“I got so startled by the sandstorm that my legs won’t move!”
And then, as a group, they loudly called out to Dietrian.
“Your Highness! Please take a rest! We need time for repairs!”
“Yes! Our luggage is damaged, and we can’t take another step. Please grant us some rest!”
In response to the sudden complaints, Leticia looked around in surprise.
But that wasn’t the end of the surprises. The diplomatic mission from the Principality, who had been on the verge of death just moments ago, suddenly started unpacking their backpacks and preparing to set up tents.
Unfurling a brown piece of fabric in a hurry, Yulken shouted.
“Hold the ends on both sides!”
“Understood!”
The large brown sheet quickly spread out on the ground, and they adjusted its position in the blink of an eye.
“Hammer!”
“Yes!”
As soon as the fabric was in place, Banessa, as if waiting, emerged.
They immediately started hammering vigorously. Clang, clang, clang, clang. The cheerful sound of hammering echoed in the air. The stakes quickly drove into the ground.
It was truly a seamless operation. In no time, a brown tent stood tall in the desert.
Leticia’s mouth hung open in astonishment.
She had never seen anything like this before, the sight of the Principality’s diplomatic mission. In response to Leticia, Dietrian casually remarked.
“Sandstorms are indeed quite dangerous. Judging by how quickly they set up, it seems they’ve had a tough time.”
He then took her hand and began to walk.
“So, we must take a break immediately. Right now.”
Leticia followed him in a daze.
* * *
Tenua, who had been watching the two from a distance, gritted his teeth.
“Damn it, how boring.”
A faint yellowish wind swirled around his feet like a playful puppy. It was the seed of the sandstorm he had just summoned.
“If it weren’t for that bastard, I could have ground that woman’s face into the dust.”
Tenua’s face contorted into a grotesque expression. Unfulfilled desires bubbled up within him.
He craved blood, to the point of madness. But not just anyone’s blood, it was Leticia’s blood he desired.
He hadn’t been fixated on Leticia from the beginning.
“Tenua, from now on, I entrust Leticia to you. She’s my daughter, but she’s incredibly dangerous. She suffers from madness. Please, use your power to guide my daughter onto the right path.”
When he first heard the Saint’s command, Tenua had only found it amusing.
Who was she to say who should guide whom? Was she really her birth mother?
For a moment, he entertained such thoughts. But he knew better. He had received an order, and that was all there was to it.
It was bothersome. What he wanted was blood. He couldn’t kill the Saint’s daughter even if she woke up from the dead.
With a reluctant attitude, he had observed Leticia for the first time. He had quickly become ensnared in the orders he had received.
The moment he saw her, he was captivated.
She was nothing like the description he had heard from the Saint.
He had heard that she was an evil woman who had killed countless people due to her madness, to the point where even the Saint couldn’t stop her. But that was far from the truth.
Leticia appeared incredibly fragile. Her slender body looked like it could break with a slight touch, and the ugly scars on her wrists even raised suspicions of abuse.
Yet, there was hope in her eyes.
That hope had captured his gaze.
No matter how resilient a person may be, if they are subjected to extreme conditions for a long time, they will eventually break.
Just like a precious jewel losing its luster after being trampled on, their value changes. But Leticia was different.
Even after enduring nightmarish times that would break even an adult, she still held onto hope.
The green eyes that looked at him were so clear and innocent that it sent shivers down his spine.
That’s why he wanted to destroy it.
By his own hands, without a doubt.
Slowly, relentlessly, he wanted to crush her hope so that it could never take root again.
He wanted to etch that process into his memory. It wasn’t about finishing it in one go but having the patience to gradually break her spirit. It wasn’t an easy task for the impatient Tenua, but it was worth it.
Leticia’s eyes were as clear and innocent as they could be.
Even when she collapsed from exhaustion, her eyes remained just as hopeful.
If the goddess had manifested herself, this is what she would have looked like, he thought.
Sometimes, he even felt that Leticia, the daughter, was more divine than her mother Josephina.
Anyway, she was still human in the end. No matter how strong her will was, there were parts of her that could break.
“The fallen prince of the Principality was quite special, wasn’t he? That guy’s dead. He died because of you.”
Tenua was the one who informed Leticia of Julios’s death.
“His corpse hung at the gates for months. It rotted and was pecked at by crows.”
“So now, you have no allies, no one.”
“The fallen prince died because of you.”
Since that day, the hope that once twinkled like a star in her eyes had faded away.
In its place, darkness and eerie despair took hold.
And when her eyes met those of the people he had killed, it sent shivers of ecstasy down his spine.
Just a little more. Just a little more to break her completely!
