Leticia closed her eyes and exhaled, calming the turmoil within before slowly opening her eyes again.
There was a way to confirm her speculation.
“There’s something I’m curious about.”
Leticia cautiously addressed the bracelet, which sparkled as if it had been waiting for her question.
“Are you, the Elixir?”
It was the very question she had asked several times before without receiving an answer.
This time, it seemed she might finally receive a proper response.
After a moment,
Twinkle, twinkle.
Leticia swallowed hard. Looking at the bracelet as if she couldn’t believe it, she asked urgently,
“Are you answering me now? That you’re the Elixir?”
Twinkle, twinkle.
“So, am I really the goddess’s sole proxy?”
Twinkle, twinkle.
“Then, I can use the goddess’s power?”
Twinkle, twinkle.
“With that power, can I protect everyone? Dietrian too? And the people of the Principality?”
Twinkle, twinkle.
The bracelet sparkled excitedly, as if frustrated by its inability to answer until now. The sight was so endearing that Leticia finally burst into clear laughter.
* * *
They finally arrived at the accommodations. The delegation was taken aback by the lavish exterior of the hotel.
“The lord of Rozantine provided this place for us?”
They had expected a nearly collapsing building, but the hotel’s facade was the epitome of luxury.
“What are the imperial folks up to?”
“Indeed.”
The delegation’s doubts didn’t last long.
Dietrian dismounted briskly and approached the carriage.
All attention swiftly focused on Dietrian.
Seeing his face rigid with tension, the delegation also grew tense.
“He intends to escort Her Highness personally, doesn’t he?”
“Is it really alright?”
The Principality delegation firmly believed that Dietrian had been ousted by Leticia.
It was inevitable, as Dietrian’s demeanor had been gloomy throughout the journey to Rozantine.
Unable to enter the carriage, wandering in front of it with a face as if the sky had fallen, he eventually mounted a horse instead.
Yet, he kept casting longing glances towards the carriage whenever he could.
It was impossible not to notice.
Dietrian was desperate to return to Leticia, but he couldn’t.
Before long, Dietrian stopped in front of the carriage. His expression, taut with tension, was resolute as if he were about to enter a battlefield.
As his subordinates had seen, his mind was a mess throughout the journey to Rozantine.
It was the fear that she might push him away. The endless turmoil ceased thanks to a conversation he accidentally overheard from his subordinates.
“When will the two Highnesses reconcile?”
“Surely, they won’t continue to be apart in Rozantine?”
“Well, there’s no helping it. The welcome party for Her Highness will have to go on without him.”
“Yes. The issue between them will resolve over time. Let’s focus on preparing the party.”
“Right. If we miss today, we’ll have to wait ten days.”
“But shouldn’t we inform His Highness?”
“With the current mood? It’s bound to make him more despondent.”
“Sometimes, pretending not to know is the true mark of loyalty.”
“Exactly.”
Surprisingly, the subordinates were considering excluding Dietrian from Leticia’s welcome party.
Hearing this left him dumbfounded.
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, snapping him back to his senses.
Regaining his composure allowed him to assess the situation more calmly.
‘I can’t go on like this. I should ask for forgiveness again. That’s the only way.’
He couldn’t let her go. Divorce was, of course, out of the question.
‘There must still be a chance.’
Ten days ago, she had said,
She disliked it when he was hurt. If he was in pain, so was she.
Even though it was said in her sleep, it must have contained some of her true feelings.
With this resolve, he was about to grasp the door handle when,
Clunk, clunk. The door opened from the inside.
Dietrian froze in the act of opening the door as Leticia greeted him with a radiant smile like a flower.
“Good to see you again, Your Highness!”
His heart sank. Her voice seemed genuinely happy to see him.
“…I came to escort you to your room.”
He barely managed to hold onto his sanity and took her hand.
Yet, he dared not look directly at her expression, anxious he might have misread her.
“…I will escort you. Take my hand, please. The stairs are steep. Please, come down carefully.”
