Leticia, who had come out of the banquet hall, treated the princess and then returned to the mansion.
“Lady Leticia, have you already returned?”
The others waiting in the mansion were surprised by her faster-than-expected return but nodded their heads upon hearing what the emperor had done.
“Well done. Sometimes, shock therapy is necessary.”
“Josephina even extended her hand to the emperor. It was expected, but still. How ruthless.”
Leticia, having removed her adornments with the help of her wings, entered the bedroom.
“You must be very tired, right? Sit down. I’ll use the power of healing on you.”
“Thank you, Kailas.”
Leticia faintly smiled as she sat in the rocking chair. Though she tried not to show it, fatigue was evident in her green eyes.
“It’s strange, even though I didn’t do much.”
“It’s because you are with the baby.”
A sky-blue aura flowed from Kailas’s hand, which was holding Leticia’s wrist, and then it permeated into Leticia’s body.
“The baby is doing well. The energy is getting stronger.”
“……I see.”
In truth, she had been worried because she had used the goddess’s power excessively. She sighed in relief and gently embraced her belly.
“Actually, it still doesn’t feel real.”
Both Kailas and the doctor sensed the child in her belly in their own ways. However, she herself felt nothing except for a bit of fatigue.
“When will I be able to feel it?”
“Around the time the snow melts, you’ll feel the baby move. The baby will come to you with spring, Lady Leticia.”
“Spring…….”
“At first, it will feel like soap bubbles bubbling. Then the movements will become clearer.”
“I see.”
A smile spread across Leticia’s lips. The thought of feeling the baby move made her heart flutter with excitement.
“I hope I can feel it soon.”
She wished for spring to come quickly. As she thought this, a sudden chill ran through her chest.
‘The curse will end around that time too.’
The excitement she felt moments ago vanished, replaced by fear that swallowed her whole.
‘Will I be able to break the curse? Will I be able to save our child?’
The anxious thoughts ballooned rapidly. What if she felt the baby move but couldn’t protect it? What if she caused the baby, who was signaling to its mother, to die?
“Lady Leticia.”
Noticing Leticia’s worsening state, Kailas quickly called out to her.
“Lady Leticia, can you hear me?”
Kailas spoke while intentionally infusing the purest healing power into her. Leticia, tears brimming in her eyes, looked down at Kailas.
“Kailas.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“I’m so scared.”
Fear was like oil on water. Once it began, no matter how much she tried to stop it, it spread rapidly.
“What if something goes wrong with the baby because of me? What should I do if something bad happens to the baby because of my curse?”
Leticia said in a trembling voice.
“Soon, I will start coughing up blood. Can the baby endure when I do?”
“Lady Leticia.”
“I’m so scared. They say a mother’s emotions are transmitted to the baby. If I suffer, the baby will surely suffer too. What if I lose the baby? What if I miscarry because of the pain? What should I do then?”
“Lady Leticia, don’t worry. The baby is fine. I check every day, don’t I?”
“I’m so scared that I don’t know what to do…….”
Leticia burst into tears. The clear tears that had gathered on her golden eyelashes fell. Kailas quickly comforted her.
“Lady Leticia, you must remember the oracle given by the goddess and the words of Lord Sigmund. Both predicted a bright future for you. They said that radiant happiness will come to you.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me. You haven’t done anything wrong, Lady Leticia.”
“Kailas.”
“It’s okay to cry as much as you need. The doctor said that it’s normal for emotions to be very unstable during the early stages of pregnancy. Don’t hold back, let it out. It’s good for both you and the baby.”
Despite Kailas’s comfort, Leticia couldn’t say anything and just let her tears fall. She felt like a reed standing in front of a typhoon. The helplessness was suffocating.
It seemed there was nothing she could do in the face of the strong wind. Her past self, who had subdued the emperor in the banquet hall just an hour ago, felt like a dream.
‘Can I really break the curse?’
Can I really escape? If I try hard, will it work out? Or am I running towards the impossible, causing everyone to suffer, only to die in despair?
“I miss Dietrian…….”
Leticia couldn’t stop crying.
“I miss him, I want to see him.”
Why is my heart shaking like this? Is it really just because of the pregnancy? Will it naturally resolve over time? Everything was confusing.
