Chapter 170: The Flow of Time (2)

 

Every single letter contained the same proposal: offering their daughters.

 

Gale, who had approached and read the letters I had laid down, stroked his chin thoughtfully.

 

“…Looks like news of your divorce has spread throughout the kingdom.”

 

“…”

 

The more I read, the more I felt the reality of my separation from Ner and Arwin.

 

“No matter what, aren’t these proposals coming too soon?”

 

Feeling inexplicably uncomfortable, I asked, and Gale responded.

 

“Well, it’s only natural. You’re a war hero, supported by the humans, and a gentleman who safely returned the two women you married after achieving your goals.”

 

“…”

 

At his words, I looked at Gale.

 

He shrugged his shoulders as he answered.

 

“…At least that’s how other families see you. Plus, there are rumors about your good looks, your strength, and that you were the childhood friend of the Saintess. Who wouldn’t want to marry you now that you’ve become a noble?”

 

“…”

 

With a sigh, I put down the letters.

 

The weight on my shoulders was relentless.

 

It seemed I still needed time to get used to this burden.

 

At times like this, I used to turn to my wives.

 

I would go for a walk with Ner to lift my spirits or talk and teach archery to Arwin for fun.

 

Sitting together, leaning on each other gave me strength, and lying in bed holding hands provided comfort.

 

…Without all that, perhaps it was even harder now.

 

Rubbing my neck, I spoke to Gale.

 

“…I’m going to get some fresh air. Please rest.”

 

Gale nodded slowly, understanding.

 

“Take your time and wander as much as you need.”

 

I continued to sigh as I walked away.

 

How should I relieve this heavy heart?

 

Should I engage in intense training?

 

Perhaps visit the nearby river?

 

Go for a walk?

 

Shoot some arrows?

 

“…”

 

…What could Ner and Arwin be doing now?

 

“Ha.”

 

Even though I was the one who severed ties, I wondered how they were living.

 

-Creak. Thud.

 

With that, I left Adam Hyung’s house.

 

“…”

 

Unable to decide what to do, I thought of simply walking around the village.

 

As I walked past a tree,

 

-Splash!

 

…a sudden shower of water drenched me from head to toe.

 

“…”

 

My clothes were soaked through.

 

The cool sensation made me blink.

 

For a moment, the complicated thoughts in my head vanished.

 

“Ha... I told you not to...!”

 

Sara’s voice echoed.

 

Likewise, Paul’s voice burst out.

 

“This unnie knows a thing or two!”

 

Looking in that direction, I saw Sien perched on a tree, smiling at me.

 

Over the past ten days, she had astonishingly become close with the village children.

 

Smiling at me, she then spoke to Paul and Sarah, who were beside her.

 

“You guys don’t know, but Bell... ah, Captain Berg likes things like this.”

 

“...Really?”

 

Sara’s innocent reaction made Paul giggle and shout.

 

“What does it matter, Sara! We’re having fun!”

 

Old memories surfaced.

 

During our time in Bartra, we often played pranks by splashing water on people’s heads.

 

Of course, we didn’t do it this intensely, but it was a playful game we enjoyed.

 

Were we just like Paul and Sara back then?

 

Perhaps Sien was also reminded of our childhood as she watched the children.

 

Sien then looked down at me and asked,

 

“Isn’t it refreshing, Bell?”

 

“…”

 

Her bright smile following the mischievous prank.

 

Unable to resist, I too broke into a smile.

 

****

 

How much time had passed since parting with Berg?

 

Ner didn’t know.

 

She spent her days holed up in her room.

 

She didn’t eat, nor did she drink.

 

The mere fact that Berg wasn’t by her side left her without the energy to do so.

 

On cold nights, she instinctively reached out to embrace Berg, only to grasp at empty air.

 

When she woke early in the morning, she found herself alone in the room.

 

She couldn’t smell his scent or hear his voice.

 

With each passing day, reality seemed to catch up with her.

 

She had to come to terms with the fact that Berg would never be by her side again.

 

She had to understand that she was no longer his partner.

 

Each time, she wept and clung to Berg’s ring.

 

The ring still carried his scent.

 

The ring that Berg had seemingly discarded in a corner, she held onto it dearly.

 

“...Berg... Berg...”

 

Every day, she called his name.

 

She desperately tried to find the one who had saved her.

 

Sometimes, she had to sit at the dining table with her family, forced by her father’s insistence.

 

Ner didn’t eat; she just sat there mechanically.

 

Ner clearly felt the change in the atmosphere around her.

 

Just as changes had occurred in the territory, her family also no longer treated her poorly.

 

It might have been the difference brought about by Gidon’s change towards her.

