The room that the princess had given to Leticia was, surprisingly, her own. Leticia, feeling overwhelmed, was pleaded with by the princess to please accept her room.
“This room is the safest in the mansion. If by any chance the Queen Consort gets hurt, I have no power to stop that person. So, please, do as I say.”
She repeatedly begged.
“Please stay safe. Don’t hurt even a fingertip. It would be even better if you just lay in bed and breathe. Leave everything you need to me. I’ll take care of it all!”
So anxious was she, that when Leticia opened the window for some fresh air, the princess rushed over in alarm.
“Just sit comfortably! If you cut your hand on the latch, it would be a disaster!”
“Princess, I am not that delicate. A cut on my fingertip won’t turn the palace upside down.”
“Ha, ha, you’re joking.”
The princess glared at Calisto.
“I wonder if you would say the same if that injury happened because of Josephina.”
At the same time, Calisto’s lips curled up. It felt as if the temperature in the room suddenly dropped.
“That’s what I’m curious about too. How far could I go if I were to lose it?”
“Oh, Goddess.”
The princess shook her head in disgust and dragged Calisto out of the room.
“I’m wrong. It’s all my fault, so let’s just leave.”
“There’s nothing you did wrong, Sister, except for stopping me from killing everyone at the temple earlier.”
“That wasn’t me, it was the Queen Consort who stopped you.”
“But you asked, didn’t you?”
“Enough, and come out quickly. The Queen Consort needs to rest. You wouldn’t think of disturbing the Queen Consort’s rest, would you?”
With the princess perfectly exploiting Calisto’s weakness, Leticia was left alone in the room. The room, filled with the princess’s tastes, was elaborately decorated. Looking at the bed in the middle of the room, Leticia naturally thought of something.
‘How is Dietrian doing?’
By now, he must have realized that she had disappeared. Leticia gazed anxiously at the crimson sky. She had left the Principality at sunset, and now dawn was coloring the sky.
‘He must be very worried.’
Even Calisto, whom she had only met the day before, was concerned for her, let alone her husband Dietrian.
“Behemoth?”
Leticia’s worry did not last long. Behemoth, who had brought a note for Calisto, tapped on her window. Startled, Leticia got up.
“Behemoth! What brings you here? How are Noel and Ahwin?”
「I’m on an errand for Lady Noel! And Ahwin has woken up! But, Lady Leticia, your divine power has become stronger! It feels good.」
Excited, Leticia quickly helped Behemoth up, avoiding his attempts to nuzzle against her mouth, and looked him in the eye.
“Ahwin is awake? Already? How?”
「He said he reclaimed the magic!」
“Reclaimed?”
「Yes! The one in the room next door, that fourth wing.」
At the same time, a memory surfaced. Earlier in the temple, something Calisto had said.
‘I said I would tell Noel and Ahwin about what I did?’
That meant, right after Leticia broke their agreement, Calisto had awakened Ahwin.
‘He really meant what he said about telling the two of them what I had done.’
Leticia was astounded. She now understood why the princess treated Calisto as if he were a ticking time bomb, merely from his outward appearance.
‘I must be extra cautious in the palace.’
The thought of how wildly Calisto might react if she were injured was already causing her worry.
“Behemoth, where are Noel and Ahwin?”
「They are not far from the capital! Probably near the Black Ramparts. They said they would come immediately if you call, Lady Leticia!」
“…So there’s no option of staying away for safety?”
「Oh!」
Behemoth’s eyes sparkled.
「Ahwin said that if it were up to Lady Leticia, that’s exactly what you would say! There’s no such option, so don’t even dream of it!」
“Ha, figures.”
How could everyone be so stubborn? Shaking her head as if there was no helping them, Leticia eventually laughed.
“Alright. Tell His Highness not to worry about sending a signal if there’s trouble.”
After a while, Behemoth left. Leticia, leaning against the window, was watching his departing figure when she felt it.
‘Huh?’
Suddenly, a hot sensation surged from her solar plexus. Unthinkingly pressing her chest, Leticia’s eyes widened. It felt as though a ball of fire was moving up her esophagus. She clamped her mouth shut and ran to the bathroom.
“Ugh.”
As soon as she reached the sink, nausea overwhelmed her, and she couldn’t hold back any longer. She vomited. Her green eyes were shocked as she looked down at the sink, stained red with blood.
‘Why all of a sudden?’
Her hand clenched the edge of the sink so tightly that it turned white. Staring up at the morning sky, Leticia bit her lip hard.
‘It must be Mother’s doing.’
Right after vomiting blood in the bathroom, a terrible pain engulfed her. It was the pain of a curse she had endured over two lifetimes, unforgettable.
‘Thankfully, the pain didn’t last as long as before.’