What he hadn’t anticipated was,
Walking beside him, Leticia was smiling as brightly as ever.
Looking up at his rigid face, she seemed thrilled.
‘Even his expressionless face, handsome.’
Leticia blushed, smiling sheepishly.
Had this been before, she might have misinterpreted his lack of expression as disdain.
But not anymore.
She believed him when he said he cherished her. And that alone made her immensely happy.
On the other hand, the delegation was baffled.
“Weren’t the two of you fighting?”
“Not fighting, His Highness was ousted.”
“I know that. But why is Her Highness, who ousted him, smiling so sweetly at him?”
“Is it just me, or does it seem like honey is dripping from Her Highness’s eyes…?”
“…Must be our imagination.”
Regardless, the couple entered the accommodations as if in their own world.
* * *
‘The moment of judgment has arrived.’
As they neared Leticia’s room, Dietrian’s adam’s apple bobbed. Despite mentally preparing himself, tension rose to his throat.
Dietrian took a deep breath and turned towards Leticia.
“Leticia, I have something very important to tell you……”
He couldn’t finish his sentence. Leticia was looking at him with a bright smile.
“Is there something you need?”
Seeing her like that, his mind went blank.
Her beautifully curved eyes, sparkling green pupils, seemed too lovely. It was as if stars twinkled and flowers blossomed around her.
Everything about Leticia felt like it was enticing him.
Staring intently at her face, holding his breath, Leticia tilted her head, then laughed again.
“Is there something on my face?”
Her head tilted slightly, and her fine blonde hair cascaded smoothly.
Blinking, her long eyelashes fluttered like butterflies.
He couldn’t believe it.
Could a human being be this endearing?
Then he snapped back to reality.
‘Now is not the time for this.’
He couldn’t afford to waste precious moments being lost in Leticia’s beauty. He needed to properly apologize and seek her forgiveness…
‘I want to hold her.’
Dietrian, almost reaching out to her unwittingly, caught himself and quickly composed himself.
“No, nothing is on your face.”
“Then, why?”
“I have something to apologize for.”
Leticia was puzzled.
“Apologize for what?”
“For earlier, in the carriage. You were displeased because of me.”
Leticia was taken aback. The only thing she did in the carriage was fuss over how much she liked him.
“What happened in the carriage?”
“You avoided me.”
“Avoided you? When?”
“After I confessed my wrongdoing.”
“Your wrongdoing?”
By now, Dietrian was also sensing something was off.
“Wasn’t it so?”
“I really don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“Weren’t you angry with me?”
“Why would I be angry with you?”
Confused by her question, Dietrian’s expression hardened for a moment. Desperately, almost hoping, he asked,
“I intruded into the western palace and stood guard outside your room without permission. Weren’t you angry at my impudence?”
Leticia tilted her head.
“That’s not something to be angry about, but rather something to be happy about.”
Dietrian felt breathless.
“…Something to be happy about.”
“Of course. You were protecting me. It’s something to be thankful and happy about.”
Saying so, Leticia shone with a twinkling smile. Her green eyes sparkled like jewels beneath her beautifully curved eyebrows.
“So, the reason you avoided me earlier was…”
“Avoided? I never did. Why would I avoid you?”
While laughing and shaking her head, Leticia paused. Suddenly, she remembered a scene.
“I want to be alone.”
Leticia’s eyes widened.
“Is it because I said I wanted to be alone earlier that you thought so?”
Dietrian flinched.
He had been tormented by those words all along. Seeing his wavering eyes, Leticia quickly waved her hands in denial.
“It wasn’t like that at all! I didn’t want to be alone because I was angry with you. It’s not that.”
“…”
“So, it was.”
Leticia found it hard to continue. It was embarrassing to admit it was because she was too happy.
“Well, you see.”
Leticia’s cheeks reddened a bit. She wished she could change the subject if possible.
But she couldn’t.
That might lead to Dietrian misunderstanding her true feelings again.
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