 

Gidon, at some point, seemed to accept her as family and showed a more organized demeanor.

 

This seemed to influence the other siblings as well.

 

“...”

 

But Ner understood that even this was a trace of Berg.

 

If it weren’t for Berg... She would never have received such treatment, even in death.

 

Berg kept his promise to protect her until the very end.

 

Even after their separation, Ner could feel it.

 

And that realization hurt her so deeply.

 

Because she had done nothing for him.

 

How long had it been since she parted with Berg?

 

Ner suddenly remembered that memories of Berg remained in this Blackwood territory.

 

Chasing those memories, she wandered the estate like a ghost.

 

She went out to the garden, visited the place where they had wed.

 

She spent time sitting by the waterfall where they had rested and sat in the room where they had spent their first night together.

 

Finally, Ner entered a forest within the estate.

 

She had become very weak from her lack of food and constant tears.

 

Even a little movement left her gasping for breath.

 

Yet, she could not stop walking.

 

There was no place where her memories of Berg were more deeply embedded.

 

The place where they had made their soul bond.

 

The place where they had promised to live and die together.

 

But as her memories of the soul bond became clearer, only tears flowed.

 

“Ugh... hic... ugh...”

 

Under Ner’s insistence, they hadn’t exchanged any formal vows.

 

They were supposed to make their promises in front of a tree as a witness, but Ner had said it was fine to do it silently.

 

Could that be why things turned out this way?

 

Was that why they couldn’t continue their marriage smoothly?

 

“...Why... why...”

 

Why did it have to be that way? Why didn’t they perform the ritual properly?

 

Ner endlessly blamed herself in a whisper.

 

She kept criticizing her foolishness.

 

Thus, Ner kept wandering through the forest.

 

But the more time passed, the more her heart ached.

 

She still hadn’t found the tree where she and Berg had bonded.

 

She wandered all day long... but she couldn’t figure out where she and Berg had tied their souls.

 

“Ah... ahhh...!!”

 

In her frustration, she let out an animalistic cry.

 

She clutched her chest tightly and screamed.

 

But screaming didn’t make Berg’s tree appear.

 

The dark night at the time, picking any random tree, had been the problem.

 

Even then, Berg had tried to cherish that tree.

 

Ner had wanted to quickly seal the bond and move on, but Berg had even carved a mark into the tree.

 

That was her only hope.

 

She wandered around for a long time searching for that carving.

 

-Thud!

 

“Ah!”

 

Then, as Ner’s strength gave out, she tripped over a tree root and fell.

 

“...”

 

Lying on the ground, she lacked the energy to get back up.

 

She even imagined that perhaps it would be better to die right there.

 

…Would Berg come looking for her then?

 

If so, it might be worth it.

 

But the thought of wanting to see Berg one more time made her stand up again.

 

Even if she rested, she wanted to do it near the tree where she could feel Berg’s warmth.

 

“........”

 

Eventually, as she lifted her head, she saw the carving.

 

By chance, she had found the mark Berg had made.

 

“...”

 

With empty eyes, Ner slowly crawled to the tree.

 

She couldn’t believe she was facing it with her own eyes.

 

The tree she had picked at random.

 

The tree she hadn’t cared about, even though it seemed weak.

 

“........Ah....”

 

The zelkova tree with the carving was decayed.

 

It had already died, crumbling alone in the vast forest.

 

“....”

 

A few months ago, she and Berg had made their soul bond here.

 

They had foretold the times they would share together.

 

Those times could have been the happiest moments of her life.

 

But that time had passed, and the tree symbolizing her relationship with Berg had met its end.

 

In the face of this unbelievable reality, Ner lightly touched the tree with trembling hands.

 

-Crack...

 

The bark crumbled away.

 

Ner looked down at her hand covered in rotten wood dust.

 

“...No...”

 

She whispered, but the dead tree could not come back to life.

 

She knew this all too well.

 

Just like her relationship with Berg... it could never return to what it was.

 

“Ah.... ahhh...”

 

In the end, Ner collapsed at the tree’s roots, curling up.

 

What if they had promised their love to a stronger tree?

 

What if she had never started writing that diary?

 

What if she had accepted Berg’s love?

 

What if she had been honest sooner?

 

All of it was already too late.

 

Looking at the zelkova tree, Ner remembered its symbolic meaning.

 

‘Fate.’

 

The dead tree had perhaps always been foretelling the fate of her and Berg’s relationship.

 

“...Ahhh....! Ahhhhhh!!”

 

In the end, Ner broke down in front of it.

 

In the forest, where no one would find her, she cried her heart out.

 

‘Please, let me return here.’

 

The wish she had made to the tree was granted.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

 

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