Not long after, a palace attendant once again bowed to Noel.
“We will need to wait for a moment.”
“It’s almost time for lunch. The nobles are entering the palace. I need to inform the Saint once again…”
“The Saint is already aware.”
The words were polite, but the underlying message was clear: do not disturb the Saint, whether the nobles wait or not.
“Understood.”
Noel’s lips twisted in frustration. She stared at the firmly closed door with cold eyes.
“How unfortunate.”
Despite having experienced countless incidents since becoming a Wing, today, managing her emotions seemed particularly difficult.
She quickly withdrew to hide her expression. Her insides were still boiling.
The envoy from the Principality had just left the capital. Both Leticia and Ahwin had departed, leaving only Noel behind in the capital.
Noel, alone.
Was it because she had tasted the sweetness of the Covenant? Today, being left alone felt especially lonely and painful.
All of this was because of the Goddess’s Covenant. Earlier in the morning, Ahwin had suddenly called her.
“The Wing assigned to accompany the envoy has changed. Ninth Wing Noel will remain in the capital to protect the Saint.”
Noel couldn’t believe it. The Wing had been changed. It was like a bolt from the blue.
“Why has the assignment changed? Why all of a sudden? What is happening?”
“It’s because of the Covenant. I can’t explain further.”
Frustrated, she continued to press for answers, but the response remained the same. It was because of the Covenant, and they couldn’t say more.
“Why does the Covenant with the Principality concern me? Why all of a sudden?”
She had scolded Ahwin several times, but he remained unresponsive. It was infuriating to the point where she wanted to kick her beloved man’s shins.
“Then who will go in my place? Can’t you at least tell me that? I’ll find out anyway, so why not tell me?”
Noel couldn’t understand why everything had suddenly changed, and the lack of answers only deepened her frustration.
Barely containing her anger, Noel asked about the replacement for her. For her, Leticia’s safety was more important than her own desires.
“The only other Wing near the capital is Kailas, besides Tenua, right? Tenua will be busy dealing with the rebels. So, it’s Kailas, isn’t it?”
“Kailas is replacing Tenua. Tenua will be in charge of the escort.”
Noel was shocked.
“What did you say? That scum is going to escort the envoy?”
The second Wing of the Goddess, Tenua.
Noel disliked him the most among the nine Wings.
People may call Leticia a murderer, but the real murderer was Tenua.
There was a saying that the corpses he created could form mountains.
Noel’s opposition to Tenua’s escort wasn’t just because of that. Tenua had cruelly tormented Leticia more than anyone else among the nine Wings.
And then, he would boast about what he had done to Leticia, as if proud of it.
“It’s thanks to me that that woman came to her senses.”
“Don’t be fooled by her acting.”
“I’ll have to give her another round of ‘mental training’ soon. Show her the bitterness of life.”
No matter how harsh his words were, they felt uncomfortable even when Leticia misunderstood and thought of herself as a sinner.
Now that Noel was Leticia’s Wing, the thought of what that bastard had done to her was infuriating.
“Stop talking nonsense!”
Naturally, she couldn’t accept Tenua being in charge of the escort.
“No way for Tenua! You know it too. He will definitely harm Leticia! How can that bastard escort her?”
“Leticia? You called her that?”
“Yes. I called her Leticia. Because she is my true mistress! I am the Wing of Saint Leticia, not Saint Josephina.”
Ahwin’s face contorted. He tightly gripped Noel’s arm and whispered.
“Are you in your right mind? Lower your voice. Do you even remember where you are?”
“I can barely contain myself from shouting ‘whale, whale,’ so don’t stop me!”
Noel felt like there was nothing to see. She had to separate from the owner of the newly met soul. And now, a demon would be with her owner.
If it weren’t for Ahwin, her lover who delivered the news, she might have overturned everything with the power of water.
“I realized it a few days ago. She’s my real owner. I knew it as soon as I saw her!”
Noel said, pushing Ahwin’s hand away.
“And you, Ahwin? You met Leticia during the National Marriage. Didn’t you feel anything?”
Even in her rising anger, Noel looked at Ahwin earnestly.
Please, may Ahwin have felt the same emotions as her. Please, may he have recognized Leticia. She wished with all her heart.
Ahwin didn’t say anything. He just looked at Noel with his lips tightly sealed.
His red pupils seemed to be burning like fire. It felt like her heart was sinking.
“You didn’t feel anything for Leticia, did you?”
Her voice trembled unconsciously. But she quickly erased any hesitation and stared at Ahwin firmly. It hurt as if her heart were being torn apart, but she couldn’t change her attitude.