Amidst the confusion, one thing was certain. She needed Dietrian. The person she loved the most, the person so precious she would die for him, the person who could protect both her and the baby. She needed him. But he was too far away.
“If you miss him, you can go see him. Shall we return to the principality?”
Kailas’s face brightened.
“It’s not difficult. I’ll go to the prince right away and tell him to make more teleportation scrolls. The prince is still in that old mansion, right? I’ll be right back.”
Leticia barely shook her head.
“No, it’s okay. I won’t go back. I’ll resolve everything here and then I’ll go. I can’t delay any longer.”
She wanted to go back, but she knew she shouldn’t. For the Principality and its people who had suffered because of Josephina, for the wings who believed and followed only her, and for the baby in her belly. She had to endure.
“Lady Leticia.”
“I’ll rest for now. I’ll be fine after some rest. I must have overdone it today. That’s why I keep crying.”
Forcing a smile, Leticia got up from her seat. She curled up on the bed, and Kailas couldn’t do anything more.
“Good night, Kailas.”
Leticia faintly smiled and closed her eyes. Clear tears silently flowed down her nose.
* * *
“I can’t stand it anymore.”
Noel’s cold voice. Kailas, who was leaving Leticia’s bedroom, flinched. She was taken aback when she saw her comrades waiting outside.
“What are you doing here?”
“We’ve been waiting for you, Kailas.”
“What on earth are you hiding? What is happening to Lady Leticia?!”
Noel whispered harshly, barely containing her voice. Ahwin’s gaze was equally intense. Banessa, with his arms crossed, nodded vigorously. Kailas flinched momentarily but then feigned ignorance.
“Hiding? What am I supposed to be hiding?”
“Lady Leticia is in distress! What’s the reason for it?”
Kailas’s face showed a trace of dismay at Noel’s words.
‘They must have sensed Lady Leticia’s emotions.’
The Wings resonate with the Saintess’s emotions. It usually happens when they meet face-to-face, but sometimes it occurs even without that. This was one of those times, triggered by Leticia’s overwhelming emotions. Her fear had been so intense that the other Wings felt it too.
“…I can’t tell you.”
“Kailas!”
“Lady Leticia ordered me to keep it a secret for now. I will follow her command.”
“A secret? Is that true? Did Lady Leticia really order us to keep it a secret?”
“Yes.”
At her firm reply, Noel’s eyes showed shock. It was like a wolf ready to pounce on its prey suddenly deflated by a shot arrow.
“Did she really say that?”
“Yes. So, don’t ask me any more. Wait until Lady Leticia is ready. Until then, be patient.”
“Is it something bad? Is that it?”
“It’s not that.”
“But.”
Noel found it hard to believe Kailas’s words. She panted as she questioned her.
“If it’s not something bad, why is Lady Leticia suffering so much?”
Ahwin wrapped her trembling shoulders in an embrace. Kailas let out a bitter smile. If they knew about Leticia’s pregnancy, the Wings would undoubtedly be overjoyed as if it were their own.
Kailas too, under different circumstances, would have felt like she was floating on clouds every day. But the curse prevented them from fully experiencing that joy, leaving her frustrated. Amid his turmoil, Leticia’s words echoed in her mind.
[I want to see Dietrian.]
At the same time, an idea to lift Leticia’s spirits came to her.
“There is something we can do right now for Lady Leticia. One of us needs to go to the Principality as quickly as possible.”
“The Principality? Why the Principality?”
“Lady Leticia wants to meet the Duke. We need to bring them together as soon as possible. Any good ideas?”
Banessa shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, if Prince Dietrian knows she’s looking for him, he’d come running in no time, but it’s too far.”
“We have teleportation scrolls.”
“We used them all. We used all seven coming here.”
Noel looked puzzled at Banessa’s words.
“Seven? There were ten scrolls. I distinctly remember giving ten to Ahwin.”
“What? No, there were seven.”
The three Wings turned their gazes simultaneously to Ahwin. As they looked at him curiously, Ahwin hesitated for a moment before pulling something from his pocket. He spoke calmly.
“It was ten. But there are no scrolls left. We used all ten.”
“Where are the other three?”
“The Prince used them.”
“…What?”
“Actually, the Prince is in the capital. He arrived three days ago.”
Ahwin held out a communication stone crafted by Callisto.
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