ALL NOVEL Chapter 245
“Ugh.”
Lars Gothberg groaned softly as he opened his eyes.
“Hah.”
His mind felt foggy, as if shrouded in mist. Thoughts barely formed and memories were hazy. It took him a while just to remember who he was.
It was daytime. Sunlight and wind streamed through the gaps in the curtain, gently tickling his bangs.
The ceiling looked familiar. But as he turned his head to survey the room, he realized it wasn’t one he recognized.
Yet, the bed he lay on, the furniture, and the wallpaper were all designs he was familiar with. It was definitely the Marquis’s Estate.
Huh.
Lars clenched his fists. There wasn’t much strength behind them.
His eyes were gritty, and his mouth and nose felt dry.
Only then did the message from the last Status Window he had seen come to mind.
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· [Fainting (3 years)] has been activated.
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Three years.
Had he really been unconscious for that long, only just now waking up?
Looking at his limbs, lacking muscle like a sick person, left no doubt that it was true.
“…Damn.”
With great effort, Lars pushed himself up from the bed.
His head spun, and his stomach churned, but he struggled to move.
Surprisingly, his joints didn’t creak much. The medical team must have provided some rehabilitation during his time down.
“Acella.”
The first name that came to Lars’s lips was, of course, hers.
He had to find Acella.
She had used magic at the cost of her lifespan. Though she said she still had plenty of time left, there were always secrets between the two of them.
She might have lied to get him to drink an elixir, and he had no idea what had happened during the time he was out.
Huh.
Lars steadied himself against a wand nearby and slowly began to walk. His breath quickly became ragged, so he opened his item box and downed a vitality potion.
“Y-Young Master!”
As he stepped out of the room, the butler Cervus dropped the IV he was holding in shock.
“You’re awake!”
“Cervus, it’s been a while.”
Lars waved his hand. He had to ask the most important question first.
“Is Royal Princess Acella here?”
“It’s the Royal Princess you mean! Yes, she is here! She was just tending to your care a moment ago!”
“Really?”
Lars sighed with relief, at least knowing that Acella’s life hadn’t run out yet.
And he was also shocked that she had stayed by his side for a staggering three years.
Feeling a mix of gratitude and guilt for the time Acella had spent alone, Lars asked, “Where is she now?”
“Well, today is the weekend, so at this hour she must be…”
As Cervus explained, Lars couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I need to go meet the Royal Princess. Cervus, help me get dressed.”
“Of, of course. But are you sure you’re well enough? You just woke up…”
Lars urged him on.
“There’s someone waiting for me.”
*
After a while, Lars, now dressed in casual clothes, walked slowly down the back path of the Marquis’s Estate.
The slightly chilly spring breeze began to make familiar buildings come into view.
The annex of the Marquis’s Estate. It was that very brick house where his old room was.
In the backyard, a wide willow forest stretched to the north. The leaves swayed in the wind, creating a soothing whoosh sound.
And on the third floor of the annex, directly visible from his room’s window, a vibrant field of bright yellow flowers welcomed Lars.
“…Haha.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle.
Even though it had been years since he last visited, the yellow rose garden greeted him unchanged.
In fact, it might have looked exactly the same as it did the first time he saw it.
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Objective: Avoid bad ending (Completed)
Remaining time: 15 minutes
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Ten years.
Exactly that amount of time had passed since his last reset.
It was a strange sensation, something Lars had never experienced before.
Usually, right before the end, the world had been crumbling or death was near.
This peaceful world, with its pure and bright blue sky felt oddly out of place.
And this scenery, the brilliantly maintained yellow rose garden was certainly not here by coincidence.
In the middle of the flowerbed, a woman stood with her back to Lars.
As the wind brushed by, her silver hair danced and sparkled in the sunlight.
Lars slowly walked toward her, step by step.
Each time he did, the grass beneath his feet crunched softly.
Feeling a presence, she slowly turned around.
It was a face he could never forget, one he would remember for a lifetime.
She looked at Lars with a bright smile, lifting the corners of her mouth.
Breaking etiquette and grace, she sprinted towards him and buried herself in his arms.
“You sleepyhead.”
Acella looked up at Lars.
“I’m sorry for being late.”
“It’s fine.”
Just waking up was enough for Lars.
Acella hugged him tightly, as if she wanted nothing more.
It wasn’t possessiveness, nor obsession.
It was just gratitude for the fact that they were together, and happiness at being able to hold him in her arms right now.
She needed nothing else.
Lars felt her feelings shine through.
Without words, he embraced Acella with all his might.
That alone was enough of a response.
It was a reward.
The time Acella had spent waiting for Lars was…
“Lars.”
How long had they been in their own world together? Acella slowly pulled back and looked into his eyes.
“I worry about your health, and I have a lot I want to share, and I think you have many questions too.”
“Um… that’s true.”
“But now… you know.”
Acella hesitated a bit, blushing as she spoke.
“I want to tell you how much I love you.”
With her shy confession, Lars burst into laughter.
“I think I’ve heard that already.”
“Heard it?”
“Oh, quite a lot. What was it again? ‘You understand the Royal Princess’s feelings well,’ ‘your moves are impressive,’ ‘you’re like a man,’ ‘you communicate well,’…”
“Oh, come on.”
Acella blushed red and covered his mouth.
“How do you remember something I said so precisely?”
“Well, for me, that was just a few days ago.”
“Ah… right.”
Lars caressed Acella’s blushing cheek.
“I understand completely, Your Majesty.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. You’ve been by my side all this time.”
This time, there was no playful attitude.
He spoke in a serious tone, unlike any before.
“Your Majesty’s feelings have been conveyed clearly.”
“…Okay.”
“And I know that for you, it may seem distant because it’s been three years.”
Lars’s deep, sea-like eyes met Acella’s golden ones.
It felt like he was being pulled in, sinking deep into the ocean’s depths.
“I share the same feelings of love for you, Your Majesty.”
Seriously, how did humanity ever invent words that tasted this sweet?
If he could feel this way all the time, he’d want to plunge even deeper into his submerged heart.
“…Okay.”
He could only respond with foolish simple words.
Acella slowly nodded and looked down.
A moment of silence passed.
Acella spoke first.
“Thinking about it, we’ve really come a long way.”
With a wistful smile, she fixed Lars’s hair.
“The first time we met was ten years ago, right here.”
“Indeed.”
“If I could go back to those times, I wouldn’t waste a single second to love you.”
A glimmer of bittersweet pain reflected in Acella’s eyes.
“I want to tell my past self to trust you, to believe in you from the start. If I had done that, we could have been together even sooner. It’s frustrating.”
“It’s okay.”
Lars comforted Acella, rubbing her back gently.
His calm voice steadily eased her anxious heart.
“We’re together now.”
Lars responded with a filled conviction.
Acella’s smile became a comfortable one.
As he said, it hadn’t been wasted time.
As long as they were together, this moment felt just as eternal.
…It felt just like when they first met, mirroring Lars’s image.
As if they could start anew at the very spot where they first met, just like ten years ago.
Lars understood Acella’s feelings perfectly.
The self-centered Royal Princess he hadn’t understood all this time was no more.
In her golden eyes, a girl filled with affection nestled in his embrace.
Together, they saw the past within each other’s eyes.
“Your Majesty.”
“Yes, Lars.”
Lars extended his pinky finger toward Acella.
“We must keep our promise to be happy together.”
Acella smiled brightly and grasped his hand.
Only a gentle spring breeze remained in the flower garden where the two departed.
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· You have entered the good ending route.
· Ten years later, back in the flower garden 97%
· Time until ending: 30 days
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