“My name is Sigmund. I am the beginning and the end of everything. You probably don’t know, but we have met before.”
With a gentle whisper, her vision blurred.
“I am glad to see you healthy again.”
Leticia burst into tears again.
Sigmund, it was definitely a familiar name.
Yet, she had no leisure to recall who he was.
Nor could she ponder when they had met.
“Sob, sob.”
Because.
“Ah, Ahwin. Ahwin. Ah.”
Ahwin was dying.
The emissary of the goddess is the soul’s master to the wings.
The joy of the master is the joy of the wings, and the sorrow of the master is the sorrow of the wings.
Even when Ahwin had told her that, Leticia had not truly felt the weight of those words.
She was merely surprised and grateful that someone cherished her so.
[If we have a child, would you be willing to be its godmother, Lady Leticia?]
But now, it was different.
The moment she realized that Ahwin’s breath was fading, the memories with him instantly filled her mind.
[This is a healing potion. If I apply it, it might leave a mark, so you should apply it yourself.]
[I will be guarding the West Palace for a while. Stay here until your wounds heal, away from others’ eyes.]
[Lady Leticia, punish me. Punish me for not recognizing you all this time.]
[Just as you said, Lady Leticia, I should propose to Noel as soon as I return to the capital. I am not sure if Noel will accept, though.]
And.
[Don’t worry about a thing, Lady Leticia. We will handle all the difficult matters. Until we meet again, I wish you only happiness.]
Until his last whisper was carried by the wind before they parted.
“Lord Sigmund.”
Leticia knelt down, sobbing, her beautiful face drenched with tears.
She looked at Sigmund with desperate eyes.
“Please save Ahwin.”
The relationship between the emissary of the goddess and the wings is known to be unilateral.
If something goes wrong with the emissary, the wings suffer as if their souls are collapsing.
On the other hand, if the wings are in trouble, the emissary hardly feels any pain.
Because the wings are a means to protect the emissary.
Leticia wanted to scream at those people.
You are all wrong, the wings are not just loyal tools.
To Leticia, Ahwin was family.
“I can’t let Ahwin go like this. Lord Sigmund, please help.”
Now she knew who stood before her.
Sigmund.
The name of the dragon who bestowed blessings upon the first Gilead and established the Principality.
“Please, just as you saved me, save Ahwin. I will do anything you ask, Lord Sigmund. Please.”
Why Sigmund had appeared before her was unknown.
Nor did it need to be known.
All that mattered to her now, more than ever, was a miracle.
And here was someone capable of miracles right before her eyes.
Sigmund smiled bitterly and caressed Leticia’s cheek.
“…I knew you would be sad, but seeing you cry pains my heart.”
Leticia’s cheeks, drenched with tears as she could hardly keep herself steady, were infused with the dragon’s energy.
The familiar energy coursing through her veins made Leticia shiver slightly.
Indeed, it was the same energy that had healed her in Heden.
Sigmund smiled faintly.
“You recognize me, don’t you?”
“Yes, yes. Sob.”
Leticia burst into tears again.
Even now, Ahwin’s life force was dwindling.
A terrible despair filled her heart.
“Look at me, Leticia.”
Sigmund cradled her cheeks, comforting her.
Yet, Leticia’s tears knew no end.
Sigmund smiled sadly.
“Indeed, humans are fragile. They see only what is right before them. They vow to overcome their fears, yet they are quickly overwhelmed by them.”
It sounded like a reproof, but it wasn’t.
His golden eyes, looking at Leticia, were full of affection.
And a distant nostalgia as if recalling a being long departed.
“Foolish mortals. Like flowers that bloom only for a season, it is your fragility that makes you beautiful. Even though I gave you the power of foresight to ease your hearts, there have always been those who do not trust in the prophecy. Like you now.”
“Foresight, you say?”
“Leticia, remember the future Gilead has foretold to you.”
Leticia blinked.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, clearing her vision.
With an exceedingly gentle motion, Sigmund wiped away her tears.
“Whatever trials come your way, they are but passing storms. Have you ever seen a tree break because of the rain? As you have always done, you will continue to manage well. You are more than capable of it.”
Leticia moved her lips.
She could not bring herself to agree with Sigmund, who was so sure of her bright future.
The anxiety of possibly losing Ahwin lingered.
One thing was certain.
“Right now, Ahwin is more important to me than my own future. Please help me save him, Lord Sigmund.”
“It won’t be easy. Are you prepared for that?”
“I will do it.”
Leticia nodded without a second thought.
“You will need to embark on a very long journey. Are you truly alright with that?”
“Of course… a journey?”
Leticia, who had declared she would go anywhere, hesitated.
Instinctively, she looked back.
Through the large window, she could see their bedroom.
It was the very place that Dietrian had introduced earlier.
