain.

 

As a child, she clung to her grandmother’s hand daily, shedding tears.

 

Her grandmother’s prophecies had armored her against the present, yet it wasn’t that she didn’t need her grandmother’s presence.

 

“...Grandma, please...”

 

“...Heh.”

 

“You haven’t eaten today either... You need to keep your strength up...”

 

“My time is nearly up, Ner. I know it.”

 

At that resolute response, Ner choked up.

 

“If I don’t have Grandma... I’ll be all alone...”

 

Perhaps by appealing to her emotions, she hoped her grandmother might find a bit more strength.

 

Being alone was her greatest fear.

 

She had no idea how to endure it.

 

Whom should she ask for help?

 

Who should she talk to?

 

Who should she share laughs with, and who should she share her sorrows?

 

Ner didn’t want to be left alone.

 

She had never felt a greater need for allies.

 

“...It might sound irresponsible, but Ner...”

 

Despite Ner’s pleas, her grandmother smiled and said,

 

“...The person meant to protect you all your life isn’t me.”

 

It seemed there was a profound belief in her words.

 

As if knowing Ner’s future brought her peace.

 

With a voice much weakened, the grandmother continued,

 

“One day, you’ll meet your partner.”

 

“...”

 

“Though it may be hard now... even this moment will turn into a memory you can look back on with a smile.”

 

Ner, not wanting to hear about parting, retorted stubbornly like a contrary child.

 

“...What if I can’t find them?”

 

Even to this, her grandmother responded with a gentle smile.

 

Holding Ner’s tender hand firmly, she said,

 

“...Don’t worry. You’re not alone.”

 

.

.

.

.

.

 

Ner stared at the book unfolded before her eyes.

 

Blinking, she processed the information.

 

Her past mistakes had finally caught up with her.

 

While she stood frozen, unable to utter a word, Berg’s voice, cold and detached, echoed again.

 

“...Explain this...”

 

His voice was desperate, as if he too wished not to believe the situation.

 

“...Please, Ner... tell me it isn’t so...”

 

It was the first time she had seen him so vulnerable.

 

Covering his face with one hand, he whispered.

 

Watching Berg in pain was heart-wrenching for Ner.

 

She had brought pain to Berg, who had only ever brought her salvation.

 

He had already been struggling recently.

 

He had been feeling lonely since losing his brother.

 

Ner clutched at her chest, seeing her partner and husband in distress.

 

She felt how much he had trusted her.

 

She realized how much of his heart he had given to her, his wife.

 

And all she had given back to him was this diary— a tale of causing hurt to the one who had given her love and trust after her grandmother.

 

Ner remembered that Berg couldn’t read and whispered,

 

“...Ah... whatever Arwin said... this is just my diary...”

 

“I can read, Ner.”

 

“..................What?”

 

“...So... don’t try to deceive me.”

 

Ner blinked again and looked back down at the book.

 

She couldn’t believe this reality.

 

It was as if the world was singling her out for punishment.

 

Everything had been fine until... she fell in love with Berg, her diary was discovered, and now Berg could even read.

 

How could she believe all this was happening?

 

“...Is that all you have to say...?”

 

“.....Ah......”

 

Berg then began to shake his shoulders, laughing, though he appeared almost as if he was crying.

 

With his eyes closed, he finally said,

 

“...I... trusted you.”

 

“...”

 

“...I thought... at least we were friends.”

 

Tears welled up in Ner’s eyes at his words.

 

It was as if her mind, which had been stalled, had suddenly awakened.

 

The situation became clearer.

 

She instinctively knew it was almost time for a farewell.

 

She could feel that Berg was about to leave her.

 

“...Ah... Ah...”

 

It was a moment when she might lose the only love of her life.

 

A moment when the one who had always stood by her might leave.

 

Driven by that fear, Ner moved.

 

Ner couldn’t muster the strength in her legs.

 

She crawled on all fours toward Berg.

 

Pride was the last thing on her mind now.

 

Her knees and elbows scraped the ground.

 

“Ah... no, Berg...”

 

Ner shook her head, spitting out whatever words she could muster.

 

She desperately clung to their crumbling relationship.

 

“...You’re... you’re just mistaken...”