“Whoever you consider your owner doesn’t matter to me. Instead, I will protect my owner. So, Tenua is not acceptable.”
“Now you can’t change the escort.”
Ahwin lowered his head.
“Changing it now might only raise suspicion about Lady Josephina. Do you think that’s a good thing for her?”
“Then, are you telling me to stand by and watch that bastard harm Leticia?”
“That won’t happen. I’ll be there, so trust me.”
Ahwin said firmly.
“I’ll take responsibility and protect her no matter what happens. So, trust me and stay in the capital.”
After a long struggle, Noel finally decided to stay in the capital. As Ahwin said, for now, it was the safest path.
If she forcefully insisted on following Leticia, there was a risk that Josephina might become suspicious. Josephina was already in a sensitive state due to the divine message, and any wrong move could spell trouble.
Of course, no matter what the situation, Noel would put her life on the line to protect Leticia. However, if Josephina tried to harm Leticia deliberately, Noel couldn’t stop it alone.
“Leticia’s wings belong to me alone.”
In contrast, Josephina still had eight wings. If Leticia could use the power of the goddess properly, the situation might change, but she wasn’t there yet.
“So, I should wait as Ahwin suggested.”
It was inevitable that her stomach was churning. Tenua, that demon-like person, being by Leticia’s side made it even worse.
“I need to find a way to follow Leticia somehow.”
Ahwin had promised to take responsibility just like Tenua, but Noel was still anxious. It wasn’t because she didn’t trust Ahwin; it was the instinct of a wing to worry about their owner when they weren’t directly protecting them.
Until she personally escorted Leticia, this unease wouldn’t disappear. No, she felt like she would only be relieved if she killed Tenua with her own hands.
“But I can’t defeat Tenua yet.”
The problem was that the awakening order of the wings’ power was determined. Tenua was the second, while Noel was the ninth. Tenua had to be much stronger than Noel. She could probably defend against one attack if she were prepared to sacrifice herself, but afterward, she had no chance.
As she thought about it, Noel paused.
“Wait a minute, but am I really the ninth?”
Since they were Leticia’s wings, shouldn’t she be considered the first? After a moment of hesitation, Noel raised her head.
“It’s not certain yet.”
Even if she weren’t the first, there had to be a way to eliminate Tenua.
“If Ahwin helps me, we can definitely defeat that bastard.”
Ahwin was the third wing, but he enjoyed infinite trust from Josephina, making him stronger than an average third wing. So, if they joined forces, they could undoubtedly defeat Tenua.
“But I’d rather not use that method if I can help it.”
“Ahwin’s owner isn’t Leticia, after all.”
Noel resented Ahwin for not recognizing Leticia, but at the same time, she felt sorry for him. She could keenly feel the magnitude of his suffering.
It was only after meeting Leticia that Noel understood. The owner of the wings was everything to them, even more important than their own lives. She had only realized this now.
Just as Noel believed she would do anything for Leticia, Ahwin would likely do the same for Josephina. Just as Noel might resent Josephina, Ahwin might resent Leticia. Nevertheless, Ahwin had promised to protect Leticia.
“Because he loves me.”
Noel weakly smiled. Unlike Ahwin, who vowed to protect Leticia, she still disliked Josephina.
Even if Josephina were in danger, Noel felt that she would never come to her rescue.
“Sigh.”
Noel let out a deep sigh and pressed her eyes with the back of her hand. Then, she glanced at the clock again. An hour had passed since she arrived here.
Today, Josephina’s first event was a luncheon with noble guests who came as an envoy for a wedding celebration.
Despite the scheduled time having long passed, Josephina hadn’t come out of her room. It would be frustrating for the noble guests waiting at the empty dining table.
“They must be really annoyed.”
Noel imagined the faces of the nobles, who she didn’t even know, getting angry at Josephina for making them wait. This thought made her feel a bit better.
The fact that there were people who disliked Josephina, apart from herself, was somewhat comforting.
“By the way, why did the royal attitude suddenly change?”
It had been ten years since the nobles came directly to the palace to celebrate an event. The people of the Saintess’ retinue complained that the arrogant nobles had finally come to their senses and paid respects to the true ruler of the empire, using the pretext of celebrating the royal wedding.
“But who’s the true ruler?”
Noel chuckled to herself.
“These nobles attending the wedding are quite unusual, aren’t they? I hope one of those ill-tempered nobles gives Josephina a hard time.”
Noel’s anger was already building up from escorting someone she disliked, and if that were to happen, it might provide some relief.
Meanwhile, Josephina’s room remained closed, and she had no idea when she would finally come out.
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