Chapter 128

“I hope you’ll be happy even without me. My favorite.”

 

With that final thought, the world turned black as if a light had been switched off. The tear-choked voice of Freyer grew distant and faint.

 

I thought that was the end. But then, light began to spread across my vision, and when I came to, I was sitting by a window overlooking a field of yellow cosmos flowers.

 

I thought I’d wake up in a place full of white clouds if I died. To wake up in a scenery like a mountain cabin… perhaps I’ve watched too many movies and fallen into a stereotypical trap.

 

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

 

Startled by the voice beside me, I turned my head. A woman whose face was somewhat blurred looked out the window and spoke again.

 

“Lilithia, I’ve been waiting for you.”

 

‘This must be an angel.’

 

I felt pinned down by her gaze as she stared intently at me; I wanted to instinctively take a step back.

 

“Is this heaven?”

 

“No. This is inside my dream.”

 

‘Inside a dream?’

 

“Mother!”

 

“That is my son.”

 

Out in the cosmos field, a small child was hopping like a rabbit, holding a flower. The silver hair of the angelic boy shone brilliantly.

 

“Oh? Sun?”

 

It was the little boy I had met in a dream once before. He said he was waiting for his mother, and it seemed he finally found her.

 

“I’m so glad.”

 

“Yes. He is my everything. Freyer, whose name means ‘The Sun’.”

 

If the Sun is Freyer… then this person… The shadows covering her face lifted. I saw the face of Freyer’s mother, who was said to resemble Nazlee.

 

“I am Freyer’s mother, Felicia.”

 

Felicia had died when Freyer was a child. Seeing as I was meeting her now…

 

‘Right. This is heaven.’

 

There was no other way for me to encounter Felicia. At that moment, I heard a knock, and turning around, I saw Diara, the woman with long black hair, standing there with her arms crossed.

 

“She still won’t believe it’s not heaven. Long time no see, Lilithia.”

 

“Is Diara dead too?”

 

“I wasn’t a living being to begin with, so I can’t say I’m ‘dead’. And you’re not dead either; you just fainted.”

 

“She is the Agent of God.”

 

My expression was filled with question marks. Was it because she was a mystical being that she had spoken in such cryptic riddles in the novel? Felicia spoke to Diara.

 

“I’m counting on you.”

 

With a gesture from Diara, droplets of water floated into the air, and like a television turning on, numerous images of me appeared. Me eating with my family, me dancing at a banquet, me searching for someone… familiar yet strange sights.

 

“Is this… me?”

 

“No. That is me, possessing your body.”

 

Lilithia Baimery. She was the person Felicia had been possessing.

 

Felicia had wanted to save Freyer from his tragic fate. If she couldn’t do that, she at least hoped he wouldn’t have nightmares, but he could never strip away the labels of ‘The Unfortunate Prince’ or ‘The Cursed Prince.’

 

Felicia had begged the Agent of God for a regression. Time and again, the same life repeated. But then, a variable appeared. Felicia was pushed out of Lilithia’s body, and the original owner returned.

 

From that moment, Freyer’s destiny began to change.

 

“I could no longer possess your body because the original owner had returned.”

 

When Lilithia was in danger, Felicia had staked her soul to leave various clues. She dropped the necklace during the hunting festival and acted as a shield for Lilithia during the gate transit.

 

“I would have done anything for Freyer.”

 

My head was spinning, so I raised my hand.

 

“So, to summarize: Felicia possessed my body and regressed multiple times to try and change Freyer’s fate, but in this timeline, the soul was pushed out and I, the original owner, returned?”

 

“Exactly.”

 

Does this mean Freyer’s mother took my body and prevented my soul from entering all this time?

 

Does this even make sense? It’s not even a novel…

 

“God wanted to show you the original world, so He delivered the story through the medium of ‘writing’ in a new world.”

 

“Gods are notoriously whimsical beings.”

 

“And you were the one who changed our Freyer’s destiny.”

 

“Things happened that never occurred before.”

 

“For example?”

 

“Freyer spending a night with you.”

 

“……!”

 

‘Diara! How can you say that in front of Felicia?’

 

I let out an awkward laugh.

 

“Thanks to you, Freyer no longer has nightmares. He used to dream of me dying.”

 

Was Freyer’s suffering from nightmares all due to his guilt over his mother? Diara pointed to a clock.

 

“Felicia, we have no more time.”

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“I will disappear.”

 

“Felicia staked her soul to protect you. She took all the magic intended for Lilithia, and she can no longer hold on.”

 

“Wait a minute.”

 

I reached out, trying to stop the flow of words from Felicia and Diara.

 

“A being who steps outside the rules can no longer be protected. A price was required.”

 

Just then, with the sound of pitter-pattering feet, little Freyer ran into Felicia’s arms.

 

“Mother!”

 

“My Sun.”

 

“I picked a flower that looks like me to give to you!”

 

A yellow cosmos was clutched in Freyer’s hand. Felicia looked at the flower and smiled sadly.

 

“It’s so beautiful.”

 

“Oh, I see the pretty lady again!”

 

Little Freyer looked up at me with a big, lovely smile.

 

“Freyer, Mommy has something busy to do, so play with this lady for a bit. You can wait bravely, right?”

 

“Of course! I’m not scared when I’m with this lady!”

