The emperor’s face turned pale. The palace physician beside him looked about to faint.
After dropping a large bombshell, the princess picked up the medicine on the table with a nonchalant expression.
“I will give you the medicine. You may leave now.”
“But…”
The palace physician trembled, glancing at the emperor. The emperor’s face, which had been in shock, turned bright red.
“Deposed? Treason? Did you just say you would depose me? You! How could you! How could you say such a thing!”
“Calm down. You need to take your medicine. You might be deposed soon, but you should at least take care of your health.”
“How did I raise you? Who do you think made you the heir to the empire! You, who are much more foolish than Calisto, who do you think helped you get that position!”
“Yes, I am very grateful for that. That’s why I’m holding back from deposing you immediately.”
“Dana!”
Ignoring the emperor, the princess spoke to the palace physician.
“Hurry up and leave. I have urgent matters to discuss with His Majesty.”
“Where do you think you’re going? Who are you to give orders to my palace physician! Get out, get out immediately!”
“I said leave!”
“Dana!”
“You. Do you dare defy my orders?”
The palace physician trembled, unable to do anything. The princess’s gaze grew even fiercer.
“Hurry!”
“Stay still! If you move even a little, I’ll kill you too!”
The emperor shouted, throwing the papers that were on the bedside table.
“Dana, you wretched…!”
“You. Have you already forgotten who I am? I am the future emperor of this country and the chosen wing of the goddess! Do you still intend to defy my orders?”
The terrified palace physician, looking back and forth between the princess and the emperor, closed his eyes tightly. He bowed his head towards the princess.
“I obey the princess’s orders. I will withdraw now.”
“Stop! I said stop!”
“Oh, one more thing. Make sure no one enters His Majesty’s room for the time being, understood?”
“I will obey.”
“No! That is not right! Go and bring the Royal Knights immediately! I will charge this wicked one with treason at once!”
“Oh, and it would be wise to keep everything seen and heard in this room a secret. If you want to live, that is.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
The palace physician bowed deeply and left the room. The emperor breathed heavily, watching him leave without looking back.
“How dare, how dare…”
That was all the emperor could say. He wanted to strangle the princess but couldn’t.
He was no longer a father who could casually slap his children.
While his body and mind weakened, his daughter and son had grown strong enough to be beyond his reach.
“Your Majesty. Do you understand now?”
The princess, who had closed the door with a snap, turned around. There was not a trace of warmth left in her gray eyes that resembled the emperor’s.
“Your Majesty cannot even defeat me. You will not be able to handle the new saint and wings. So please, do not attempt anything futile.”
* * *
While the princess was threatening the emperor, Banessa and Julia informed the other wings about Leticia’s pregnancy.
“Lady Leticia is pregnant?”
“Lady Leticia, with child?”
Everyone was as thrilled as if it were their own news. Noel, in particular, reacted the most enthusiastically. Upon hearing the word ‘pregnancy,’ Noel stared blankly at Leticia and then exclaimed in shock.
“Lady Leticia! Did you stay up all night in your condition?”
“Haha, Kailas watched over me, so it was fine.”
“But!”
Noel only felt somewhat relieved after Kailas, the doctor, and the physician sent by the princess all confirmed Leticia’s health.
“The baby is well. Please do not worry.”
“Oh, Goddess. A baby…”
Finally, as the reality of Leticia’s pregnancy sank in, Noel began to cry and clung to Leticia.
“Lady Leticia, congratulations. Oh, what should we do, Lady Leticia is going to be a mother, and a child that resembles you will be born…”
Imagining Leticia’s child, Noel gasped for breath, almost to the point of hyperventilating. Ahwin quickly supported Noel.
“Lady Leticia, I’ll take Noel away.”
“A baby that resembles Lady Leticia… How lovely that will be…”
Banessa chuckled at Noel.
“As expected, I knew she would cry.”
Then she spoke triumphantly to Julia.
“Julia, see? It’s not strange to cry. It’s natural for wings… Ugh.”
