Josephina was half-seated on the bed, looking sternly at Noel.
Her hair, covered in a layer of white dust, was a complete mess.
‘It’s too good to be seen alone.’
Swallowing her disappointment, Noel quickly approached Josephina and asked,
“Lady Josephina, are you alright?”
“Noel, what in the world, are, are you doing?”
Josephina stuttered in panic.
Breaking down the walls of her room was a first in her thirty years as a saint.
“I’m sorry. You must have been startled, right? I was so worried about you. I just couldn’t wait any longer.”
Noel quickly knelt down, her face a picture of sorrow.
“I’ve been worried about you all day. Then I heard your scream. How could I just sit back and wait!”
At first, it was hard to pretend to be sad. But imagining it was Leticia instead of Josephina, tears naturally started to fall.
“I’m really sorry. Please don’t forgive my rudeness. I will definitely, definitely accept any punishment. But.”
Noel looked up earnestly at Josephina.
“Please, tell me what is causing you so much trouble. I want to help, even just a little.”
Initially, Josephina’s screams only annoyed her. But upon reflection, she thought there might be more to it.
If Josephina was so upset, it must mean something bad had happened.
‘Could it be because of the oracle?’
Josephina had locked herself in her room as soon as the second oracle was declared. She even canceled the festival, a chance to showcase herself, using illness as an excuse.
‘Even the luncheon with the royalty was called off.’
Normally, she might have made them wait for hours, but she wouldn’t have stood them up.
‘The change in the escort duty to Tenua must also be because of the oracle.’
Noel, who had been preoccupied with her concern for Leticia, now realized the importance of the oracle.
‘Josephina’s weakness. I must uncover it.’
Josephina looked at Noel as if she couldn’t believe her.
“…You’re saying you broke the wall because you were worried about me?”
“Of course!”
Noel burst into tears and buried her face in the hem of Josephina’s dress.
Josephina, with trembling eyes, stared at Noel.
Just a few minutes after she had cast the curse, Josephina had been in high spirits.
“Ha ha ha! The curse worked! I was right. The dragon can no longer hinder me!”
The curse was perfect.
She even felt the target of the curse collapse, bleeding.
Meanwhile, she remained unharmed.
Finally free from that nagging anxiety. She was savoring her liberation when suddenly the corner of the curse’s symbol crumpled again, revealing the dragon’s power.
It wasn’t pressing down on the symbol with overwhelming force like before. It was more like tightly winding around it, but the menace was even more chilling.
It seemed like a warning from the dragon.
“Never be complacent. I am always watching you. If you dare to do such a thing again, I will kill you, even if it means my destruction.”
That kind of warning.
“Screech!”
The dragon intervened again!
A scream escaped her involuntarily. The fear of the oracle she had suppressed was rushing back.
She couldn’t shake off the fear that the dragon might take everything from her.
“I’m going to lose everything! The loyalty of the Nine Wings will be stripped from me!”
And while she was in this panic, the wall collapsed.
Noel rushed through the gaping hole in the wall, crying and begging earnestly.
“It hurts my heart to see Lady Josephina in pain. It hurts so much I feel like I could die!”
Her plea penetrated Josephina’s weakened heart.
Usually, she wouldn’t have been so moved by Noel’s words. But today, she wanted to believe her tears. She had to.
“I know I’m lacking compared to the other wings. My oath of loyalty was too late… So it must be hard to trust me. But could you give me a chance? Anything is fine. Please let me help you.”
Could such earnest tears be a lie? Could a wing deceive their master so perfectly?
‘No. That’s impossible.’
Wings are beings bound by an oath.
If they lie to their master or act against their master’s will, they suffer the punishment of the oath.
Yet, Noel did not seem to be in any pain; on the contrary, she appeared perfectly fine.
Her tear-soaked black eyes were filled only with concern for Josephina.
Moreover,
‘Noel had sworn loyalty to me just a few days ago.’
Noel, who had been avoiding Josephina for the past half-year, suddenly began to follow her earnestly. What could that mean?
‘My power is still intact. In fact, it might have even grown stronger.’
As soon as she came to this conclusion, the fear that filled her heart melted away like a lie.
