“Why do you take your injuries so lightly? Why do you always endure it!”
Her heart ached immensely. It felt like her chest was being torn apart.
Somehow kneeling, Noel gazed up at Leticia, her expression desperate.
“If Lady Leticia gets hurt, here, my heart hurts so much. So please, please don’t endure it. Okay?”
Tears welled visibly in her eyes, and Leticia’s eyes also seemed on the verge of tears.
“Noel.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it well. I’ll make them disappear quietly so you’ll never be inconvenienced, okay?”
“They are courtiers whom my mother values. If they die, you might be in danger, Noel.”
“I’m not in danger at all!”
Noel vehemently shook her head.
“If I said that they disturbed the mood of a wing, that would be the end of it. Other wings do even worse things. So why can’t I do this!”
Her burning emotions were fully conveyed. Leticia felt thankful for Noel’s concern, yet guilty for not accepting her feelings.
She couldn’t permit murder for this kind of incident.
“Noel. I…I don’t want to become like my mother.”
Leticia’s mother, the Holy Maiden Josephina.
She killed people far too easily. If there was anyone who even slightly displeased her, she eradicated them all.
And all those massacres were, of course, executed by Josephina’s wings.
A prominent incident was the release of the sealed monster, Balenos.
It happened about three months after Leticia had left for the Principality. The wing, which was assigned to escort the delegation from the Magic Empire, summoned Balenos during the escort. Josephina, who had always regarded the Magic Empire as a thorn in her side, ordered the delegation to be attacked.
That event resulted in the death of dozens of people, and the wing that had summoned Balenos was also severely injured. She couldn’t remember who had unleashed the seal on Balenos.
Around that time, she was not in her right mind, battling the fear of the curse.
It was only natural she couldn’t remember, even if she had heard about it.
In any case, Leticia never wanted to live like her mother.
She couldn’t know if she was truly the Holy Maiden chosen by the goddess. Nor could she understand why Noel swore allegiance to her.
The only certainty was, even if she were to gain a power stronger than what she possessed now, she did not want to wield that power recklessly.
“Noel, I’m sorry for being so stubborn. But I am really fine…”
At those words, Noel’s gaze turned fierce. Tears even streamed down her cheeks. Ultimately, Leticia had to change her following words due to that sight.
“…I’m not. Of course, I was also angry and hurt.”
Noel’s gaze intensified even more. Leticia spoke, somehow feeling like the master-servant relationship had reversed.
“However, I believe that the punishment for a wrongdoing should be justified. They have been punished enough…”
…Saying they had received enough might cause a big problem.
Eventually, Leticia heaved a hefty sigh and said,
“I thought they had. Was it really insufficient, after all?”
“Of course! It was insufficient!”
As if she had never wiped her tears, Noel’s eyes sparkled. Leticia eventually burst into laughter.
“Moderately, I’ll ask for moderation.”
“I’ll moderately cut off only one arm and one leg each. Is that okay?”
“…Obviously, absolutely not.”
“Oh my, our lady is far too merciful.”
Noel grinned wickedly. Very politely, she lightly kissed Leticia’s sleeve and whispered.
“Don’t worry. I will handle it perfectly, just as you wish.”
* * *
As promised, Noel perfectly executed Leticia’s command.
Watching the courtiers, who were now whole but soullessly fleeing, Noel felt exceedingly gratified.
Seeing Noel’s demeanor, a flustered Leticia eventually laughed. Initially, it was strange to have someone protect her so earnestly, but she did not entirely dislike it.
It felt rather reassuring. A gentle warmth seemed to seep into her withered heart bit by bit.
“I will perfectly escort you all the way to the Principality!”
There was more good news. Noel had said that she would be accompanying the diplomatic delegation as an escort.
“Ahwin will surely recognize Lady Leticia before we arrive.”
Leticia cracked a faint smile.
“I hope so too.”
In truth, Leticia did not hold high hopes regarding Ahwin. Ahwin was the wing that Josephina cherished the most.
Although Ahwin’s awakening was only the third, he had served Josephina closer than the first or second wing.
Ahwin wasn’t merely pliable like a tongue in the mouth. Rather, he often opposed what Josephina intended to do.
He boldly gave advice that, if given by anyone else, would have warranted severe punishment for disturbing the Holy Maiden’s state of mind.
Nevertheless, Josephina would smile and let it go when Ahwin spoke like that. After all, she could subdue Ahwin to her will using the power of the goddess whenever she wished.
