Banessa shouted.
“What nonsense! Those people are greedy for our Highness? If they have a conscience, they can’t do that!”
“Do you think the Empire people have a conscience?”
“Of course not!”
“That’s the problem.”
“Oh, damn it. These bastards!”
Though he didn’t want to admit it, Julia was right. The Empire bastards didn’t seem likely to let Leticia go easily. Grinding his teeth, he clenched his fist.
‘That must never happen.’
Unless Leticia wanted to stay in the Empire, she absolutely had to return to the principality. This was even more true when thinking about Dietrian.
‘Our prince can’t live without Her Highness.’
How much must he love Leticia for a king of a country to run to the Empire without an escort? If anyone were to block Leticia’s path, they would all be doomed. With this resolve, Banessa spoke grimly.
“We have to settle this with the Imperial prince.”
“Prince Calisto? Settle it?”
“The Imperial family members are also wings. If Her Highness wants to return to the principality, they will surely help. The lingering Empire bastards should be left to the Imperial family.”
“Well. I think differently.”
Julia shook her head with a skeptical expression.
“They are ultimately Imperial family members. Prince Calisto may be devoted to Her Highness, but what about the princess?”
“The princess would hold onto Her Highness? But the princess is also Her Highness’s wing. Can she defy her will?”
“Princess Dana is destined to become the Empress of the Empire before being a wing. If Her Highness leaves for the principality, the Empire will greatly falter. Would she just watch that happen?”
“A wing is still a wing.”
“A wing is a wing. But we are just temporary wings. It’s different from Prince Calisto, the reincarnation of the High Priest.”
After becoming a wing, Julia discovered an unexpected fact. Despite becoming a wing, her feelings towards Leticia hadn’t changed much. Leticia was still very important, but it wasn’t because she became a wing. Leticia was Dietrian’s wife, the queen of the principality, and the benefactor who saved Enoch. So, she wanted to protect her.
“Though I’ve become a wing, I’m still a servant of Prince Dietrian. Both their highnesses are equally important to me. I’m different from the other wings who see Her Highness as the center of the world.”
Noel, Ahwin, Kailas, Calisto. To those who were originally wings, the reincarnations of the High Priests, the center of the world was only Leticia. If Leticia lived, they lived, if she died, they died. They would follow any of Leticia’s commands, even to destroy the world. Unconditional obedience.
“But I’m not. If Her Highness tries to harm Zenos, I would stop her at any cost. If necessary, I might even refuse her orders.”
“……”
“Of course, Her Highness is very important to me. That’s not because I’m a wing. Whether she has the goddess’s power or not, she is the queen of our principality, so I want to protect her.”
The goddess’s power was a means to protect the precious Highness, nothing more, nothing less. This was the biggest difference between the original wings and the new wings.
“Well, that’s true for me too.”
Banessa nodded. Then, folding his arms, he spoke with a serious expression.
“Come to think of it, Noel once asked me. If I had to choose between the two highnesses, who would I choose?”
When Banessa said both highnesses were important, Noel had a very peculiar expression. He didn’t think much of it then, but looking back now, it seemed it was because Noel was the reincarnation of the High Priest.
“When the interests of the Imperial family and Lady Leticia’s wishes collide, can the princess give up on Her Highness? Rather than giving up, wouldn’t she try to hold onto her by any means necessary?”
Julia said.
“We need to think in advance about what choices we would make then.”
“Hmm…”
Banessa’s worries deepened.
* * *
Unfortunately for Banessa, Julia’s concerns turned out to be completely accurate.
“Your Highness, the debris removal work at the Eastern Palace is almost complete. It seems no additional monsters will be needed.”
“I will check personally. Lead the way.”
“Understood.”
The princess headed towards the Eastern Palace, with the bluish dawn sky behind her. As soon as she turned the corner, she was greeted by an open space. Seeing the once elegant building reduced to a barren field, the princess clicked her tongue.
