Kailas recoiled in surprise, stepping back. Her hood fell off, and her dark blue hair rippled in the night breeze.
“How, here?”
Kailas asked, tense as a cat with its fur standing on end.
“My master wishes to see you. So I came to find you.”
“…What?”
Confusion spread across Kailas’ eyes.
“She wants to meet me?”
Could she really know that I’m here?
‘How on earth?’
As if guessing Kailas’ question, Noel added,
“You responded to Lady Leticia’s call. Didn’t you come here after hearing about Lady Leticia’s private audience with the emperor?”
“No way, then that newspaper article…!”
“That’s right. Lady Leticia took the risk just to meet you. So let’s go. We don’t have much time. My master is waiting for you.”
Noel smiled and extended her hand to Kailas.
“Hurry, Kailas.”
Kailas stood frozen, unable to take her hand. The veins stood out on her hand, clutching the edge of her black hood.
Kailas originally didn’t like the birth of new wings.
No, she hated it.
She felt uncomfortable with the wings smiling brightly in front of Josephina, unlike herself.
For such a Kailas, her first meeting with Noel remained a very special memory.
[I see the saint.]
The young woman, still looking like a girl, knelt before Josephina. Being from the slums, her wrists were so thin that one hand could encircle them. A white cloak embroidered with golden thread was draped over Noel’s shoulders.
[It’s an honor to meet you.]
Oddly enough, unlike other wings, Noel couldn’t smile even when seeing Josephina. She was pale, as if the cloak was weighing her down, and she was breathing heavily.
People whispered that the new wing was strange.
[Is it because she’s the ninth wing that she’s lacking in ability?]
[Probably.]
Such words didn’t reach Kailas’ ears at all.
Noel, kneeling on the red carpet, looked like her own younger self, crying loudly in a large carriage.
But Kailas soon turned away from Noel. She thought that over time, Noel would eventually side with Josephina. But she was wrong. Surprisingly, Noel became the first wing of the new saint.
Kailas looked at Noel, who was now smiling at her.
Noel seemed like a completely different person from the one she had known until now.
The girl who had been pale and frozen was nowhere to be seen.
The confident smile contained a resilient vitality, like a sprout emerging through the snow.
‘It’s because she met her true master.’
It wasn’t just her expression that had changed.
Noel had a divine power that felt purer than any other wings.
Kailas thought without realizing it.
‘If I serve Her as my master, will I become like Noel?’
It wasn’t that she envied Noel because she seemed strong.
Like a bird with broken wings longing for the sky, the instinct engraved in her soul was leading her to the true master.
Mesmerized, Kailas took a step toward Noel without realizing it and flinched.
The cold wind hit her cheek, snapping her back to her senses.
She quickly hid the hand she had unconsciously extended behind her back and shook her head.
“I can’t go.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I, well. I.”
Kailas barely managed to speak.
“I’m not Her wing. No, I can’t be Her wing.”
“What?”
“I’m different from you, Noel. I can’t go to Her. I didn’t recognize Her the whole time.”
At Kailas’ confession filled with guilt, Noel frowned.
“So what? No one recognized Her anyway.”
“But you knew that Josephina was a fake. I didn’t. When Josephina abused Her, I just watched. How can I become Her wings? I lived like a blind fool. So how…”
“Blind fool. Is that a criticism towards me?”
A familiar voice came from right behind her. Kailas turned around in surprise.
“It’s true, but it still hurts.”
Ahwin was standing right in front of her, smiling wryly.
“So, shouldn’t you meet Her even more? It’s better to apologize directly.”
“Ahwin.”
Kailas, who had been stiff, quickly turned her head.
Noel was slowly approaching, narrowing the encirclement.
Kailas’ expression hardened as she grasped the situation.
She declared sharply to Ahwin.
“Ahwin, I won’t go. Don’t think of taking me by force. Neither of you.”
But in reality, she felt despair.
The wings of water and wind.
They were among the strongest wings in terms of combat power.
It was impossible to face them with just healing power.
‘Still, let’s try to endure. If I hold out, an opportunity will come. Both of them are favorable to me. They won’t cross the line.’
On the other hand, Kailas was different from the two.