The oath was such a thing.
Opposing the master’s will would bring pain and even drain strength.
Knowing all that, Ahwin could not abandon giving advice.
Josephina considered such demeanor of Ahwin to be true evidence of loyalty.
Leticia thought the same.
As a wing, Ahwin always did his best to assist Josephina. Leticia could not at all imagine Ahwin serving another master besides Josephina.
‘Nevertheless, I’m happy.’
It didn’t matter if Ahwin recognized Leticia or not. Because Noel and Ahwin could continue to be together.
Without realizing it, Leticia projected Dietrian and herself onto the couple.
She wholeheartedly hoped that the love between the two naturally bears fruit.
May they find happiness in this life, unlike in the past.
Was it with that thought that she fell asleep?
That night.
Leticia had a dream from long ago.
* * *
It was not long after her Principality fell and she was brought to the empire. In the dream, Leticia was crouched in a corner of the palace.
“It hurts.”
She felt as if her whole body had been beaten with a club. She had a high fever and hadn’t received proper treatment. Suffering from the heat, she leaned against the wall, seeking some relief.
“Heh, hah.”
As she struggled to breathe, she heard whispers.
“Have you heard why Lord Ahwin was exiled?”
It was the voices of the palace maids who served in the inner court.
“I heard. After Lady Noel died, he went mad.”
“Went mad? Why?”
“They were lovers.”
“He killed his own lover with his own hands? That’s horrifying!”
Leticia blinked slowly. Noel and Ahwin. Even if she tried not to care, their names inevitably reached her ears.
“They weren’t lovers. They dated once, but they broke up after the Balenos incident.”
Leticia exhaled heavily. She wanted to hear more of their story, but her body was in too much pain.
“What’s the Balenos incident?”
“When the two of them were escorting the magic empire’s delegation. That’s when Balenos appeared.”
“Half of the delegation died, and Lord Ahwin was gravely injured, right? And Lady Noel was unharmed, which caused a lot of talk.”
Her eyes began to close, and their voices gradually faded. A rosy twilight pierced through her closed eyelids.
“Lord Ahwin is the one who unsealed Balenos.”
Leticia’s body slumped weakly. Her long golden hair scattered messily on the ground. A long shadow stretched out over her fallen hand.
“Then, Lady Noel was allowed to escape first. That’s why they broke up.”
“She was allowed to escape but they broke up?”
“Of course they broke up!”
Someone exclaimed excitedly.
“Ahwin unleashed Balenos to kill the delegation and deceived Lady Noel!”
* * *
The dream ended. Leticia, gazing at the ceiling shrouded in darkness, suddenly sat up.
Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her hand clutching the blanket had gone white.
That’s right. She had heard of it.
The wing that had released Balenos’s seal.
It was Ahwin.
In the past, Noel and Ahwin had once moved together as escorts for a foreign delegation.
The magic empire. Just like Josephina saw the Principality as a thorn in its side, this nation, alive with magic, couldn’t be taken lightly.
After conflicts with the magic empire’s delegation, Josephina, unable to contain her anger, ordered Ahwin to release Balenos.
As a result, half of the magic empire’s delegation died, and Ahwin too was gravely injured.
Noel managed to leave the delegation one day before the seal was released, thus she was able to avoid Balenos.
‘Surely not. It can’t be.’
Leticia nervously bit her lip.
The past and the present were surely different. Unlike in the past, the delegation that the two would escort now was not from the magic empire but the Principality.
Moreover, that incident happened three months later.
But, why. Why was she so uneasy?
In the end, unable to withstand the anxiety, Leticia got up. Hastily pulling on her outer garment, she went outside.
It was a time when the sun had not yet risen, so it was very dark outside. Only the lanterns hanging on the wall flickered, illuminating the corridor.
Leticia, uncertain where to go, lingered anxiously in the empty corridor and then started walking without purpose.
‘I need to see Ahwin.’
Although she was not certain that he would listen to her, she couldn’t just stand still.
She recalled from memory where Ahwin’s room was and, placing her hand on the cold stone wall, she moved quickly.
Fortunately, there were no patrol guards in sight. Hastily descending the stairs, Leticia thought,
‘He must surely be in his room at this hour.’
The national wedding was to be held the very next day. There was no way Ahwin, who was overseeing the escort for the wedding ceremony, would be anywhere else at this dawn.
Leticia quickened her steps toward Ahwin’s room.
Seeing him inside the room herself seemed to be the only way to ease her mind.
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