 

“Wonderful. That’s my Freyer.”

 

Felicia hugged Freyer tightly and whispered, “There was something I always wanted to tell you. My death was not your fault. You don’t need to feel guilty.”

 

Little Freyer tilted his head at the deep words, then burst into giggles at Felicia’s ticklish kiss.

 

“Mommy will always be by your side, Freyer.”

 

“I’ll always be by your side too, Mother!”

 

“We must go, Felicia.”

 

Felicia firmly placed Freyer’s hand into mine. Diara led Felicia toward the hallway.

 

“Please take good care of our Freyer.”

 

Lilithia gripped the small, fern-like hand tightly.

 

As Felicia walked toward the door, cracks began to appear on her body. As the rules of the world grew stronger, light began to leak from the fissures in space.

 

“Please make Freyer happy. Even if my soul is destroyed, I am happy as long as I can see my son smiling.”

 

“…Yes! I will definitely make Freyer happy, Felicia.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

The sunlight pouring over Felicia merged with her, and she transformed into a silver butterfly.

 

“A butterfly.”

 

The butterfly that was Felicia circled around little Freyer once, then fluttered away gracefully on the wind.

 

***

 

In the cosmos field, he was laughing more happily than anyone else with Lilithia.

 

“Lilithia.”

 

The hand touching hers felt so realistic, yet Freyer knew this was a dream.

 

“Your Highness, what is it?”

 

‘I was so afraid that you would have stopped breathing when I opened my eyes. I was afraid I had become the monster that devoured you, Lilithia.’

 

“Run away from me…”

 

‘If it means you can live, perhaps my giving up is the right answer.’

 

“It’s okay now. I will always be by your side, Your Highness.”

 

Soon, a bright light began to spread across his vision in place of Lilithia’s image.

 

‘I’m waking up.’

 

Freyer buried his face in the blankets, unable to look up. The texture of the string in his hand felt vivid. This was reality, and this moment was such a nightmare. He didn’t have the courage to look at Lilithia, who had collapsed and wouldn’t wake up. He felt as if he would truly lose her the moment he opened his eyes.

 

“Your Highness.”

 

He heard the voice of his precious person.

 

“Freyer.”

 

‘Am I still in the dream?’

 

“Your Highness! The sun is high in the sky!”

 

At the sudden loud voice, Freyer slowly lifted his head. Lilithia was right there, smiling brightly. Her beaming face, the luster of her hair, and her dainty hand resting on his—it was all vivid.

 

“It’s not a dream. It’s not…”

 

Freyer looked into Lilithia’s purple eyes and pulled her into a tight embrace.

 

“Did you have a bad dream?”

 

“It was such a good dream… it was so happy that it felt like hell.”

 

“How can a good dream feel like hell?”

 

“Because I was afraid… afraid I would lose you. Afraid I’d lose you in reality, Lilithia…”

 

Tears streamed down Freyer’s cheeks, soaking Lilithia’s shoulder. Lilithia patted his back and said,

 

“I’m right here.”

 

“…I will never tell you to run away again. Stay by my side, Lilithia Baimery.”

 

Freyer stared intensely into her eyes without blinking. Then, with a longing gaze, he whispered,

 

“Lilithia. That one night with you changed me completely. I can’t even imagine happiness in a life without you.”

 

I couldn’t help but let out a foolish, wide grin.

 

“What if that night never happened? What if I hadn’t come to find you?”

 

“Even if I went back to the past and you didn’t come to me, I would ask for your name on that day and tell you that you are my destiny.”

 

Freyer spoke as he gently caressed my hand. I gave him a playful, bright smile.

 

“Then I would have thought you were a crazy man who falls in love too easily?”

 

“It doesn’t matter. Because I am that crazy man who fell in love with you.”

 

His intense gaze, signaling he would never let go again, met mine.

 

“Are you happy now, Your Highness?”

 

“I am happier than anyone because I can be with you.”

 

At his sincerity, my heart began to pound like a hammer.

 

“Then, do you love me?”

 

“I love you more than anyone, Lilithia Baimery.”

 

“It’s the same for me.”

 

A massive smile spread across Freyer’s face, and I burst into laughter as I met his eyes.

 

“I might have loved you from the very first moment I saw you, Lilithia.”

 

“I guess I was your favorite all along?”

 

“Favorite?”

 

“It’s a thing.”

 

As I beamed, Freyer’s expression turned subtle for a moment before he shared the same smile. His eyes burned brightly. Then, with a relaxed grin, he pressed his lips against mine.

 

The silver letters reading ‘R. Mary’ on the fabric in Freyer’s hand began to fade. Silver dust formed the shape of butterflies and vanished into the air. The letters disappeared without a trace, as if they had never existed from the start.

 

“I love you, Lilithia Baimery.”

 

“I love you too, Freyer Lundberg.”

 

“Lilithia. I can’t forget that night with you.”

 

Mine.

 

[End of Main Story]

 

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That was the end, everyone! Well, sorta. There’s still 5 special stories left. I’m slightly embarrassed to say I cried to this chapter even if it’s not something new. Lilithia gave me secondhand embarrassment a lot throughout this journey so I’m going to admit i’m a bit relieved to be almost done with this. Anyway, we’ll release the first two special stories tomorrow!