“Trust only what you’ve seen with your own eyes and heard with your own ears.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“Trust your judgment more than rumors. Sometimes the truth is hidden in unimaginable places.”
It was a request from him, too earnest to convey at the moment, asking them to believe in her character instead of false rumors. Although he couldn’t reveal it right away, it was his heartfelt plea.
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“Then, I trust you.”
In Enoch’s puzzled mind, a certain scene came to mind. The voice of Leticia promising to protect them all. The tender touch that healed him. The more he thought about it, the more his heart swelled with emotion. That very scene.
“Hehe.”
Enoch chuckled.
“Well, people should trust only what they’ve seen and heard.”
Directly seeing with their own eyes and directly hearing the results. Leticia was an angel.
The angel had become their guide.
* * *
“Get the meat, the meat!”
“Vegetable prep is done too!”
“Do we have saffron?”
“It’s right here!”
The envoy worked with astonishing efficiency as they began preparing the meal.
In an instant, an improvised oven was created, and cutting boards and knives appeared. The cooking ingredients were sumptuous. The camping food ingredients were unbelievably luxurious.
It hadn’t been long since they left the Empire, so there were still fresh ingredients available, making this meal possible.
There was another reason why the envoy was particularly enthusiastic about this meal.
“It’s the first meal that Her Highness will have!”
Their passion was akin to participating in a cooking competition.
A little while later, the bubbling sounds and the aroma of the flavorful stew filled the desert air.
And so, the lunch that the cooks had poured their souls into was complete.
The steaming stew was served in fine porcelain dishes, accompanied by neatly folded napkins and silver spoons.
Led by Dietrian, Leticia sat at the table, speechless when she saw the spread before her.
Was she crossing a desert right now, or dining in an upscale restaurant?
The luxuriousness of this meal was incomparable to the roughly mixed camping stew made with dried meat, camel milk, and cactus.
‘In the past, there was never such a meal…’
Naturally, there hadn’t been. She wasn’t particularly shocked that the menu had changed since the past had changed so much.
“Um, is there any food you dislike?”
When Leticia remained silent and didn’t make a move towards the food, Dietrian asked cautiously.
“No, it’s not that.”
Only now did Leticia regain her senses and speak with a troubled expression.
“I’m really sorry. I’m worried that you might have gone to great lengths to prepare this meal in the desert because of me.”
This luxurious meal couldn’t have been easy to prepare in the desert. She couldn’t help but worry that it was all because of her and that it was causing Dietrian and his subordinates to drift further apart.
“You don’t have to worry so much. You really don’t need to go to such lengths for me. Really. You can just treat me like a non-existent person…”
Clang! Suddenly, an odd sound rang out, making Leticia jump in surprise as she looked at Dietrian. Her gaze shook with shock.
“Um… Your Highness?”
“I… I didn’t make that sound.”
“T-then who did?”
Leticia looked at Dietrian with confusion.
“It was definitely a very strange sound.”
“Well, I’m not sure.”
Dietrian got up from his seat slowly, as if to reassure Leticia with a gentle smile.
“Let me check it out.”
Without wasting any time, he quickly stepped outside the tent.
And there it was.
Some of the members of the envoy were running away in a hurry. They were the cooks who had prepared Leticia’s meal this time.
They must have been worried about whether their dishes would suit Leticia’s taste or if she would dislike them. While anxiously looking around, they overheard Leticia’s self-deprecating words and couldn’t help but burst into anger.
Dietrian couldn’t help but smile as he watched them with amusement.
“Really, I can’t stop them.”
He returned to his seat with a chuckle, shaking his head. Leticia was looking at him with a worried expression.
“It’s nothing to worry about. Everything is fine.”
“Is it not a bad thing?”
“On the contrary.”
It was actually a good thing. They all cared for her so much, it was a bit overwhelming. He couldn’t help but imagine the day when they would openly express their affection for her.
“Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal. It’s actually quite heartwarming.”
He imagined her happy expression and felt warmth in his heart.
With a faint smile, he tried to sit across from her, but the stew, untouched and pushed away as if it were never meant for her, caught his eye.
It seemed as if it was saying that it was not meant for her at all, even the spoon was kept at a distance.
Leticia smiled awkwardly.
“I’m really sorry. I feel like I’m causing too much trouble… I don’t even deserve to receive such treatment.”
“Deserve?”
Dietrian was puzzled.
It’s just stew.
Dietrian couldn’t understand why Leticia was lowering herself so much for such a trivial matter. He furrowed his brows.
“Come to think of it, she was like this when I was treating her wound earlier.”
Even when she needed treatment for her injury, all she worried about was inconveniencing others.
‘I guess she’s never experienced being loved before.’
He thought it might be because she was unfamiliar with receiving kindness from others.
However, no matter how unfamiliar she was with it, her current behavior was excessive.
It seemed like she was convinced that everyone naturally disliked her. Dietrian frowned in thought.
‘It’s only natural. She’s the daughter of Josephina, after all.’
He sighed and swallowed his frustration.
Leticia didn’t know that the envoy had misunderstood and thought she had become the new bride. So, it was only natural that she would also misunderstand and think that everyone hated her.
He ran his hand over his forehead.
‘But how do I untangle this mess?’
He had wanted to confess to her that he already knew, but he didn’t know her self-esteem was this low.
Dietrian, who had been nervously biting his lip, finally made up his mind.
“Leticia, I have something I’d like to ask you.”
“Yes?”
“Do you think that I and all my subordinates hate you?”
Leticia’s eyes widened suddenly at his unexpected question. Dietrian patiently waited for her response. Leticia, who had been nervously chewing her lip, finally spoke, but she turned her gaze away.
“Well, um…”
But in the end, she couldn’t say anything and averted her eyes. Dietrian’s gaze lowered with disappointment.
“I was right.”
His guess was correct. He sighed and carefully took her hand.
“Leticia, do you remember what I said this morning? I told you that from now on, only good things will happen, didn’t I? I want to say it to you once more.”
He spoke gently, hoping that his words would reach her heart.
Still, he wasn’t ready to reveal everything. But there was one thing he could say with certainty.
“Nobody, including me and everyone in the Principality, hates you.”
Leticia took a short breath. Her green eyes trembled intensely.
“I understand that it might be hard for you to believe my words right now. But please, I hope you can trust me.”
His voice became earnest, filled with sincerity.
“I’m not just saying this out of affection… it’s not just that. It’s because you mean so much to me.”
Dietrian struggled to find the right words. He had intended to reassure her just a little.
But as he spoke, it felt like he was revealing the deepest, most genuine feelings buried within him.
That he loved her.
So please, love me even just a little.
He swallowed the confession that had risen to the back of his throat and continued speaking.
“Even though I can’t promise that the entire world will come to love you, I do promise that I will cherish and protect you with all my heart. Because to me, your happiness is of the utmost importance.”
Leticia couldn’t say anything.
A warm and overwhelming emotion surged within her. It was something that had always turned her heart into ashes in her past life.
She felt like if she opened her mouth, it would turn into tears.
“As long as you allow me, I will devote my entire life to keeping you safe. Leticia, you are my wife.”
But in the end, she couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.
Leticia tightly closed her eyes, and silent tears flowed down from beneath her closed eyelids.
Seeing her cry without making a sound, Dietrian felt like his heart was being torn apart.
He tried not to show his own distress, carefully cradling her face with his hands.
“You can cry… It’s okay. You can cry as much as you want.”
His gentle whisper worked like magic.
The lingering pain and sorrow in her heart gradually subsided. It felt as if his words were soothing her wounded heart.
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