The moon had hidden away in the pitch-black night.
Rehir stared coldly at the black earrings placed on the table.
‘Sigmund, what trick are you trying to pull?’
The earrings Leticia had gifted to the princess.
He had investigated for hours but felt no power emanating from the earrings.
Rehir slightly grimaced.
‘Annoying.’
If only he could break the law of causality, he wouldn’t have cared about such trivial earrings. But now, he couldn’t.
‘Because I can no longer offer souls.’
The strongest law governing this world, causality. Even transcendent beings like the goddess and Sigmund couldn’t escape it, except for one exception.
By sacrificing tens or hundreds of souls, one could temporarily escape its constraints. That was why Rehir had manipulated Josephina for so long, committing countless massacres.
‘Since I can’t do that for a while, I should lay low for now.’
Josephina, who had killed numerous people under the pretense of the goddess’s will, was no longer in this world. All that remained was a fake saint, under suspicion by everyone.
‘Before suspicion turns into certainty, I must end Leticia.’
If people’s suspicions deepened, Josephina’s usefulness would eventually vanish. That would mean enduring a long time to find a new killer.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
Rehir, or rather the “darkness” that had consumed him, ground his teeth.
‘Revenge is within reach.’
How long had he waited for this day? He couldn’t lose everything right before his goal. With a crunch, the jewel in his hand turned to powder. The darkness shimmering above the powder, like a mirage, glared and turned away.
‘Leticia, on the day of the banquet for that woman, I will end her.’
* * *
The day of the banquet to welcome Leticia finally arrived.
Whooosh. Bang!
A large firework lit up the night sky. Everything was as dazzling and beautiful as the fireworks. The pink dress Noel had painstakingly chosen for Leticia, the accessories that seemed to be made of the world’s rarest jewels. The extravagant carriage sent by Callisto, the imperial palace approaching with colorful lights, the black suits worn by Ahwin and Banessa, who had come as escorts. Everything sparkled, except for the storm raging in Leticia’s heart.
‘Baby, are you watching?’
Leticia, looking up at the sky full of colorful fireworks, wrapped her arms around her belly. A few days ago, she had learned of her pregnancy. She was carrying Dietrian’s child.
The joy of having her most fervent dream come true was short-lived, as she soon fell into fear. What if the curse harmed the baby? What if she couldn’t break the curse?
The hope she believed to be as solid as a giant tree crumbled, and unfamiliar fear swallowed her. Forgetting that Doctor was nearby, she wept silently in Kailas’s arms for a long time. The fear was so overwhelming that she couldn’t even muster the courage to tell others the news.
‘It’s going to be okay, right?’
Ironically, the one who made her stop crying was the one who had made her cry. That night, Josephina appeared before the people. Just as Leticia had used the newspaper, Josephina announced her presence through an extra edition.
“I will personally meet and persuade my daughter, who is deluded by the evil dragon’s power.”
It meant she would attend the upcoming banquet welcoming Leticia.
‘She intends to ruin my debut.’
Leticia was jolted awake. There was no more time to be afraid. She had someone she must protect now. She could not afford to be weak. Leticia straightened her back without realizing it.
‘Baby, mommy will definitely protect you.’
Though she couldn’t even feel the baby’s movements yet, the presence of the child in her womb was vivid. By any means necessary, she would survive with the child.
* * *
“The Queen Consort of Genos, Her Royal Highness is entering!”
With the resounding announcement, all eyes turned towards the entrance. The previously quiet hall was suddenly filled with murmurs.
“That’s her, the new saintess.”
“Shh! The new saintess? Haven’t you heard she’s a fake?”
“They say she used the power of the evil dragon.”
Ahwin, who was escorting Leticia, frowned deeply. Although the nobles tried to keep their voices low, Ahwin, who wielded the power of wind, heard everything.
“Ahwin.”
Sensing Ahwin’s mood, Leticia quickly tried to calm him.
“This was expected. Don’t get excited.”
“Your mercy is too generous for them, Lady Leticia.”
Despite his words, Ahwin managed to slightly suppress his anger. However, he did not forget to glare fiercely at one particular noble who had loudly criticized Leticia. Eventually, there was a clatter!
“Count! Are you alright?”
“I-I’m fine.”
Despite his words, the count collapsed, his legs giving out. He had to be helped out of the banquet hall by the attendants. Watching the scene in disbelief, Leticia admonished Ahwin.
“Ahwin, I told you not to get worked up.”
“I only looked at him.”
“With murderous intent?”