“They sure did a thorough job of destroying it.”
It was Calisto’s spirits that had done this to the Eastern Palace. Though inwardly clicking her tongue, she couldn’t wholly blame him, as she herself had been no different last night.
‘Last night, I was no different from that guy.’
Next to the ruined Eastern Palace stood a building riddled with holes. It was the Royal Library, boasting a long history. It was her own monsters that had turned the intact library into a beehive.
Gazing at the library slowly crumbling, the princess realized her life had completely changed. Truly. She had become a wing. The princess began to plan for the future, deliberately ignoring her loss of reason.
‘I should involve the monsters in the palace restoration project. The monsters may be dumb, but they are strong, so if trained well, they’ll be useful.’
At first, she was disturbed to be the master of monsters, but changing her perspective revealed many advantages.
‘Couldn’t I use the other wings’ powers as well? First, I’ll persuade Calisto to help build a dam…’
If the wings cooperated, the Empire would develop much more. This also meant she had to do whatever it took to win Leticia’s heart.
‘His Majesty will surely oppose it.’
An emperor who had lived his whole life overshadowed by the High Priest would undoubtedly oppose her choice.
‘Just like at the banquet, he would say he cannot bow to a mere queen of a principality.’
The princess snorted.
‘Whatever. I don’t care.’
Having narrowly escaped death, the princess decided not to care about anyone’s opinions anymore. The most important thing to her was Saint Leticia.
As a princess, as a wing. Either way, if the emperor stood in her way, she was prepared to dethrone him with her own hands.
‘I’ll make sure he can rest in a place with good air and water.’
While considering rebellion, the princess remained calm. Not all rebellions in this world were violent. It was entirely possible to overthrow the emperor without spears and swords.
‘That’s only possible if the saint decides to stay in the Empire.’
For the first time, the princess’s eyes showed worry. The rosy future of the Empire and the devoted treatment toward Leticia all depended on her staying in the Empire. The problem was that Leticia didn’t seem inclined to stay. The princess sighed, pressing her forehead.
‘The Empire has always taken from her, so she must have lost all affection for it. I don’t have to look far; even I didn’t know the saint was abusing her daughter.’
Despite thinking this, the princess knew she had to hold onto Leticia. If the saint and the wings disappeared at once, the Empire would surely collapse.
‘What should I do? Should I consult with Calisto? No, no.’
The princess quickly shook her head.
‘If I tell Calisto about my worries, it’ll only cause trouble instead of solving it. He’ll rage, accusing me of trying to defy our master’s will as a wing.’
The princess smiled bitterly and slumped her shoulders.
‘I don’t know if I should be thankful or not.’
Calisto’s blind devotion to Leticia was certainly welcome as a fellow wing. However, the problem was that she couldn’t share in that blind devotion. The princess’s concerns deepened as well.
* * *
While the wings were each lost in their worries, their master, Leticia, was also feeling conflicted. Even after returning to the palace, she hadn’t been able to tell Dietrian about the baby in her womb.
‘When and how should I tell him about our baby?’
She thought she would be able to tell him as soon as she met him. However, when she faced him, she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
‘What if Dietrian isn’t happy about my pregnancy?’
She became increasingly anxious and afraid. She felt like bursting into tears.
‘What if he doesn’t want the baby, what should I do?’
It would be better if she could have a deep conversation with Dietrian, but she couldn’t, so her thoughts quickly turned to the worst-case scenario. If she had been a bit more composed, she would have realized how baseless her worries were, but she didn’t have that luxury.
‘I’m scared. I keep wanting to cry.’
Her emotions were all over the place because she was pregnant. Leticia, experiencing pregnancy for the first time, didn’t know this.
“Leticia. Wouldn’t it be better to return to the manor?”
As Leticia struggled to hold back her tears, Dietrian gently cupped her cheek.
“The other wings will remain in the palace, so there’s no need for you to overexert yourself. I’ve heard you’ve been seeing the doctor frequently lately. You need to rest.”
