“The power of healing revives all that is dying. Even those who have stepped into the River of the Dead can be turned back by the power of healing.”
Ahwin had said that long ago when explaining the power of the wings. The River of the Dead was a place where the souls of the deceased passed through when they moved from this world to the next. Once they crossed that river entirely, they became spirits of the afterlife, beyond return.
The princess had not yet been dead for long.
If her soul was still crossing the River of the Dead, there might be a way to bring her back.
Grasping onto a sliver of hope, Leticia infused her healing power.
But there was no change in the princess’s corpse.
Instead, it grew colder and colder.
With each passing moment, hope dwindled.
Was it already too late?
Was it truly irreversible?
Had the princess’s soul already crossed the River of the Dead, completely severing its ties with this world?
Despite the growing ominous thoughts, Leticia did not stop.
The power of the goddess flowed continuously into the princess’s corpse according to her wish.
It was not an easy task.
The power of the goddess was like an inexhaustible well.
Drawing too much water at once, even if only temporarily, would inevitably show the bottom.
Leticia was in that state now.
The more she squeezed out her healing power, the more sweat beaded on her pale forehead.
“Leticia, it’s time to stop.”
Finally, Calisto, unable to bear it any longer, intervened.
Pain was reflected in his gray eyes.
Both Leticia and the princess were people he wanted to save even at the cost of his own life.
But the princess was already dead.
He did not want to admit it, but her breath had long since stopped.
In that case, the living had to continue living.
Moreover, he was the goddess’s wing. As the reincarnation of the high priest chosen by the goddess, he had to prioritize Leticia’s well-being above all else.
“Please wait a little longer. I want to try everything I can.”
“Please don’t. I will take my sister with me. She has been in the cold for too long. We should let her rest now… peacefully.”
Declaring his sister’s death with his own mouth was more painful than he could have imagined. In the end, he could not finish his sentence and closed his eyes. He bit his lip so hard it bled. He could not feel the pain. Only hot tears fell steadily.
“Your Highness.”
Seeing the overwhelming sense of loss in him, Leticia also teared up. Losing a precious person right before your eyes was something she had experienced too. That was why she could not give up.
If she let Calisto go now, his wound would never heal easily.
It might remain as an indelible scar, forever binding him.
She could not let him live in despair again, now that he had just escaped the pain of the pact.
In order to avoid repeating the past when he ended his own life, Leticia could not give up.
“Your Highness, I am begging you like this. Please let me try just one more time.”
“Lady Leticia.”
“As you know, I am living my second life. My goal is to protect everyone dear to me.”
“……”
“If I let the two of you go like this, I will live the rest of my life in regret. I don’t want to throw away this hard-won opportunity so meaninglessly.”
When Leticia spoke about her life before returning, Calisto could no longer be stubborn. Calisto, who had been staring at Leticia painfully, lowered his gaze.
Then, he gently held his sister’s hand, which had turned rigid.
The once warm and soft hand felt as hard as a block of wood, and it felt like his heart was about to break.
He spoke in a voice cracked with emotion.
“……Do as you wish, Lady Leticia.”
“Thank you.”
Leticia, feeling relieved, focused again on the healing power flowing through her body.
Though she had bought some time, she was still anxious.
Leaving the princess lying on this cold floor would surely be painful for Calisto.
To find even the slightest clue, she recalled the information she knew about the healing power.
“Of course, being such an overwhelming power, it comes with significant restrictions.
Great power always comes with a great price.
Still, it will be quite useful for you, Lady Leticia.”
Finally, she remembered what Ahwin had said about the healing power.
‘What must I offer?’
Whether it be the goddess or Sigmund, it didn’t matter. She just hoped they would show her the way.
‘Please give me strength. Allow me to protect everyone dear to me.’
Thinking so, Leticia unknowingly wrapped her arms around her belly.
It was a habit that had developed recently.
Whenever her heart felt troubled, she would rely on the baby inside her as if seeking comfort.
It made her feel a little better.
It was as if the baby was speaking to her.
It was the same this time.
Don’t worry.
Everything you’re doing will be fine.
With the illusion of hearing her baby’s chatter, a strange warmth spread from the tips of her fingers that were wrapped around her belly.
As she felt this unfamiliar sensation, something blocking the space between her and the princess began to crack.
The healing power, which had been dissipating meaninglessly, gently seeped into the princess’s body.
At the same time, a strange light began to flow from the hands holding the princess.