 

“...Mistaken?”

 

Berg implored.

 

“Then explain it to me so I’m not mistaken. I... I need an explanation...”

 

Berg insisted, sounding as though he truly didn’t want to misunderstand.

 

“...................”

 

But Ner had nothing to say.

 

Berg waited for her to speak for a long time... then he laughed again.

 

“...Hahahahaha...”

 

His laughter was filled with so much pain that Ner started crying.

 

“...Please... Berg... please...”

 

“...What were you thinking staying by my side all this time?”

 

Berg asked as if he was curious.

 

The question deeply pierced Ner’s heart.

 

It felt like she was choking.

 

He continued to probe.

 

“When I was trying my best for our relationship... were you just mocking me inside...?”

 

Berg began to doubt all the acts that had been Ner’s salvation.

 

“...No... it’s not like that...!”

 

“Were you just appeasing me, waiting for the day you could betray me...?”

 

Tears endlessly streamed down from Ner’s eyes.

 

They fell steadily even without her blinking.

 

Sadness and fear coexisted. If this were a dream, it would be a nightmare without equal.

 

Berg laughed mockingly.

 

“Haha, I really... I was completely deceived, wasn’t I, Ner.”

 

“...Ah.... Ah.........”

 

“I really thought you wanted to be with me.”

 

Berg’s words hinted at an impending breakup.

 

He spoke as if he was about to leave, though she had always thought they would be together.

 

Ner’s hope of living a happy life was shattering.

 

The future of sharing love and receiving affection from Berg was disappearing.

 

Ner felt her blood run cold.

 

Her entire body tingled.

 

Finally, she grabbed the hem of Berg’s trousers.

 

With both hands, she clung on with all her might.

 

She pressed her forehead against Berg’s leg.

 

She couldn’t let go of her indispensable partner.

 

“Berg.... sob.... it’s not true.... really....”

 

With her face streaked with tears, she looked up at Berg and said,

 

“...I really... I want to be with you.”

 

She hastily confessed her feelings.

 

“I was wrong. Berg... I was wrong.... Maybe I was crazy for a moment...”

 

She quickly wiped her tears, trying to speak rationally.

 

She picked up the diary that lay behind her and said,

 

“This... this was from when we were newly married.... sob... I was so scared... when they said you were a mercenary, a human, I was terrified.... right?”

 

Berg looked down at her without responding.

 

His cold demeanor was so unaccustomed that Ner fell into confusion.

 

After a long silence, Berg scoffed incredulously.

 

“When was this ‘early stage’ you speak of?”

 

Ner felt the entire scene etching itself into her mind.

 

“...I’ve been scared for so long. I started this diary when I first met Arwin.”

 

As if understanding her initial fear, Berg, who had given her endless time, asked her.

 

“How long have you been writing this book?”

 

“...Ber...g...”

 

“...How long have you been afraid of me...!”

 

Berg had been considerate from their first night together. He never pressured her afterwards; he helped her mount a saddle when she struggled, and shared his horse when she was sleepy, offering his lap as support.

 

He had complimented her tail and stood up against the siblings who tormented her, trampling even the mercenary group’s vice-captain who spoke ill of her.

 

Ner remembered all of it.

 

There was no reason for her to fear him.

 

“What more could I have done!!”

 

Berg yelled, frustrated.

 

His voice was tinged with anguish.

 

He soon laughed hysterically.

 

“Ha… This is... the betrayal...”

 

“Ah... ah....”

 

“...I believed you were innocent... and treated you more carefully because of it... but behind my back...”

 

Ner, speechless, slowly stood up while holding onto Berg.

 

Then, with trembling hands, she reached out and buried herself in his embrace.

 

His familiar scent wafted around her.

 

“Ah.... ah....”

 

She made unintelligible noises, forcing herself to feel him.

 

Her tail wrapped around his thigh.

 

Berg showed no reaction.

 

He didn’t embrace her dearly as he used to.

 

He just stood there silently.

 

“Sob... no... it’s not like that... Berg...”

 

Ner continued to cry as she held him.

 

Why does it feel like she will lose this warmth?

 

Why can’t she shake the feeling that this might be the last time?

