Banessa had been feeling very unsettled for the past few days. It had been good for Ahwin to arrive in the Principality and take on the responsibility of guarding Leticia together with him.
Upon hearing about Leticia’s curse, his anger had surged to the top of his head, but thanks to his characteristic optimism, he had transformed his anger into determination. He resolved to protect the Queen Consort perfectly until the curse issue was resolved.
He felt a bit excited to finally have the opportunity to fully utilize his abilities after awakening the power of a wings. However, his dream shattered as soon as the first teleportation scroll was torn.
“Uuweeek!”
The side effects of the teleportation magic were so severe. He vomited everything out and could only regain his senses after a whole day’s rest.
His companions teased him, saying they didn’t know someone like him, who was like a beast, could be so delicate to suffer such side effects. Normally, he would have shut their mouths with his fists, but he was too weak to care about what they said.
However, there was something more distressing than the motion sickness or the teasing from his companions. It was the fact that Leticia was also suffering from the side effects. Not only was she experiencing nausea, but she also had a fever. It wasn’t severe enough to call a doctor, but the low-grade fever persisted, making it hard to ignore.
Leticia’s poor condition didn’t end there. Just before arriving at the Empire, she started to feel extremely fatigued. Banessa saw her nodding off in her seat several times.
Despite this, Banessa couldn’t do anything because of his own motion sickness. He tried to use her divine power forcefully, but Leticia stopped him.
“Banessa, Ahwin is already using his divine power for me, so please don’t worry about me and rest well.”
Hearing those words made him feel so ashamed. So, after arriving in the Empire, he felt a great sense of relief.
“Now, I can finally act as a proper wing.”
He resolved to use his divine power immediately and headed to Leticia’s room. His companions, who were unpacking, called out to him urgently.
“Banessa! How can you go empty-handed! Take a bucket! If you vomit on the floor, it will be hard to clean up!”
“…Shut up and wash up.”
Leaving his giggling companions behind, Banessa headed to Leticia. Feeling the divine power gathering at his fingertips, he clenched and unclenched his fist.
As he went up to the second floor, Noel happened to come out of Leticia’s room. Banessa hesitated for a moment. He found Noel awkward, or more precisely, uncomfortable. Despite everyone knowing Noel as the embodiment of shamelessness, he felt this way.
From the very moment they first met upon arriving at the Empire, he felt a wall from Noel.
This attitude of Noel’s was the same toward all of Dietrian’s subordinates. Her gaze was so cold.
Even though they were on the same side, it felt like she was looking at an enemy. If it were anyone else, Banessa would have immediately told them off for being territorial.
But Banessa couldn’t say anything. Because it was Noel. Noel Armos, Leticia’s first wing.
It was said that Noel was the only one who recognized Leticia while even Ahwin was deceived by Josephina. When Leticia and Ahwin left for the Principality, Noel had faced Josephina alone. Given her deep loyalty, it was understandable that she was sensitive to the people around Leticia.
‘She must be acting like this because she cherishes the Lady too much. It seems excessive, but I can’t say I don’t understand. It’ll probably get better over time.’
In any case, if Noel kept her distance, Banessa had no intention of forcibly closing that distance. He was about to nod politely and pass by, but Noel blocked his way. Her small hand slapped against the wall.
“Don’t go in. She just fell asleep.”
“Already?”
Banessa looked at Noel in surprise.
“It’s still early evening, isn’t it? Could it be that the Lady is still suffering from the scroll’s side effects?”
“It’s not that. She’s just accumulated fatigue.”
Noel frowned slightly and shook her head.
“Anyway, go back. You can see the Lady after she wakes up.”
Banessa’s eyes filled with puzzlement.
‘What? Why did the atmosphere change?’
Noel was still cold. However, the atmosphere was subtly different from before. When they first met, it was as if an icy wind was blowing, but now it felt oddly softened. As Banessa tilted his head, Noel suddenly spoke.
“You, your name is Banessa, right? You’re the direct knight of the Crown Prince.”
“That’s right.”
“Didn’t you hear anything from Leticia in the Principality?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like turning back time….”
Noel put a hand on her forehead and sighed lightly.
“No, it’s nothing.”
Then she tried to pass by Banessa. Banessa quickly blocked her path.
“What do you think you’re doing!”
Noel glared sharply. The softened wariness vanished, replaced by the wings’ characteristic intimidation.
“Move aside now.”
“Is something wrong with the Lady?”
“Do you want to die? Move aside now.”
“If it concerns the Lady, I need to know. I am also one of her wings.”
Despite Noel’s rising energy, Banessa stood his ground, not backing down. Noel’s expression twisted into a more fierce scowl as she glared at him. Banessa quickly furrowed his brows in response.
“Hah.”
Noel let out a mirthless laugh, seeing Banessa’s determination. Realizing he wouldn’t give up easily, she shook her head in exasperation, pressing her aching temples and muttering.