“If his words had upset you, he would have left the hall on a stretcher.”
“A stretcher?”
“Because he would have been a corpse.”
“…”
“Brother, I had a similar thought.”
Banessa chimed in with a sly grin.
“I thought about burning him. There wouldn’t even be ashes left, so no stretcher would be needed.”
“Hmm, that sounds good.”
Ahwin pondered for a moment.
“Perhaps burning the entire hall would be better. I’ll help with the wind.”
“Oh, can we do that?”
“There are quite a few of Josephina’s lackeys among the central nobles. It’s better to show overwhelming power so they can’t cause any more trouble.”
“Ha, that’s my style. Bold and fiery.”
The two wings began enthusiastically planning their destruction, oblivious to their mistress’ need for prenatal care. Knowing it was useless to stop them, Leticia tried to ignore the murderous conversation and surveyed the banquet hall.
‘The atmosphere seems better than I thought.’
When she first entered the hall, the nobles didn’t hide their displeasure. Now, they were trying to manage their expressions, avoiding looking at Leticia and quickly turning away if their eyes met hers.
‘They must be afraid of Ahwin.’
Well, it didn’t really matter.
‘Even if they don’t welcome me, I’m confident I can make them my allies.’
As Ahwin said, she just needed to show the overwhelming difference in power.
‘However, that is a last resort.’
Using force to subdue the nobles was highly inefficient. The effect of fear was immediate but lacked longevity.
‘I need to create a reason for them to follow me willingly.’
Like bringing rain during a drought or using the power of healing to stop a plague. She would extend a hand of salvation when everyone needed her help.
‘But that is not possible at the moment.’
So, she decided to observe the atmosphere of the banquet and think about an effective method.
“His Majesty the Emperor and Her Highness the Princess are entering.”
The nobles quickly bowed to the Emperor. As a saintess, Leticia did not need to bow to the Emperor, so she stood tall. Her escorts, Banessa and Ahwin, also stood. The three standing confidently amidst the bowing nobles were very noticeable. The Emperor, glancing at them, frowned deeply. He did not hide his discomfort and commanded the nobles.
“Raise your heads.”
“We obey.”
The Princess standing behind the Emperor eagerly made eye contact with Leticia. Her gray eyes, much like Callisto’s, showed a hint of welcome. A faint smile appeared on Leticia’s lips, who was somewhat nervous about meeting the Emperor for the first time.
The Emperor descended from the podium and approached Leticia. The nobles opened a path, creating a wide corridor between the Emperor and Leticia. Standing before Leticia, the Emperor spoke arrogantly.
“You must be Leticia, Josephina’s daughter.”
The clear condescension made Leticia pause.
“I heard you recently married the Principality’s King. This must be your first banquet. Such luxury would be hard to come by in your humble Principality, so enjoy it to your heart’s content.”
“Your Majesty!”
The Princess called out in alarm. The Emperor’s greeting was outrageous from start to finish. The Emperor of the Holy Empire was supposed to respect the saintess chosen by the goddess. Yet, the Emperor ignored all this and openly belittled Leticia in front of everyone. He was drawing a line, viewing Leticia only as Josephina’s daughter and Dietrian’s wife. Leticia gazed at the Emperor.
‘So, the Emperor’s claim of recognizing me was a blatant lie.’
It was just a petty scheme to lure her here.
‘Mother’s doing, no doubt.’
It was obvious whose plan it was.
“Why are you silent? Are you ignoring me? After receiving a greeting from the Emperor, you give no response?”
Leticia pondered.
‘Why is the Emperor helping my mother?’
The relationship between the Emperor and Josephina was far from good. For the Emperor, the emergence of a new saintess could have been welcomed.
‘Did she manipulate the Emperor somehow, like she imbued the Princess’s earrings with dark power?’
“Such insolence! Ignoring me continuously! If you wish to leave this hall on your own two feet, kneel and beg for forgiveness! Otherwise, I will personally punish you with the rod!”
Leticia stopped thinking for a moment. There were too many eyes watching, so she decided to consider the Emperor’s condition later. She had no intention of yielding to his demands, so she calmly spoke.
“Your Majesty, may I ask you something first? What does it take for you to live as the Emperor of this Holy Empire?”
“Stop babbling nonsense and respond to me!”
“You need land to rule, right? You need the support of the people. You need the palace. You also need subordinates to serve you, like those watching us now in this hall.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“In that case.”
Leticia looked directly at the Emperor.
“How long do you think it would take for me to take all of that away from you?”
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