“Of course, it makes sense. Why would she send her beloved daughter to the Principality?”
“If she really cared, she wouldn’t have attempted to poison Enoch or subjected Her Highness to such humiliation.”
“We were almost played right into the saint’s hands.”
The delegation expressed their outrage. Dietrian found it hard to contain his emotions.
So many people empathized with Leticia’s pain as if it were their own, and while it should have been a source of happiness, it was agonizing for him.
The thought of her irrevocable past constricted his breath every time.
He clenched his fists. The past couldn’t be changed, so he must focus on the future. Only the future…
‘I miss her.’
He longed to see her.
To lie beside her, holding her hand until she woke up, feeling her warmth. To kiss each knuckle, waiting for her to awaken seemed like the only way to soothe his restless heart.
“Your Highness, when we return to the Principality, will there be another wedding?”
Suddenly, Enoch blurted out.
“I was so annoyed at the last wedding! The ugly priest kept insulting our Principality!”
“Really? That happened?”
“That’s not all! The guests had such hostile looks… It felt more like they were casting a curse than celebrating a wedding!”
“Was there even a bride and groom kiss?”
“In that atmosphere?”
The delegation began to get excited for a different reason.
“No kiss between the bride and groom? That’s invalid!”
“A deep kiss, followed by the husband carrying the bride down the aisle, is necessary for a happy marriage!”
“We must have another wedding as soon as we return! Let’s start planning immediately!”
“Exactly! Her Highness deserves a proper wedding!”
“The wedding is a bride’s dream. Can we let it be spoiled by those imperial fools? We need a grand celebration!”
Although Dietrian didn’t say a word, his subordinates began to sparkle with excitement, already planning the wedding.
Everyone eagerly shared their ideas for the best wedding ever, brainstorming various events and festivities.
“Your Highness, you’ll allow it, won’t you?”
Seeing his subordinates’ eyes twinkling with excitement, Dietrian cracked a smile and shrugged.
“Yes, I agree.”
It was indeed a remarkable moment. Seeing how much his subordinates cared for Leticia brought him comfort.
Her past still pained him deeply, but this was a small solace.
“When will Her Highness wake up? I wish to properly greet her…”
“Now that it’s come to this, how about organizing a welcome party?”
“A party, huh? That’s a great idea! What do you think, Your Highness?”
“Let me first check on her, and then we can decide.”
Leaving his jubilant subordinates behind, Dietrian headed back to the tent where Leticia was resting.
She was still curled up, asleep. The small tent was filled with the gentle sound of her breathing. Her complexion seemed better than before, a sign that her condition had improved.
He watched her for a while and then slowly lay down facing her.
He took in her features: the smooth forehead, long golden eyelashes, a straight nose with a tiny tip, and slightly parted red lips.
How incredibly lovely she was.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her, captivated by her beauty.
Unconsciously smiling, he moved closer, close enough to feel her breath. Her warmth became more distinct as he neared her.
Gently, he took her wrist in his hand, feeling the fluttering pulse under his fingers, and whispered.
“Wake up, Leticia.”
He longed to tell her what he had promised: that everyone cared for her.
“Everyone is waiting for you.”
Perhaps his earnest whisper reached her. Her long eyelashes fluttered under her closed eyelids.
Slowly, the eyes Dietrian so dearly loved opened.
* * *
In the Holy Empire’s Sanctuary, a place usually enveloped in peace under the Saint’s protection, there was unusual unrest.
The clergy, usually arrogant under the Saint Josephina’s patronage, wore expressions of deep fear. Their eyes were fixated on one location: the residence of Saint Josephina.
Where there should have been a beacon of light in the sanctuary, darkness loomed ominously that evening. This had been the case ever since the oracle was delivered two days prior.
“Has Saint Josephina still not left her chamber?”
“I heard she even canceled today’s luncheon with the royal family.”
“What direction is this all heading…?”
“Was there really an issue with the oracle?”
“Shh! Keep your voice down! What if someone hears?”
The clergymen in the sanctuary were frantically busy, trying to quell the ominous rumors spreading among the people about the recent oracle.