She would use any means and methods to get out of here.
If necessary, she would even attack Noel and Ahwin to escape.
She felt sorry for the two of them, but there was no other choice.
“If you try to take me by force…”
At that moment, a strong wind blew. Suddenly, a snowstorm swirled, obscuring her vision. Reflexively closing and reopening her eyes, Kailas flinched. Ahwin, who had been right in front of her, disappeared.
“Sorry, Kailas. We don’t have time to argue.”
She was startled and looked at the white snowfield, then she heard Ahwin’s voice again from behind.
“Lady Leticia will heal you with her healing power.”
Before she could turn around, she felt a strong impact on the back of her neck.
As her consciousness faded, her body collapsed softly.
She felt someone catch her as she lost consciousness.
* * *
Woosh.
A whistling sound was heard in the darkness.
“So you knocked her out by hitting the back of her neck and brought her here? Brother, have you finally decided to go all out?”
“There was no time for persuasion. It took all I had to stop Lady Leticia from coming out to meet her personally.”
“Ah, I see. Irresistible force. I’ll give you that.”
The voices of the two men mixed chaotically in her ears. As she felt her body regaining sensation, Kailas wiggled her fingertips.
“I don’t need your recognition. And stop calling me ‘brother.’ Why do you keep calling me that?”
“What else should I call you but brother?”
“I never had a brother like you.”
“Touchy.”
She heard the unfamiliar man chuckle, and finally, her consciousness fully returned. She slowly opened her eyes and heard a familiar voice right next to her.
“Kailas, are you awake?”
Kailas, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling, slowly moved only her eyes.
In the distance, a man with red hair was sitting on the back of a chair, resting his chin on his hand.
When their eyes met, he smiled and waved.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Banessa. Although temporarily, I was chosen to be a wing to assist Her Highness. Oh, by the way, I’m the third.”
“Stop talking and bring Lady Leticia.”
“Yes, yes.”
As Banessa left, Kailas slowly got up. Ahwin brought a cushion and placed it behind her back. Kailas glared sharply at Ahwin.
“Are you insane? You knocked me out by hitting the back of my neck?”
“Hmm.”
Ahwin averted his gaze, knowing he was in the wrong. Kailas felt anger boiling up inside her, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She wanted to punch Ahwin in the solar plexus right then.
Ahwin apologized sincerely.
“I’m sorry. The situation was urgent, and I had no choice. I’ll repay this debt. Tell me whatever you want.”
“Then can I hit you once now? You might pass out, so brace yourself and take a stance.”
“You’re going to knock me out? Now?”
“I’ll heal you right after, so don’t worry.”
Ahwin’s eyes wavered. Ignoring this, Kailas glared fiercely at Ahwin.
“Hurry up.”
Kailas, who had lost her temper, did not seem willing to back down.
Eventually, Ahwin tightly closed his eyes and straightened his posture.
* * *
“Kailas!”
When Leticia arrived in the room, she was greeted by Ahwin, whose face had turned pale. Leticia asked in surprise.
“Ahwin, why do you look like that?”
“…It’s nothing.”
Ahwin spoke with difficulty, avoiding Leticia’s gaze. Though puzzled, Leticia decided to ask about it later since there were more urgent matters at hand.
“Kailas!”
Kailas, who had been sitting quietly on the sofa, flinched and looked at Leticia. The moment their eyes met, she quickly lowered her head and trembled.
“Kailas.”
Leticia hurried over to Kailas and, holding her trembling hands, spoke.
“I’ve been waiting for you. Thank you so much for coming.”
Even though she had been dragged here, Kailas couldn’t bring herself to correct Leticia’s words.
Seeing Leticia made all the sorrow and loneliness she had felt so far seem to be compensated for.
It felt like she had finally met the one person in the world she could be vulnerable with.
In the end, Kailas began to shed tears and spoke.
“I really didn’t want to come.”
“Kailas.”
“I was too ashamed to come…”
“Don’t say that.”
“I’m really sorry, Lady Leticia…”
Kailas, speaking through her sobs, looked like a drenched kitten.
Ahwin, who had been hit in the solar plexus by this kitten and had briefly lost consciousness, stared off into the distance.
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