Chapter 115
I knew I had been asleep for a long time.
Even in that slumber, I sometimes felt the flow of time. I heard the voices of those who came to find me.
I was already grateful just to know I hadn’t died. To be given another chance—it was something I could only be thankful for.
The sacred tree told me many things. It explained that the sacred trees were branches from the World Tree that the gods had planted at the dawn of time. These sacred trees connected to the World Tree, and through it, to the gods themselves. They also held all the answers to my questions.
From the very beginning, I was someone the gods had prepared for this world.
“Even the smallest change can bring great results. You were the little stone that started a big ripple. Do you know the term ‘butterfly effect’?”
“Even without me, this world would have survived.”
“But what would have happened after? The war would have come again. Tarsila was ancient evil itself, festering for centuries. She would eventually have torn through the cracks of the world to appear. She would have become disaster incarnate.”
“Still, they could have managed. Cassius was there, the snow people were there, and… even the Empire could have helped. Aren’t you praising me too much?”
“Stephanie would not have existed then. Because without Theo, she would never have awakened.”
Stephanie.
That vast and beautiful dragon who fought Tarsila. She had never been part of the “original story” I had read, so I never even imagined her. Theo had been the one who brought Stephanie forth.
“Pure souls call out to other pure souls.”
“Then… what about the novel I read? That story…?”
“All worlds are recorded. Your world, too, is being written somewhere. Those records are stored in the great ‘Library’ that governs all dimensions. And those stories spread into other worlds—told, written, and read again. That’s how worlds expand and strengthen their roots.”
It was a difficult idea to grasp.
“…Did I really make the right choice? What if I ruined everything?”
“Foolish child. The gods do not make mistakes. You were my choice. And even this time, I did not choose wrong.”
That alone was enough. Proof that everything I had done had meaning. That I was worthy to stand in Lorencia’s place. No matter what anyone else said.
Spring returned to Istheria, a land that had been drowning in silence.
The servants had only one thing to say:
“The true mistress of the castle has returned.”
The head maid wept openly, and even the dignified butler could not hide his tears. They had all lived cautiously, walking on eggshells in her absence, hiding every memory of Charlotte in silence.
The duchess’s chambers had remained closed for more than a year, only opened occasionally when the maid came to clean. The garden she loved had fallen still. The paths she used to walk were covered in dead leaves.
Cassius had suffered too deeply from her absence, and the servants had chosen silence to match him.
So when Charlotte appeared in his arms, the servants looked as though they were seeing a ghost. It had been over a year in silence.
“I always believed… I knew you would come back.”
The head maid grabbed Charlotte’s hand tightly.
Charlotte smiled awkwardly. Seeing them cry just at the sight of her made her heart feel soft and tender.
“I came back too late, didn’t I?”
Her warm voice matched the warmth in her expression.
“I’m sorry. I made you all worry for so long.”
“N-no, my lady. You’re here now. That’s all that matters!”
The head maid sobbed loudly. The other maids wiped their eyes. The dark clouds over the North had finally lifted. With the spring breeze, Charlotte had truly returned.
Cassius clung to Charlotte, still hardly able to believe she was real. He feared that if he closed his eyes, she would vanish again. She felt so close, yet always just out of reach.
His hand traced the line of her spine. He felt her breath, her scent, her warmth—all so vivid, yet like a mirage.
Charlotte stroked his hair.
“…It really is you.”
She bit her lip. She could guess what he was thinking, but she knew no words could soothe his fear.
So she whispered gently:
“Spring has come. And the children have gone to the Academy.”
Cassius stayed silent, only listening. He didn’t want to miss even a single word. He had regretted too much already.
“Let’s go to the capital too. I heard His Majesty has invited us several times. We can see the children, and look at how the world is doing.”
His fingers lingered along her shoulder blades. Her chest grew damp with his trembling breaths, as though he were breathing life back into her.
“We should see the world we helped protect. And accept the Emperor’s rewards too.”
“…Alright.”
He answered softly.
“I saw what you accomplished while I was gone.”
The North had nearly returned to its former state, step by step erasing the scars of the past.
Monuments for fallen heroes stood on a clearing where new grass had just begun to grow.
Erase, but never forget. That was how Cassius would lead the North.
“That’s why I don’t regret it.”
Cassius’s hand froze. His fingers pressed harder against her ribs. He tried to raise his head, but Charlotte stopped him.
“I believe I did what I had to do. Still… I wish there had been a better way.”
Cassius exhaled heavily.
“If there had been a way for you not to leave me and the children, that would’ve been better.”
“Cassius…”
“The only thing I regretted… was leaving you and the children behind. Making you suffer. I never wanted to hurt you. But in the end, I think I hurt you the most. That’s what I regret.”
She brushed her lips against his hair. How could she ever truly convey all of this? He would never know.
The feelings that had burst out when she was ready to die—the ones she couldn’t fully express, no matter how she tried.
She hadn’t wanted to cause pain, but in order to save them, she had to. And that hurt her too.
“I wanted to make you smile. To make you happy. I wanted to be the reason for that.”
Her fingers trembled. She was so grateful to finally be able to say the words she hadn’t said before. To hold him again.
“I’m sorry… for hurting you. For making you cry. I’m so, so sorry.”
She gave him the apology she had longed to give.
Cassius buried his face against her, gritting his teeth.
“…Don’t leave me again.”
“I promise. I’ll stay by your side until my last breath. Until the day the gods take me, I will love you.”
She repeated the words she had once been forced to speak through pain.
“I love you, Cassius. So very, very much.”
It was the truth she had carried for so long. Cassius answered in a choked voice:
“I love you too. I love you, more than anything.”
The days of pain—when they could not say it—were over now. Charlotte had returned, and they were together again.
And with this, our journey comes to an end.
From the first page to the very last, these characters have lived, struggled, and loved in ways that I hope touched your heart as much as they did mine. Their world was born from ink and imagination, but it was your eyes, your time, and your heart that gave it life.
Thank you for walking beside Charlotte, Cassius, Theo, Stephanie, and all the rest until the very end. Thank you for crying with them, smiling with them, and believing in their tomorrow.
Though this chapter is closed, may the warmth of their world linger with you, just as it will forever remain with me.
Until we meet again in another story—thank you, and may your own spring always come. 🌸
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️