Seeing the color of the light, Leticia froze in the position of holding the princess’s shoulders.
“Lady Leticia!”
Someone urgently called out to her, but she had no time to look. She could only stare, as if entranced, at the light mixed with white and gold.
‘The white light is the power of the Elixir.’
One of the lights was very familiar. It was the power of the goddess that had always protected her after her return.
‘The other one is…’
There was something reminiscent of the dragon Sigmund’s eyes in the vivid golden light, which she had encountered only once. But it wasn’t entirely the same.
‘This power, could it be…?’
She instinctively realized the truth. The golden aura was distinctly different from Sigmund’s overwhelming power, which was as vast as the sea. It felt like the fresh vitality of a newly sprouted bud.
‘Our child helped me.’
The whisper that told her not to worry had not been in vain. Leticia’s eyes reddened with emotion. Moments later, the princess’s eyelashes trembled. Slowly, her eyelids lifted, revealing her gray eyes.
“Sister! Are you conscious? Sister!”
Leticia withdrew her hands as she saw the scar on the princess’s neck rapidly disappear.
“Cal…listo?”
“Oh, oh, goddess. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you…”
Leticia closed her eyes. A flood of overwhelming emotion washed over her. She wanted to tell the whole world. That she had become a mother. That her child was protecting her. More than ever, she wanted to see Dietrian.
“Sister…!”
Calisto, curled up, burst into tears like a child.
“I’m fine now. You don’t need to cry anymore.”
“I’m so, so sorry, sister. I should have been more careful…”
“It’s not your fault, so don’t cry.”
Awkwardly yet touched by her worried brother, the princess’s eyes reddened. She sniffled and got up.
“The princess is alive!”
“How… how is this possible?”
The princess, who was slowly scanning the people in shock, flinched. Not far away, a man with fiery red hair was standing on a knight’s back. He smiled and bowed his head toward the princess.
“We meet again, Your Highness.”
The princess, still traumatized by the chaos from the banquet, quickly turned her gaze. Right next to her, Leticia was standing with her eyes closed, holding her belly.
Looking at her, the voice she had heard just before losing consciousness came to mind. That moment when she was dying, yet still worried about Leticia.
“Dana, do you truly want to protect that child?”
“If so, I will grant you a new life. But there is a condition.”
“Use this life to protect my child.”
She didn’t know who the voice belonged to or who ‘that child’ referred to. She just desperately wanted to protect Leticia for the empire’s sake.
“Alright. Your wish and my desire have aligned, and that child will eventually save you.”
“Even causality cannot blame me.”
“Live this life for that child.”
Someone smiled faintly as her consciousness faded.
“Decide on reincarnation after you’ve lived a bit longer.”
Leticia slowly opened her eyes. The princess, unknowingly tense, swallowed dryly.
“Your Highness, are you in any pain?”
Leticia’s eyes softened with a gentle smile. At that moment, a dizzying shock filled the princess’s mind.
‘Oh my.’
Only then did the princess understand why the wings had gone so wild.
‘What kind of feeling is this?’
The moment her eyes met Leticia’s, her heart raced and her nose tingled.
It felt like listening to the most beautiful music in the world.
No, it couldn’t compare.
Even if her deceased mother came back to life or she woke up to find that Calisto had unified the continent, she wouldn’t be this happy.
‘To think that I became a crazy wing like them…’
Recalling the day the divine palace fell, the princess became teary-eyed. The trauma of that day was so overwhelming that becoming a wing was not at all a joyful experience. She now understood the words of the ‘voice’ that told her to decide whether to maintain the temporary position after living a bit more.
Unaware of the princess’s complex emotions, Leticia just smiled gently. It was a smile far more beautiful than any of the crazy wings the princess knew. Her delicate body even seemed fragile. Perhaps that was why.
‘How hard must it be to manage all those crazy people?’
Suddenly, the princess felt incredibly sorry for Leticia. She had struggled so much just to console Calisto alone. Managing all those crazy talented individuals must not be easy.
‘She didn’t even want to become a saintess…’
As her own struggles overlapped with Leticia’s, the princess’s affection for her naturally grew.
‘Well, what does it matter if I’m a wing? The queen consort is precious as she is.’
Leticia was the only person who could restore everything that Rehir had disrupted, and she had even saved her from dying. She had to be protected.
As her thoughts reached this point, the princess felt a peculiar sense of desire. It was the sane person’s yearning to protect Leticia among the insane wings.