“Sorry, but I can’t tell you anything right now. I won’t keep it a secret forever. Once my thoughts are sorted out, I’ll let you know.”
“Sort your thoughts here and now. There’s no need to delay. This concerns the Lady. We can’t afford to waste even a moment.”
“…I feel the same way.”
Noel looked at Banessa thoughtfully.
“Alright. But first, let’s clarify something. Who is your master?”
“What?”
“Between Prince Dietrian and Lady Leticia, who is your master?”
“Both the Prince and the Lady are my masters.”
“If you had to choose one?”
Banessa scoffed.
“Wow, after all that, it’s just about picking sides? You want me to choose between them? Why bother with such nonsense? Why even ask?”
Annoyed, his natural speech pattern slipped out.
“They are a married couple, deeply in love with each other. They are like one body. And you want me to choose one? Look, I know you care about the Lady, but can’t you tone it down a bit? Instead of giving a hard time to a comrade who flew here from afar….”
“…You really are as simple as they say.”
As Banessa burst out, Noel smiled weakly and relaxed her shoulders. Banessa blinked in confusion. The sharp energy that had been emanating from her was completely gone.
“I get it. If they cherish each other as one, then there’s no need to choose. You shouldn’t choose either. Let’s end the conversation here. Don’t ask about what happened to Lady Leticia. I will tell you, so don’t worry. Just wait patiently until I’ve sorted my thoughts.”
With that, Noel passed Banessa. The door closed. Noel stood in the darkness, not thinking to turn on the light.
‘Lady Leticia returned to the past?’
She had returned to three years ago. Noel couldn’t ask for more details. Leticia had been too exhausted. Even as she spoke of returning to the past, her eyelids kept drooping. One thing was certain.
‘If Prince Dietrian dies, Lady Leticia will die too.’
Having heard that, Noel couldn’t kill Dietrian, even if the sky fell. Instead, she had to protect him with all her might. If anything happened to Dietrian, Lady Leticia wouldn’t be able to bear it either.
“Should I inform Ahwin and the Prince about this?”
Just imagining the situation made her feel nauseous.
‘What kind of life did Lady Leticia live in her past life?’
What kind of life must she have lived to be able to say so freely that she would sacrifice her own life to save another? Perhaps, dying might have been better than enduring those horrific times.
Noel unconsciously hugged her trembling arms. She was terrified of learning about Leticia’s past, fearing it held much more anguish than she could imagine.
—
Leticia kept trying to lift her eyelids that kept drooping. She stared blankly out the window.
‘Has the sun set?’
It was very dark outside. She couldn’t tell if the sun had set because the snowstorm was so severe.
‘Why am I so sleepy?’
She felt like a waterlogged sponge. She was continuously sleepy, over and over again. Leticia forced herself to sit up.
“Are you awake?”
With a soft question, a bit of light flickered in the room. Leticia’s lips curved into a smile at the familiar holy power.
“Ahwin, you’re here?”
“Shall I light a candle for you?”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
With a flicker, the candle in the holder lit up. Ahwin covered the candle with a shade so it wouldn’t be too bright for Leticia, then sat in front of her bed.
“When did you arrive? You should have woken me up.”
“You were sleeping so soundly.”
“How long did you wait?”
“Not too long. It’s alright.”
Ahwin shook his head with a faint smile. Leticia, with Ahwin’s help, sat up properly on the bed. Watching his expression carefully, she asked.
“You heard about my past from Noel, didn’t you?”
“…Yes, I did.”
The smile disappeared from Ahwin’s face. He tried to smile again but failed. He lowered his head dejectedly.
“Lady Leticia, you once told me about a dream. You said Noel died at my hands trying to save you, and that her spirit lingered around you. Is that true?”
Ahwin gazed at Leticia with a pained expression.
“Was that not a dream but reality?”
His eyes turned red. Leticia, who had been quietly observing him, smiled faintly.
“Yes. In the previous life, that happened. That’s why I so desperately wished for the two of you to be happy. Now that my wish has come true, it’s alright. I’m not troubled anymore. The past is just the past. So, Ahwin, don’t worry. Why blame yourself over something that’s already over?”
“Shouldn’t we tell Prince Dietrian about the regression?”
“The Prince…”
Leticia fell silent for a moment before shaking her head.
“I don’t know. It’s not a good past. Must I really reveal it? It’s not a pleasant matter.”
“I believe he should know.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“It sounds like you want to delay it as much as possible.”
“Did you catch me?”
Leticia burst into laughter. Ahwin, watching her, spoke softly.
“I understand your wish, Lady Leticia.”
Once again, she intended to bear her pain alone. Ahwin decided not to persuade her any further. Instead, he planned to support her in his own way.
He said nothing about the communication stone shared with Dietrian, and changed the subject.
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