The two held hands and entered the ceremony venue. A cream-colored carpet led to the altar. At the end of that path decorated with fresh and artificial flowers, Doris stood with an unusually solemn expression as the officiant.

With each slow step on the carpet, blessings poured down on them. Behind them, Roye followed toddling along, holding a cute bouquet.

“Those clothes suit you well. Doris, you were quite popular, weren’t you?”

When Hari whispered playfully in front of the altar, the priest’s eyebrow rose crookedly.

“What do you mean?”

“The noble ladies were only looking at you.”

The praise didn’t seem to sound bad to him, so Doris cleared his throat. After opening with gratitude and blessings to the guests, he asked the bride and groom standing side by side with an even more solemn face.

“Groom Achilleon, do you swear before God to pledge your love to bride Margharita and welcome her as your lifelong companion?”

“I swear.”

“Bride Margharita, do you promise before God to pledge your love to groom Achilleon and accept him as your lifelong companion?”

Hari slowly raised her head. Behind Doris, the sacred tree rose majestically with its branches stretching powerfully. Golden branches that had ripened and green leaves that changed color like waves whenever the wind shook them.

The rustling sound that seemed to speak to her was familiar. Hari closed her eyes. The white light that filled the world disappeared, and faint afterimages filled her vision where nothing could be seen.

The day when Achilleon, holding a lush bouquet of roses, formally proposed to Hari under the sacred tree. The two lay with their heads together under the blue shade of the sacred tree. They chatted quietly and dozed off in the pleasant breeze, and she had a dream.

In the dream, Hari was a shabby girl. Without knowing who she was, where this place was, or where she was walking toward, she walked through a pure white world of nothingness with no sound or direction.

‘Run away.’ ‘Run away.’

Pushed by the whispering voices, she walked the path aimlessly. Just before collapsing from hunger, something bumped against her toes. It was a bright red fruit. When she swallowed it in one bite, some moment from the past crashed over her like a tsunami.

Luscious fruit and a black beast.

She knew. She remembered that snake. The snake that came to court her every single day, enchanted by her. She knew the snake she had mocked and trampled.

-Look at this hideous face. Who would love me?

-If you become more beautiful than now, you might love me. That pretty child might love me.

Hari, filled with arrogant satisfaction, encouraged the snake’s desire and made it break the sacred tree.

[Child, you have committed three sins. First, the sin of seducing a corrupted beast, second, the sin of offering your body, third, the sin of abandoning your mother’s entreaty and ultimately disturbing the world. Therefore, until your karmic retribution is forgiven, you can never set foot on this land again.]

Hari walked again, crying. With each step she took through the pure white dream where nothing could be seen, her body grew. When she finally became a fully grown woman, there was a familiar face before her eyes.

‘Grandmother?’

When she reached out her hand, grandmother became mother, and mother became Hari’s appearance again. A face identical to herself that she was seeing for the first time. No. This wasn’t herself.

It was Goddess Igrito who resembled her. The woman carefully reached out and placed her hand on Hari’s left chest. A shining seed slowly seeped into Hari’s body.

That’s how Hari woke from her sleep. When she slowly opened her eyes, she saw the sky rippling with warm spring sunlight. Hair blown by the wind fluttered by her ears, and her body embraced in someone’s arms was languid.

‘Just now… what dream did I have?’

It seemed like an important dream, but she couldn’t remember it after waking up. While she was pondering deeply for a while.

“I love you, Margharita.”

Achilleon whispered and embraced her. Enormous warmth enveloped her entire body. Then even the faint remnants of the dream disappeared, and only the tangible warmth could be felt.

After receiving the proposal, Hari had worried.

Perhaps she didn’t love him as much as Achilleon loved her. Maybe she was mistaking needing this man because of the child for love. Maybe she needed someone to depend on.

But if that were true, she wouldn’t have opened the Hitais royal newsletter every day. After settling in Kahilans, she wouldn’t have rejected the men who courted her.

She simply couldn’t imagine a future with anyone other than this person. That was all.

So Hari decided.

“……”

She awakened from her reverie. When she opened her eyes again, light and noise poured in all at once. The wedding march echoed through the ceremony venue.

It was time to move forward now. Everyone was waiting for Hari’s answer with sparkling eyes. Hari took a deep breath and said,

“I swear to become your lifelong companion.”

“With this, the two of you have become husband and wife under God’s oath. Everyone, please bless these two who have newly become a married couple.”