“…Dietrian.”
Dietrian smiled faintly.
“Yes. I will be by your side. So, there’s nothing to worry about. I’ll do whatever you want.”
Dietrian carefully laid Leticia down on the bed.
“If staying in the palace is more comfortable for you, then do so. But don’t overdo it. You’re a saint, but you’re also my wife. You don’t have any duty to protect the Empire. Just be happy.”
Leticia looked up at Dietrian with trembling eyes. His comfort only made her tears well up even more. As she buried her face in his chest and sobbed, she also sighed with relief.
‘I think I can tell him.’
She was still scared and afraid, but his warmth slowly melted her fears.
‘Let’s confess. I’m pregnant. I’m going to be the mother of your child.’
Just as she made up her mind, Dietrian, who was holding her, whispered first.
“Leticia, I have something to tell you. Will you listen?”
Leticia nodded silently, liking the sound of his voice. She thought she would talk about the baby after he finished speaking.
Dietrian’s eyes had darkened, but Leticia didn’t notice. He cradled her head and pressed his lips firmly to her forehead. Then he whispered softly.
“It’s about the conversation we had at the temple.”
“…The temple?”
Leticia, who had been listening with her eyes closed, paused. Before she met him at the temple, he had told Julia that he had to leave. She had completely forgotten about it, distracted by the baby in her womb.
“Actually, I have to leave.”
“…What?”
“There’s something I must do for all of us. Until it’s resolved, I can’t stay by your side. So, what do you think about us being apart for a while?”
It was as if cold water had been poured over her, snapping her out of her reverie. Leticia instinctively sat up.
“What did you say?”
Dietrian calmly sat up with her.
“There’s a reason I had to come to the Empire. It wasn’t just because I was worried about you.”
Dietrian’s voice trembled slightly.
“I had a dream.”
“…A dream?”
“Recently, I awakened to Gilead. Like my brother and mother. Because of that… I saw your past.”
Pain shadowed Dietrian’s gentle smile. Leticia stared at him blankly. Dietrian tried to explain everything he had experienced as calmly and clearly as possible, so she wouldn’t be surprised. He told her about what Sigmund had said, the changes he had undergone, Julios’s choice, and the pasts he had seen of her.
“I believe both of us must survive. If only one of us can, then you must live. But my thoughts have changed.”
“….”
“If we can’t live together, I’d rather die with you. Whether we live or die, we’ll be together. I won’t leave you alone as in the past.”
At his tender whisper, Leticia looked at him in disbelief.
“You want to die with me?”
“Yes. If we can’t survive together, then that’s what I’ll do.”
At that, Leticia cried out in a near scream.
“Why die!”
“To never leave you alone again…”
“So why are you thinking about dying!”
Leticia burst out.
“I want to live with you. We have to… live together. We will survive together!”
“Of course, if it’s possible, that’s what we’ll do. But we don’t know the future. Don’t be afraid. We will be together forever.”
“That’s what I’m saying, don’t talk like that! Why talk about dying together! I can’t die! We have to live together!”
Leticia burst into tears. She took his hand and placed it on her belly.
“I’m pregnant!”
“…What?”
“I’m pregnant!”
“…Pregnant?”
Dietrian repeated the word in shock. Pregnant? He couldn’t understand. He was sure they had used contraception. He involuntarily asked again.
“But we used contraception, how…”
“How would I know why!”
Leticia snapped, her voice trembling.
“I don’t know either! But it happened! I’m pregnant.”
“…What?”
“I’m carrying your child! So why talk about dying! We both have to live! If we die, our baby dies too!”
Dietrian snapped to attention as if doused with cold water. He finally understood the series of events. The contraception failed. Leticia was pregnant. She was carrying his child.
‘I’m…’
Dietrian swallowed hard. Fireworks exploded in his mind. The worries that had weighed him down vanished in an instant.
‘I’m going to be a father!’