Leticia moved her lips.
Though they had just promised each other a sweet night mere minutes ago.
She would have to leave Dietrian behind.
‘I have no choice. Right now, I am the only one who can save Ahwin.’
Leticia decisively cut off her hesitations.
She was Dietrian’s wife and Leticia the Saint, responsible for their wings.
Both Dietrian and the wings were as precious to her as her own life.
Therefore, it was right to choose to help those who needed her the most.
“I will go anywhere. I will do whatever I can.”
“I see your resolve.”
At the same time, a golden energy rippled from their clasped hands.
The mighty power of the dragon began to distort the space around them.
“My legs…”
The tower master perched on Sigmund’s shoulder complained.
Sigmund ignored the tower master’s timid protests and continued to infuse power.
Layers of protective energy seeped into Leticia’s soul.
It was a power that would shield her not only from physical attacks but also from wayward fates.
And shortly after, Leticia’s body slumped.
Her soul had departed.
Sigmund quickly caught her before her body touched the ground.
He carefully laid her down on the grass.
Underneath the scattered blond hair, her green eyes were hollow.
As Sigmund closed Leticia’s eyelids, the tower master scoffed.
“There’s no separate body now. Prince Dietrian will throw a fit if he sees her like this.”
Sigmund, ignoring the tower master, used his power again.
Golden energy lifted Leticia’s body and laid it on a bench.
Lying on the bench, Leticia appeared as if she were sleeping.
However, she was not breathing.
“Is it really okay to handle it this way? Lord Sigmund, your descendant will be shocked. He’ll think his wife is dead.”
“She is not breathing, but her warmth remains; he will know she lives. Leticia has fallen into a deep sleep before. He can wait a few days.”
“Still, this isn’t right. It might be better to move her body rather than show him a corpse.”
“You know one thing and not the other. The soul can be summoned back if necessary, but not the body. Sending only the soul is better in case of danger to Leticia.”
The tower master was startled and retorted.
“What? You mean to summon back the soul if it’s in danger? Are you saying you’ll just wait for the princess to return?”
“Of course. With Dinute sleeping, who else but you and I would handle it?”
“What about my legs? My magic?”
“I clearly told you if you want those legs, break the contract.”
Sigmund glared at the tower master irritably.
“It turns out that the fourth wing is an excellent mage. He’d be a fine candidate for my next contract.”
“What, what did you say? A next contractor? Are you comparing me to that novice?”
“Will he still be a novice after he contracts with me?”
Sigmund scoffed. Ignoring the aggrieved tower master, he checked the life force remaining in Leticia’s body. He then looked toward Dietrian’s office.
“Yes. As you say, Dietrian will be shocked. But, it might be for the best.”
Human life is never eternal. Sigmund, an immortal, knew this all too well. The mistakes he made back then still pierced his heart today.
“If he knows the truth, he will not hesitate as I did back then.”
***
“L-Lady Noel.”
The palace servants looked at Noel with pale faces. Noel silently stared down at the fallen Ahwin.
“The saint commanded—hurry and move…”
As if she heard nothing at all, Noel did not move. In fact, she really heard nothing. It seemed as if all her senses had vanished.
‘Ahwin.’
Her lips quivered slightly. No response came back.
Blood, it was all blood.
His back was torn from whipping, his beautiful silver hair drenched in blood.
The most serious was the dagger plunged into his chest.
‘The heart, no.’
Noel barely managed to think.
But it was no consolation.
The blood that flowed out had formed a pool, slowly spreading.
“Lord Noel, Lady Josephina is waiting. Quickly, take the criminal to jail…”
The servant said, trembling.
It was to be expected.
Ahwin, Josephina’s most cherished angel.
After meeting the saint, Ahwin had become half-dead.
Everyone was in shock, not knowing what to do.
‘I must, regain my senses.’
Noel blinked her eyes.
Though it drove her mad, she clung to her sanity with all her might.
That was what Ahwin had wanted.
No matter what, she must not get agitated.
She could not let Ahwin’s sacrifice be in vain, be in vain…
‘Still, alive.’
Moreover, Ahwin was still alive.
Clearly dying, but still alive.
‘Can save, him.’
As long as he was alive, there was a way to save him.
Even though that hope was as precarious as a candle flame that might extinguish at any moment.
“…I obey the saint’s command.”
The only thing Noel could cling to was that.
* * *
And at that moment, Leticia stared blankly at her own hand.
Unlike her usual hands, the palms were covered with calluses. The reflection in the window was also unfamiliar.
Leticia looked momentarily at the woman with long black hair and a pale complexion reflected back at her, then raised her gaze.
The all-too-familiar, never-to-return Divine Palace. It was right before her eyes.
At the same time, white snowflakes gently fell onto her palm.
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