He thought so, but one day, the time came for him to leave the capital.
His steps were heavy as he left Leticia behind. He couldn’t help but worry. Would she fall apart completely in his absence?
He had worried so much about that.
However, when he reunited with Leticia after his absence, she was perfectly fine. No, she was even more radiant than the last time he saw her.
Her kind smile was so beautiful that even a scarf couldn’t hide it, and her eyes sparkled like jewels, devoid of any trace of despair.
Even the hope that he once thought was shattered seemed to return.
The moment he realized this, he was overjoyed!
It was like a broken toy from the past had miraculously returned to its pristine condition.
He had been dragged along due to the orders of the Saint, but he was so completely absorbed in Leticia that he almost forgot about it.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her every step and gesture. He wanted to see her succumb to pain as she had in the past.
That’s why he summoned the sandstorm!
“Why is that insect meddling in others’ affairs?”
Everything had gone wrong because of King Dietrian. He wanted to tear Dietrian’s limbs apart, but he couldn’t.
All because of the damned orders of Josephina!
He had to protect the Royal Envoy until they reached the Principality safely. That was the command.
“If only I had wings, I could have killed that bastard!”
Disobeying Josephina’s orders would result in excruciating pain. Tenua had experienced it once.
It felt like being struck by lightning, with every cell in his body screaming in agony. It was as if a giant were crushing him, making it impossible to even breathe.
Tenua had no choice but to be loyal to Josephina, despite her not valuing his life.
Tenua’s anger naturally turned towards the wind spirit by his side.
“You should have acted faster! You should have killed that woman before the King appeared! What were you even doing? You’re too slow!”
For some reason, the sluggish spirit reacted slowly today. It was all because of its mistake. Tenua kicked the spirit with his rough boot.
“Burst!”
The spirit let out a scream like a dog and collapsed.
Soon after, it exploded.
As the wind spirit disappeared, the space was filled with dust. Tenua waved his hand to disperse the dust and took a step forward.
He was so angry that he couldn’t stay still. He felt like he needed to wield his power and see blood to calm down.
But no matter how much he wanted to rampage freely, he couldn’t. The Saint’s most faithful hound, Ahwin, was watching over him.
“Ahwin! When the hell is this damn desert going to end?”
If he couldn’t attack the Royal Envoy, he needed to grasp something else, like Leticia.
“I’m sick of this gravel desert! We can’t even ride wagons or camels because of the gravel!”
Tenua kicked the ground in frustration. Ahwin, who had just instructed the knights to rest, turned to look at him with an expressionless face.
“Having to walk under the scorching sun all day! How much longer do we have to endure this?”
It hadn’t even been a day since they entered the desert, but Tenua was already pushing his luck.
“Whether it’s guarding or sailing, I can’t stand it anymore. Either let me leave the gravel desert first, or…”
Because he had a real desire.
“Leticia, give me that woman. Until we arrive in the Principality, I’ll play with her as I please.”
“What did you just say?”
“The Saint’s orders are only to protect the Royal Envoy, right? It should be okay to touch that woman, right?”
Tenua chuckled wickedly.
“Surely, the Saint didn’t order you to protect that woman too. Until we reach the Principality, I should be able to do as I please with Leticia. So, hand her over!”
Ahwin remained silent for a moment. He stared at Tenua as if seeing through him, then closed his eyes. After a while, he exhaled slowly, as if suppressing something. Then he spoke.
“Do as you wish.”
“Good. Then hand over that woman right now…”
“No, I mean, leave.”
“What?”
Tenua looked bewildered as he stared at Ahwin. Ahwin, who had opened his eyes, gazed directly at Tenua.
“If you find the gravel desert so unbearable, then you should leave. Leave now.”
“But what about the escort?”
“Take a moment to clear your head and return. I’ll take care of things for now.”
To Tenua’s surprise, he was left dumbfounded by Ahwin’s unexpected response. He was allowing him to leave the escort? Wasn’t this naive fellow supposed to believe that if it was the Saint’s command, he should accomplish it even if the heavens split in two?
“You mean I can disregard the Saint’s command?”
“Is Her Holiness’s command really that important to you?”
Ahwin twisted his beak-like mouth.
“We have a long way to go before reaching the Principality. It’s better for you to take a break when you can to perform the command well. So, please leave now. I’ll see you when you return.”
Without waiting for Tenua’s response, Ahwin bowed his head slightly and turned around. He quickly walked away.
“What’s with that stubborn guy? Why is he acting like this?”
Tenua muttered in confusion as he watched Ahwin’s retreating figure. Ahwin’s behavior of willingly letting him go and being so courteous felt strange and awkward to him.
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