Tremendous cheers and applause followed, making her head dizzy. Roye cheerfully shouted “Mommy, Daddy!” and scattered flowers on Hari’s skirt. Watching the lovely scene, Hari took Achilleon’s hand.

“I clearly told you. I might not love you as much as you love me.”

“I told you too, Hari. If you felt the same way as me, that would be scary too.”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t know how I feel. How much I think about you.”

That was true, but was it scary to that extent?

“From the beginning, I was the one passionately courting.”

“……”

“Asking to let me stay by your side.”

At that moment, she imagined Achilleon, tired of waiting for her heart, leaving forever. Her heart sank like it had fallen into a deep sea. The feeling of being left alone in darkness.

“I deceived you. Actually, Roye isn’t the Second Prince’s child but…”

“I know.”

“You knew?”

“I knew she was my child, but I thought it wouldn’t matter even if she wasn’t.”

“So you gave up the throne and proposed to me because of that? Because you’re her biological father, you thought I would accept you?”

She still couldn’t understand Achilleon’s choice to give up power while looking only at her. When she questioned him again, his response was calm.

“I went there thinking about the possibility that you might have remarried.”

Of course, if Hari had met a new man, reports would have come up long ago. Although he went knowing she was still raising the child alone, even if there had been another man beside her, he wouldn’t have given up his feelings.

He would have lived his whole life with his heart torn apart, just watching from afar.

“What would you have done if I was seeing someone else?”

“As long as you weren’t married, it wouldn’t matter. I had no intention of giving up. That man’s life would have become a bit less interesting.”

The ominously whispered words sounded sincere. While she was speechless, Achilleon smiled grimly.

“Should I tell you in more detail?”

“No… that’s enough. Are you really okay with giving up the throne?”

“Do you want to become queen?”

“No, I’ll pass.”

Hari shuddered. Achilleon looked at her with curiosity at this unpretentious behavior he was seeing for the first time. Embarrassed, she pretended to smooth the wrinkles in her dress.

“It’s not about that, I’m worried you might regret it.”

“Giving up the throne and choosing you? Well, I don’t think I’ll have such thoughts for the next 50 years.”

“What about after that?”

“I might regret it once in a while. Even then, it would have ended as delusions about achievements I might have left as king before dying. But if I hadn’t gone to find you then, I would have regretted it until I died.”

“Are you certain?”

“At least I know clearly what I want right now.”

A boyish laugh was heard. Hari eventually let out a deflating sound and laughed too.

“Hold my hand.”

The two walked slowly between the echoing music and cheers. In the middle of the carpeted path was a round fountain. The bride to the left, the groom to the right.

Reaching the fountain that symbolized two people who had walked different paths finally becoming one, their hands briefly separated.

“Achilleon, do you know something?”

“What?”

Through the joyfully dancing water streams, she could see a man with a dazzling smile. Achilleon reflected on the water surface was smiling just as wonderfully. When their eyes met, her heart beat pleasantly.

“You’re truly beautiful.”

Perhaps the dream she had under the sacred tree wasn’t anything special. What the goddess wanted to convey, what the meaning of that seed was. She still couldn’t interpret it, but…

She had always wanted to say just these words to Achilleon.

“You are a beautiful and strong person.”

Achilleon stopped. The two looked at each other from opposite ends of the fountain. Clearly the surroundings were noisy, but for some reason, at that moment alone, all sounds seemed to disappear and only the two of them remained.

Trickle, trickle.

Even the sound of water dropping completely disappeared, and in the remaining silence, she felt a quiet gaze.

“You know without me saying it, don’t you?”

Was there anyone in Rodos who didn’t know this person was handsome?

“Margharita, you have always been beautiful. From the first moment I saw you until now, and you will continue to remain a beautiful person to me in the future.”

A voice like gentle resonance flowed into the place where noise had receded.

“Unchanging through eternal time.”

Eternal time. Hari now recalled the dream that remained hazily. Deep green eyes gazed at her. When something seemed about to come to mind, they reached the end of the fountain.

The hands that had briefly separated clasped firmly together.

In the endless applause, they faced each other. Achilleon slowly leaned down. His dazzlingly beautiful face came closer, and a soft kiss descended upon Hari’s smiling lips. Warm breaths intertwined and her eyes closed languidly.

The black snake, Radamut, Achilleon.

She was certain he would love her through eternal time. Then does she love this man? She had thought she would know by living together, but her thoughts changed a little. Perhaps she might find the answer sooner than expected.

fin.

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