Kailas did not know much about the curse. She had never broken a curse before. Nevertheless, she declared firmly.
“I will look into it myself. I am sure I can find a clue. No, I must find it.”
There were no hints. Still, she had to succeed.
“His Highness the Prince has not found a way to break the curse yet, right? I can guess why the curse is so strong. It must have sacrificed the life force of others.”
The power of healing is most closely related to the life force among the various wings. So, surely, the curse gripping Leticia’s heart could be purified. Kailas believed that.
“Oh…”
But as soon as she examined Leticia’s body, she realized how difficult it would be.
‘What dense darkness this is.’
A terrible dark energy, which she had never experienced before, was gripping Leticia’s heart. She tried with all her might, but it was useless. Such immense darkness could not be broken with the power of a single wing.
‘How many lives were sacrificed for this curse?’
Despairing, Kailas still could not give up. She wanted to purify the curse, even if she had to squeeze out all the healing power flowing through her body.
“Lady Leticia, please give me a little more time.”
For over an hour, she poured out her healing power. Sweat beaded on Kailas’s white forehead. Her face turned pale, and her fingertips trembled. Leticia, who looked at her pityingly, whispered.
“Don’t overdo it, Kailas.”
“It’s not overdoing it!”
Kailas shook her head hastily.
“Just give me one more chance. I will find a clue somehow.”
Leticia looked up at Ahwin with a troubled face, hoping he would stop Kailas. Contrary to her expectation, Ahwin sided with Kailas.
“Why not give Kailas one more chance, Lady Leticia?”
Leticia was surprised by his uncharacteristic irrationality. Soon, she realized why and bit her lip.
‘He’s disappointed.’
Ahwin had also had high hopes after hearing Kailas’s words. Seeing the deep disappointment in his red eyes, Leticia felt suffocated.
‘It’s too early for this.’
The curse still had a long way to go before it fully manifested. Even though she appeared fine, seeing the wings suffering made her heart heavier.
‘It’s understandable since it’s the first time for everyone.’
There was a day in the past when the symptoms of the curse disappeared as if it were a lie. Groaning in pain all day, thinking she would die, crying silently. Suddenly, all the pain disappeared. She could not believe it, even as she experienced it. The pain remained quiet over time.
She cried tears of joy and offered prayers of thanks to the gods. But soon, she had to fall back into the abyss of despair. The terrible pain started again. Only after the Principality was destroyed did the secret of the miracle that happened that day become clear.
[Did you really believe you were completely free from my hands? Heh, my naive daughter. Of course not. I would never let you go so easily.]
The secret of the miracle was Josephina. She did it on purpose, wanting Leticia to lose hope and suffer.
[Don’t expect anything. If you don’t dream, there’s nothing to be taken away. You won’t be tormented. Live like you’re dead, like a corpse.]
In the past, Leticia crumbled as Josephina had said. She dared not even dream of hope and broke day by day like a dry twig.
‘But not anymore. The past me is no longer here.’
The hope that had once crumbled without a trace now stood firm as a great tree. No one could make her despair.
‘But not my wings yet.’
Seeing Ahwin struggling to hide his pain, Leticia smiled bitterly. Though they would become stronger if they hit rock bottom like her, she could not bring herself to encourage that.
‘Such suffering is enough for me alone.’
So, she had to stop Kailas now before she suffered more. It was then.
“…The power of a dragon?”
“The power of a dragon? Kailas, did you just say the power of a dragon?”
“How can the power of a dragon be here… No, is it really the power of a dragon…?”
Kailas looked very confused.
“In addition to the power of darkness, there is an unfamiliar energy settled in Lady Leticia’s body. At first, it was too faint to notice, but now I can clearly sense it.”
“Is that the power of a dragon?”
“Actually, I’m not sure. I’ve never experienced the power of a dragon firsthand. However, I felt a wave unique to transcendent beings.”
“A transcendent being?”
“Every being has life force within them. This life force has its own pattern. For instance, humans…”
A lengthy and complex explanation followed. Since this was Kailas’s area of expertise, Leticia didn’t fully grasp it. But she understood the main point.
“So, you’re saying you felt the wave of a dragon’s power within the unfamiliar energy in my body.”
“Yes. It’s very faint, but…”
Kailas muttered with a bewildered expression.
“How can there be the energy of a dragon in a human body…”
“It must be the power of Lord Sigmund.”
“Lord Sigmund?”
“Yes. He has been helping me. He treated me when I was dying and blocked the curse. It seems his energy still lingers.”
Leticia knew that Sigmund had helped her several times, but she didn’t realize he was still protecting her.
“Kailas, I think it’s really time to stop now.”
Leticia gently removed Kailas’s hand and smiled.
“If Lord Sigmund is protecting me, nothing will happen for now. So, don’t worry too much. If his power reaches its limit, we can discuss it again then.”
“Oh…”
Contrary to Leticia’s expectation that it would take a long time to persuade Kailas, she couldn’t say anything. She had a look as if she were entranced by something.
“Ahwin, prepare a room for Kailas to stay in. One with plenty of sunlight.”
“At your command.”
Kailas followed Ahwin out of the room, her mind still clearly elsewhere. Ahwin glanced at her and spoke quietly.
“Kailas, don’t be too discouraged. I was disappointed too. But we can’t just sit down and give up. That would only burden Lady Leticia. If she is staying so calm, we as her wings must not waver. We must overcome this, no matter how difficult. There will surely be a way.”
Despite Ahwin’s comforting words, Kailas’s response was still lukewarm. In fact, she seemed completely uninterested.
“…Kailas?”
“…”
“Kailas, what are you thinking about?”
Even though Ahwin was speaking right next to her, she seemed lost in thought, not hearing him at all. It was only after repeated prodding that Kailas snapped out of it, startled.
“What did you just say?”
“Did you not hear anything I said? Were you daydreaming with your eyes open?”
She started to say something but then hesitated and clammed up.
“Kailas? Why did you stop talking? Is something wrong?”
“…”
“Kailas, this concerns Lady Leticia. If it relates to her safety, you must share it.”
“It is related to Lady Leticia, but if my guess is correct, it’s not up to me to reveal it…”
Ahwin’s expression hardened at Kailas’s cryptic response. Kailas, noticing his stern look, spoke softly.
“I’ll look into it again, and if I’m sure, I’ll tell you.”
“If you’re sure?”
“I’m not a doctor, so…”
Kailas trailed off. Ahwin’s expression grew even more serious. Even so, Kailas couldn’t speak hastily. She was confused as well.
When she examined Leticia’s body earlier, Kailas had indeed sensed an unfamiliar energy. Leticia said it was Sigmund’s power, but the more Kailas thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
‘I’m sure it felt like a human’s wave. Dragon’s blessings are intangible, so why did it feel like a form? It wasn’t a mistake. There was definitely something tangible. Like…’
A presence that wasn’t quite human yet, very faint… like a child in the womb…
‘What? Lady Leticia’s child?’
Kailas unconsciously covered her mouth with both hands.
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