Despite their efforts, people whispered whenever they gathered, speculating about the oracle.
“It doesn’t make sense. What does the oracle have to do with Saint Josephina’s illness?”
“She’s said to be too unwell to even attend her daughter’s wedding.”
“Could there have been some issue with the oracle?”
“Like it foretelling the Empire’s doom…”
“If only Saint Josephina would step in, this could all be resolved cleanly.”
“Still no word from her?”
“She hasn’t left her room since then.”
Deepening suspicions surrounded Josephina, who remained silent.
Since witnessing the oracle, she had been gripped by fear of losing her power, nearly losing her sanity.
After slaughtering everyone in the temple, she rushed to her room to check ‘it’ – the proof of her contract and her status as the only saint.
Fortunately, the proof was intact. However, Josephina was far from relieved.
In the midst of her turmoil, a realization struck Josephina.
‘It was the dragon’s doing. That cursed dragon interfered with the oracle!’
How a dragon could interfere with a divine oracle was not her concern. She didn’t need to ponder that – it wasn’t necessary.
「Dragons are malevolent beings. They will stop at nothing to get what they want.」
「Those who carry the dragon’s bloodline will also go to any lengths. They will do anything to destroy the Empire and kill you.」
「You must nip it in the bud. They must be slowly and painfully extinguished.」
Just as ‘he’ had said, dragons were devils.
They must have intervened in the oracle without any scruples.
Josephina’s desire for vengeance surged. She wanted to annihilate the dragon causing her such unease.
And the Dragon King Dietrian, she wanted to behead him immediately. Waiting for another half a year felt unbearably suffocating.
However, she couldn’t act against him directly.
Just as the dragon couldn’t kill her due to the risk of divine intervention, she too couldn’t kill Dietrian without giving the dragon a reason to intervene in human affairs.
This would make her share the burden of causality.
So, she gave a command to Ahwin. Eliminate the members of the Principality’s delegation, except for King Dietrian.
For this task, Tenua was a better fit than Noel.
Josephina considered the persecution of Leticia merely an outlet for her frustration.
At one point, she had suspected Leticia of siphoning off her divine power. However, she quickly realized that Leticia had no connection to such power. Despite surviving countless near-death experiences, not once did her wounds heal spontaneously.
Having confirmed this with her own eyes, Josephina dropped her guard against Leticia. But this did not mean the end of her maltreatment. To Josephina, it seemed only natural to take out her frustrations on Leticia, who, despite being a nuisance, was born around the time her divine power began to diminish.
Eventually, tormenting Leticia became a perverse pleasure. Leticia never attempted to escape or fight back, and she couldn’t even think of ending her life amidst such hellish suffering. Josephina wanted to keep her in endless agony.
‘Did I send Leticia to the Principality in vain?’
The anxiety caused by the oracle made her want to pick up the whip again.
‘No, sending her away was much better. Besides, in half a year, she will return to me.’
Along with a splendid gift.
In half a year, Leticia would kill Dietrian.
This thought brightened her mood. Feeling more relaxed, Josephina became curious to test her theory. She wondered how long the dragon would interfere with the curse.
‘The backlash from the previous attempt was strange.’
Leticia is not a descendant of the dragon. So why did the dragon’s power attack Josephina?
‘Perhaps the dragon overstepped its bounds.’
By violating the laws of causality, the dragon must have suffered consequences.
‘There must be limits to the dragon’s intervention. It won’t be able to interfere anymore.’
With this in mind, Josephina prepared to test her theory. She took precautions against potential backlash.
Hesitating for a moment before reciting the incantation, she contemplated the intensity of the curse.
Josephina smiled wickedly.
‘Let’s make it the strongest.’
Although the curse would be strong enough to stop Leticia’s breath, Josephina wasn’t worried about her actually dying.
Ahwin was nearby.
Even if Leticia were to bleed from every orifice and collapse, she wouldn’t die.
Ahwin would heal her.
With this in mind, Josephina once again unleashed the curse.
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