As she crouched in the bathroom in agony, a familiar energy began to stir inside her. It was then that she started to push back against the power of the curse. It was Sigmund’s energy. Before coming to the empire, Sigmund had shared some of his life force with her.
‘I survived once, but what about next time?’
The life force that Sigmund had shared was nearly depleted resisting this curse. If the curse manifested again, she would be incapacitated, vomiting blood without being able to do anything about it.
‘That can’t happen. Others would find out.’
Ironically, she was more worried about others’ reactions than her own suffering. She didn’t want Noel, Ahwin, or Calisto to know about the curse. As soon as the pain subsided, she started cleaning the bloodstains in the bathroom.
‘Can I keep hiding it?’
Leticia clasped her pale hands together. Her sleeves were soaked from cleaning the blood. She could easily dry them using the wind spirit, but she didn’t dare. She worried that Ahwin might find out.
‘I have to leave the empire… No, running away won’t solve anything. So, what do I do?’
Her mind was a mess with the sudden turn of events. Since hearing Gilead’s dream, she had lived almost without consciousness of the curse.
More precisely, though she occasionally felt fear, it no longer overwhelmed her as it had in the past. Whenever she felt fear, she just had to talk to herself. It’ll be okay, everything will work out. But the immediate problem couldn’t be solved with self-hypnosis.
If the Wings found out about her curse, and that she would likely die within a few months… and if they found out that she had kept this secret all along…
Knock, knock.
Leticia startled and looked up.
“Lady Leticia, may I come in?”
Calisto’s soft voice. Leticia’s heart skipped wildly. Frozen, she couldn’t say a word.
“……Leticia, ma’am?”
“It seems the Queen Consort is sleeping?”
“At this hour?”
“She had a hard time all night because of you.”
“What did I do wrong?”
“Your temper is the biggest problem.”
While Leticia couldn’t say a word, voices were heard chattering outside the door. Leticia didn’t know what to say or do, she just hoped that Calisto would leave.
‘I should pretend to be asleep to buy some time.’
Just at that moment.
“Sister, step back. I need to break down the door.”
“What? Are you crazy? Why would you break a perfectly good door!”
“I need to check if the saintess is safe.”
“She must be sleeping!”
“I’ll check that by opening the door.”
“The physical barrier is fine!”
“Yes, that’s true. But I haven’t completed the other barriers yet.”
“You said you didn’t feel anything unusual, being a Wing!”
“There are many special powers in the world that the Goddess’s power can’t reach. So I need to see for myself that she is safe.”
“You madman.”
“I’m awake!”
Before Calisto could break down the door, Leticia urgently got up. Fearing that signs of her vomiting blood might be discovered, she opened the door halfway and peeked out.
“What’s the matter?”
The princess brightened up as soon as she saw Leticia.
“Oh, Your Highness, you’re awake. There’s nothing special. We just wanted to discuss future plans…”
“What’s the matter? That’s what I want to ask.”
“Huh?”
“What’s going on?”
Calisto strode forward. Leticia flinched and looked up at him.
“Your complexion is pale. Are you feeling unwell?”
“Huh? Are you sick? Where does it hurt! Should I call a priest? Or a doctor?”
Before Leticia could respond, the princess pushed the door handle in alarm, and despite Leticia’s resistance, eventually allowed both into the room.
“It looks fine to me… No! That’s not it! Where does it hurt? You should have said something if you were in pain!”
Leticia habitually lifted the corners of her mouth.
“I’m fine, Your Highness.”
“Oh, please. Don’t just say you’re okay. The Queen Consort still doesn’t know how dangerous this guy is. He even tried to break down the door just now.”
The princess grabbed Leticia’s wrist and sat her down on the bed. She then hurriedly urged Calisto.
“Cal! Get a doctor quickly. Hurry!”
“I can use healing magic, sister.”
“A doctor’s diagnosis is more accurate than yours!”
Surprisingly, the princess managed to send Calisto away. She slumped into a chair with a weary face, gulped down some cold water, and shook her head.
“Ah, I’m really going crazy because of that man. It feels like living with a bomb strapped to me.”
Leticia, too, seemed anxious, offering only a forced smile. She was on edge, worried that the curse might manifest again.
“Ah, look at me. I had something to tell the Queen Consort.”
The princess quickly pulled a chair up to Leticia. Leticia, tense, watched her closely.
“What is it?”
“I thought I’d better tell you directly because if I tell Cal, that guy will surely make a huge fuss about it.”
The princess began.
“For the Queen Consort to stand against Josephina, it seems important to gain the recognition of the royal family. And there happens to be an opportunity for that.”
“An opportunity?”
“This is highly confidential, but actually, there’s a problem with the royal barrier stone. If you accompany me to the capital to address the barrier stone issue, His Majesty the Emperor…”
The princess couldn’t finish her sentence. Leticia clenched her eyes shut and covered her mouth. Blood seeped through the white fingers.
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