Furthermore, Noel’s tears felt more special than ever before. Josephina, breathing shakily, stroked Noel’s head.
“Noel, I had no idea your feelings were this deep…”
For the first time since Noel became a Wing, she felt a genuine connection with her.
“Thank you, Noel.”
“Lady Josephina…”
Noel, sobbing, buried her face in the hem of Josephina’s dress. Then she hesitated for a moment.
‘Should I spit on the skirt?’
That’s when Noel noticed something strange.
Above Josephina’s bed, a sinister purple symbol floated in the air, wrapped in something like black ropes.
‘What is that?’
The symbol was complex, interwoven with various shapes and pictographs.
‘Did she manifest it before I came in? Is that why she screamed? Does that symbol represent Josephina’s weakness?’
Being unfamiliar with the symbol, she didn’t know what it meant.
‘I’ll figure it out with some investigation. I should copy it down for now.’
Noel glanced surreptitiously at Josephina.
Then she silently recited an incantation.
The water that had soaked the tapestry silently moved toward the table. It began to copy the symbol onto a nearby piece of paper.
Noel started to whine again to divert Josephina’s attention.
“Lady Josephina, can you tell me why you were in such distress? I really want to help you…”
Josephina, completely deceived by Noel, replied contentedly.
“You’re so thoughtful, Noel. But don’t worry too much. It was an annoying issue, but it’s been resolved now.”
“An annoying issue?”
Noel feigned shock, which only improved Josephina’s mood.
“Who dared to upset Lady Josephina? Tell me, and I’ll go and scold them right away.”
“Ha ha, yes. Do scold them later. They’re not an easy opponent, but if you all work together, it’s certainly possible.”
“Work together? Who is this opponent that even the Wings must collaborate against?”
“The dragon.”
Josephina said with a smirk.
“What?”
“The dragon that founded the Principality. It keeps interfering in my affairs.”
* * *
Josephina had to move to a different room.
The collapsed wall was beyond repair.
The clergy and knights who came running after hearing the loud noise stared blankly at the ruined wall.
“How could just the ninth do this…”
They knew the Wings were distant from humans, but they didn’t expect them to be this overwhelming.
While the clergy and knights were in a panic, Noel supported Josephina and led her out of the room.
Even then, she didn’t forget to act sweetly and attentively.
“Lady Josephina, I’ll escort you to another room. We’ll restore everything to its original state as soon as possible. I’m really sorry.”
“No, it’s alright. Everything you did was for me. Besides,”
Josephina looked back at the collapsed wall and smiled contentedly.
“Your strength is proportional to mine. If you’ve become this strong, it means my power has also increased.”
Josephina smiled as she stroked Noel’s head.
“You’ve done very well, Noel.”
“To hear you say that! I’m truly grateful, Lady Josephina! I could die right now without any regrets!”
While smiling earnestly, Noel remembered every place Josephina’s hand had touched her.
She planned to beg Leticia to purify those spots later.
‘The dragon.’
As Noel was leaving Josephina in her new room, she was lost in thought.
‘The dragon is attacking Josephina?’
It was welcome news, but hard to believe. The dragon had left the Principality long ago, withdrawing all its blessings overnight and vanishing without a trace. There were various rumors about this event.
‘Some said the people of the Principality had angered the dragon and were abandoned.’
Noel thought that was unlikely.
‘After the dragon left, the Principality actually thrived.’
Humans, who had relied solely on the dragon’s blessings, put in effort after effort to overcome their situation.
‘If it weren’t for Josephina’s first oracle, the Principality might have continued to prosper.’
In some ways, it could have even outshone the empire.
‘First, I’ll investigate the symbol. I need to dig deeper into the oracle as well. I’ll start by hearing from the clergy who were present when it was declared.’
She made up her mind. There were many other small tasks to handle.
‘I’ll be very busy for a while.’
With a clear goal in mind, Noel felt better. She had been so lonely since Leticia and Ahwin left, but now she finally had something to do.
‘Finding Josephina’s weakness might help in convincing Ahwin to break free from her.’
The thought of Ahwin escaping Josephina’s grasp filled her with renewed determination and drive.
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