 

-Thump.

 

Berg easily pushed Ner away.

 

Her arms and tail that had been wrapped around him unwound.

 

Losing his sturdiness and warmth, a chill swept over her instantly.

 

Powerless, Ner collapsed to the floor again.

 

-Thud.

 

“....”

 

-Tap, tap...

 

Tears that had pooled in her eyes now scattered across the floor.

 

A piercing loneliness found Ner.

 

It was a sensation she had forgotten while with Berg.

 

The feeling of being alone.

 

She had forgotten how cold it could be...

 

“.....What...?”

 

Ner couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

 

Tears fell, yet it all felt like a lie.

 

She couldn’t believe this was reality, not a dream.

 

Berg, who had always treated her preciously, had pushed her away.

 

This too, was a first for her.

 

Berg then asked her.

 

“.........Was it because of that destined partner?”

 

“...................”

 

Ner doubted her ears as she cried.

 

Berg was uttering words Ner knew nothing about.

 

“...What?”

 

“...Because your kind can only love one person... Is that why you did this?”

 

“Ber... Berg...”

 

“Well, good for you then.”

 

Her heart felt like it was being torn apart again.

 

What was Berg really saying?

 

For Ner, there was now only one person who mattered.

 

But why would he say such a thing?

 

Berg whispered in a low voice.

 

“...Go find that person.”

 

“...”

 

She had planned to spend her life with Berg, so why was he telling her to find someone else?

 

Pushed away by Berg, Ner didn’t have the courage to embrace him again.

 

If she was pushed away again, it felt like her heart would shatter.

 

Yet, unable to endure the absence of his warmth... Ner reached out desperately and grabbed his mud-stained shoes.

 

“...Did you... tell me to go?”

 

She asked again, disbelief coloring her voice.

 

This was the first time she found it hard to understand the word ‘go’.

 

She had heard it hundreds of times from her siblings, but Berg’s words were unfathomable.

 

She couldn’t accept that he was pushing her away.

 

Just moments ago, she had felt warmth by his side.

 

Had she even considered that a sudden farewell was possible?

 

“...Where... am I supposed to go...?”

 

Ner stuttered the question.

 

She had always been alone.

 

“...My place is... by your side... where am I supposed to go...?”

 

Ner recalled the many nights she had shared with Berg.

 

She thought of all the happiness she had felt by his side.

 

Was she really never going to feel that sensation again?

 

A life without Berg was unimaginable.

 

She couldn’t even begin to fathom how painful it would be without him.

 

“We’re... we’re a couple... we’re supposed to be most precious to each other...”

 

Ner rummaged through her mind in desperation.

 

She strained to find words that might change his mind, that might persuade Berg.

 

Tears flowed with her effort.

 

“Be, Berg... sob... you promised...”

 

“...”

 

“You promised when we married... sob... you’d give your all to me... sob... right? To our child... you’d teach a wise... life...”

 

“...You must have forgotten.”

 

“...What...?”

 

“...Your love was conditional.”

 

“...”

 

Berg now seemed to believe not a word of her declarations of love.

 

Struck by a profound shock, he had closed off his heart.

 

Ner was only just realizing this.

 

“...Leave.”

 

As if he had said all there was to say, Berg spoke.

 

The man she loved was declaring the end of their relationship.

 

The same man who had once caressed her hair said that.

 

“...”

 

Ner was facing her worst fear.

 

Continuing to take deep breaths, Berg said,

 

“...Leave before I get angrier. I’m at my limit.”

 

“............”

 

Ner froze at his words.

 

Her mind continuously tried to grasp the situation but failed.

 

The nightmare didn’t end.

 

Without any more time to plead, Berg commanded her to leave.

 

Unknowingly, she found herself speaking to Berg.

 

“.........Don’t leave me.”

 

-Tap tap tap tap tap tap...

 

Tears poured down like rain.

 

“.....Don’t leave me, Berg...”

 

She begged more miserably and desperately than she ever had when begging her siblings for love.

 

“...You’re all I have... in my life... you’re the only light...”

 

Ner looked up at Berg.

 

To her, there seemed no one more beautiful than Berg at that moment.

 

Her husband, her beloved man.

