Suddenly, an absurd thought popped into his head. Perhaps the reason she hadn’t mentioned she could ride a horse was.
‘To ride with me?’
Dietrian inadvertently swallowed his breath. However, he soon scoffed at himself.
‘Nonsense. That can’t be it.’
It would be something he might think, being desperate to be close to her all day, if she could ride and wanted to do so with him.
He chuckled lightly and patted Leticia’s back.
‘She must have had a bad experience with horses in the past.’
Thus, he shook off the sweet thought that had briefly stirred his heart. Or rather, he tried to.
But he simply couldn’t shake it off.
‘Leticia might…’
Only that one sentence filled his mind.
‘If she loves me…’
His heart pounded, and his mouth went dry.
‘If she loves me as much as I love her…’
His grip on her dress became so tight that his hand turned white. Otherwise, he felt he might just pull her into a tight embrace.
“…Your Highness, I feel really unwell.”
Just before his head was filled with sweet fantasies, she whispered to him.
Leticia looked up at him with tearful eyes.
“I feel so dizzy.”
“Oh dear.”
Seeing her in pain, his idle thoughts instantly flew away.
“Are you feeling very unwell?”
It seemed riding for a long time on an unaccustomed body had taken its toll.
‘There’s not enough rest time, what to do.’
He thought she would be better after a good sleep, but there was no time for that.
There were many wild beasts around this area. If they delayed, the beasts would gather around them.
They had only stopped for a moment to give the horse some water, but they needed to depart soon.
Still, wishing she could rest comfortably for at least a short while, he began to unfasten his hood and said.
“You should lie down and rest for now. Please wait a moment.”
“Oh, no. I think I’ll feel even dizzier.”
Leticia hurriedly shook her head. Just the thought of lying down made her feel nauseous.
“Just, like this.”
Slightly out of her senses due to dizziness, she whispered as if begging.
“Please keep holding me, Your Highness…”
Dietrian’s movements halted momentarily. Unaware of the bomb she had just dropped, Leticia leaned against his chest, breathing heavily.
“…Very well. Lean on me.”
As soon as Leticia was in his arms, she slumped. Tears that had pooled in her pale cheeks streamed down.
Even as he looked down at her with pity, the words he had just heard and those from before kept swirling in his mind.
[I’m so scared. I want to forget the nightmares, so please. Hold me tighter…]
Dietrian found his own state of mind ridiculous.
Leticia was in so much pain, and yet he was lost in such pointless thoughts.
‘Hopeless, indeed.’
He clicked his tongue at his own condition and patted Leticia’s back.
The ridiculous part was that, even as he chastised himself, he found her incredibly lovely.
It was beyond affection, almost to the level of obsession.
Thinking that Leticia might run away if she knew, Dietrian once again resolved.
‘I must never let this feeling show.’
* * *
The rest was brief. After dealing with the nearby beasts, the envoy resumed their ride.
For several more hours, they had to spend atop the horses.
By the time they reached the next resting spot, Leticia’s condition had worsened. Having run on horseback while already exhausted, she couldn’t possibly be alright.
She barely had the strength to move a finger and almost had to be lifted off the horse by Dietrian.
Dietrian, having propped Leticia against a tree, urgently spoke.
“Enoch!”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Immediately inform the wing of the empire. Call Ahwin, the third wing who treated Banessa before.”
Knowing Ahwin was on Leticia’s side, he had avoided asking for his help in front of others as much as possible.
If others noticed the relationship between the two, it would be impossible to get help at truly critical moments.
But now was not the time to be picky about cold or hot water.
Then, Leticia stopped him with a weak voice.
“Your Highness, please don’t.”
“Leticia.”
“Do not call the wing of the empire.”
Today, of all days, Ahwin must not treat Leticia.
It was to perfectly deal with Tenua.
Leticia’s plan had been going smoothly so far. Even now, she could feel many droplets hiding well at her request.
Rosantine would have been turned upside down long ago.
Those chasing the lord for the vanished Holy Grail might have already departed.
Now, they just had to wait.
For the people of Rosantine to administer the deserved punishment to Tenua, who stole the Holy Grail.
There was only one concern. To prevent innocent victims from Tenua’s desperate acts, using the power of the goddess to protect others.
She had asked Ahwin for this. If Tenua goes on a rampage and tries to harm others, suppress him with the power of the wind.
It was enough reason for Ahwin to step in to protect the saint’s people.
However, Leticia was an exception.
[Behemoth, today, neither Ahwin nor you can help me. If such words reach my mother’s ears, she will surely suspect Ahwin.]
Already, several imperial knights had seen Ahwin treating Banessa before.
It might be overlooked once, but repetition would raise suspicions.
If those suspicions reach Josephina’s ears after Tenua’s death, it would surely cause a big problem.
Thus, Ahwin must not be called.
“Just resting is enough. There’s no need to call the wing of the empire. It’s rather more burdensome.”
Ahwin already knew about her condition.
Behemoth’s anxious pacing near her was evidence of that.
As a wing, it must be hard to bear seeing his master in pain. He was enduring only because of her command.
“But.”
“Please, Your Highness.”
Leticia pleaded with him. Seeing her insist so, Dietrian could no longer urge.
“Then, I will stay by your side.”
“Don’t. You must go.”
Leticia shook her head again this time.
“The others might be in danger. Please, don’t worry about me and go.”
“Leticia.”
“You need to deal with the sand beasts nearby. That’s the only way to ride safely.”
Dealing with the sand beasts was simple yet difficult.
One had to stab the breathing holes in the sand one by one to kill the beasts hiding underneath, and then spray a medicine to block the scent of blood to prevent other beasts from approaching.
It sounds easy in words, but in practice, it was dangerous, not knowing when or where an attack might come from.
Leticia smiled faintly.
“You are the best swordsman of the Principality. I can’t keep such a person here. I’ll be fine after some rest. You know that.”
“…Understood.”
Though it was hard to leave her in pain, Dietrian sighed lightly and nodded.
“I will return shortly.”
After lightly pressing his lips to her forehead, he stood up. Enoch, who had been standing by, spoke with a resolute expression as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“Do not worry, Your Highness. I will protect Her Highness with my life if necessary.”
“I’m counting on you.”
After Dietrian left, Leticia leaned against the tree, closed her eyes, and let out a long breath. Enoch, who had been watching her anxiously, said,
“Your Highness, would you like some cool water?”
Leticia just weakly nodded her head.
“Please wait a moment.”
Enoch rose and headed towards the spring. Leticia gazed at his retreating figure.
But the sight of him filling the water bottle started to blur repeatedly.
Leticia blinked in confusion.
‘Why are my eyes like this?’
Her focus still off, it got even blurrier, feeling as if all the vitality was draining from her body.
She began to feel that something was seriously wrong.
‘Can it really be just from riding a horse?’
Leticia couldn’t continue her thought.
Her vision turned black.
* * *
“It’s been a while.”
A white background. In the middle stood a woman with a familiar face.
Long golden hair down to her ankles, eyes shining like melted gold.
It was the goddess Dinute.
‘Why has the goddess suddenly appeared?’
Startled, Leticia blinked rapidly and hurriedly approached Dinute, speaking urgently.
“Lady Dinute, there’s something wrong with my body. It seems like a problem has occurred.”
Dinute wouldn’t have shown herself without reason. Surely, she had come because of Leticia’s current state.
Leticia’s intuition was spot on.
“I came exactly because of that.”
Dinute said with a smile.
“I came because I thought you might be too worried. There’s absolutely no need to worry. In fact, it’s something to be happy about.”
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