 

“............I love you.”

 

Ner whispered through her tears.

 

It might have been the most inappropriate moment, but... those words naturally slipped from her lips.

 

“...I love you, Berg... please... please don’t leave me...”

 

“......”

 

“Don’t do this... please... don’t do this!!”

 

Ner wiped her tears and sniffled as she pleaded with Berg.

 

“I was wrong... okay? Honey... no, darling...”

 

She even tried nicknames she had never used before.

 

As if that could make a difference.

 

“...I’ll spend my life making it up to you... I’ll do everything you say...”

 

“...”

 

Continuously wiping away her tears, she tried to forcibly change the atmosphere.

 

She spoke in a slightly higher, brighter tone.

 

“We... we decided to have a child, didn’t we?”

 

“...”

 

“Berg... now... your and my child...”

 

“...”

 

“Our child... will be cute... that’s... what I mean...”

 

But she could elicit no response from Berg.

 

If it had been like before, he would have held her tightly and smiled at her words.

 

But Berg was coldly still.

 

And the more he reacted this way, the more she felt the reality of their changed situation.

 

Could this really be the end?

 

Ner found herself slowly turning around without realizing it.

 

The cause of it all.

 

There stood Arwin, silently observing Ner’s predicament.

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

Their gazes met.

 

A terrible rage began to rise in Ner, as if she could cry blood.

 

“You......!”

 

Her voice emerged, mixed with tears.

 

She clearly realized who had driven a wedge between her and Berg.

 

Who else could have brought the diary to him?

 

Arwin had planned all of this.

 

She couldn’t believe she would stay by Berg’s side after this.

 

Ner was not one to just stand by and take it; her temperament wouldn’t allow it.

 

Ner looked at Berg and asked,

 

“...Are you choosing to be with her...?”

 

“...Just stop and leave, Ner.”

 

As she endured the pain of parting words, tears streamed down her face as she continued.

 

“...Do you think Arwin was any different from me...?”

 

Berg’s expression darkened.

 

“...What?”

 

“Berg...! She’s worse...!!”

 

Arwin, who had been silently listening from behind, interjected.

 

“...What do you mean, Ner?”

 

Ner shoved Arwin roughly aside as she stood by the door and moved forward.

 

There was still a chance.

 

After all, the Red Flames group needed the power of the nobility.

 

Berg had to make a choice between her and Arwin.

 

He couldn’t afford to let both of them go.

 

If Berg grew even more disgusted with Arwin... there might still be a chance.

 

Ner hurriedly descended into the storeroom.

 

She found the hidden vial of Mel’s Tears.

 

The small potion bottle still shimmered.

 

Simultaneously, Ner retrieved the book she had received from the saintess.

 

It would all be over if this liquid wasn’t Mel’s Tears, but Ner was willing to bet everything that it was.

 

As she turned back to the room, both Arwin and Berg were looking at her.

 

Ner locked eyes with Berg.

 

She continued to capture his dark eyes, which she had come to love, in her gaze.

 

“Ugh... sob...”

 

She knew it would hurt him, but Ner was desperate.

 

She couldn’t leave Berg, who had tenderly caressed her head and whispered how beautiful her tail was.

 

She couldn’t bear the thought of living without him in her life.

 

So, with tears swallowed, Ner held up the vial.

 

The small, transparent bottle sparkled as it caught the light.

 

“...You know what this is.”

 

Ner asked Arwin sharply.

 

Arwin’s eyes widened.

 

“......What...?”

 

Her perplexed expression was evident.

 

Yet, she remained silent, glancing towards Berg, unable to speak.

 

Through her reaction, Ner felt even more certain.

 

Berg alternated his gaze between the vial and Arwin.

 

“...”

 

As Ner continued, she called out to Berg.

 

“Berg.”

 

His gaze focused on her.

 

That look was what Ner needed to keep living.

 

She couldn’t endure being discarded.

 

“Do you know why Arwin gave you the Bardi liquor right from your first night?”

 

Arwin finally distorted her face and shouted.

 

“Ner...!”

 

Ner spoke while holding up the vial.

 

“This is a deadly poison called ‘Mel’s Tears’.”

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

 

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