Tears streaming down, Banessa covered his mouth. Julia burst out laughing. Watching the wings, Irene giggled. The doctor felt somewhat reassured seeing the human side of the wings. Laughing, crying, teasing each other.
Despite it all, their hearts were united. They were joyful and happy. Their hearts were overflowing. It was an indescribable happiness.
It wasn’t just because they were wings.
It wasn’t because Leticia was a saint and they blindly shared her happiness, but because Leticia was precious to them.
They knew how fiercely she had lived to protect her people through two lifetimes.
That was why they were happy for her happiness.
Watching the joyful wings, Leticia was also happy. Dietrian smiled softly and pressed his lips to Leticia’s forehead.
During that moment, Dietrian’s smile briefly faded.
It was because of a glimpse of the future he had seen just before informing the wings about Leticia’s pregnancy.
In that future, he saw Prince Calisto, who was not present in this room.
「While the saint was reviving my sister, Josephina cast a curse.」
While Leticia was healing the princess, the curse attacked her.
「Fortunately, the dragon’s blood neutralized the curse, but it was not complete. There are still traces left.」
Josephina’s curse did not harm Leticia. Amazingly, the child in her womb protected her.
「Traces? Are you saying there is a problem with the child?」
「No, there is not. There should have been, but thanks to the intervention of a transcendent power, there is not.」
Transcendent power. Dragon Sigmund. It meant his power also helped to neutralize the curse.
「It’s fortunate that we overcame the curse, but it’s not just something to be happy about. The traces of the curse remain.」
「Traces being a problem, there’s a reason why Your Highness is telling me this.」
「That’s correct. The traces are like embers. They seem quiet on the surface but can ignite at any time. Someone has to bear those traces. As you might have guessed…」
That was where the vision of the future ended this time.
But it was enough.
The scattered pieces of the future finally seemed to fit together.
While I was away, my child protected Leticia.
Taking the curse instead is like blocking a sharp spear with a shield.
The curse can be blocked, but the shield will be left with deep wounds.
When the child took the curse instead of Leticia, the child should have been seriously injured.
But that wasn’t the case.
Only a small trace remained, and both the child and Leticia were fine.
It was thanks to Sigmund’s intervention.
Sigmund prevented the fatal injury but couldn’t completely erase the traces.
Sigmund had to save his power for the person he mentioned to Dietrian as ‘the one to be saved.’
Those traces could awaken at any time and harm Leticia and the child, so they needed to be removed. The only one who could do that was Dietrian, the sole descendant of the dragon.
‘This is why Lord Sigmund sent me here.’
If the dragon’s power could take the curse, then Dietrian could do it too.
The curse that Sigmund and my child had shared.
It was now Dietrian’s turn to handle the remaining part.
* * *
“I greet Prince Calisto.”
Around that time, Calisto, summoned by the princess, arrived at the palace. He ignored the palace attendants who greeted him and headed straight for the emperor’s palace.
Rumble.
The earth spirit followed, breaking the ground with thunderous noise.
The palace attendants were dumbfounded at the sight of the garden, which had been barely cleaned up overnight, becoming a mess again.
Yet they couldn’t tell the spirit to restrain itself.
Calisto’s expression was too terrifying.
It looked as if he might kill someone.
“Please wait a moment. His Majesty is currently with Her Highness… Your Highness!”
Calisto ignored the knights trying to stop him and burst open the emperor’s door.
The princess, who had been sitting next to the emperor, slowly stood up.
Calisto glared at the sleeping emperor and then slowly raised his head.
He asked.
“Is it true that His Majesty tried to harm the saint?”
“That was the case. But not anymore. I’ve taken care of that matter. Have a seat.”
The princess calmly explained to Calisto what had transpired.
The emperor had tried to threaten Leticia, but gave up after being threatened by the princess.
While explaining, the princess carefully watched Calisto’s expression.
Although she had hastily summoned Calisto in anger, she regretted it upon seeing her brother. She was worried that the excited Calisto might harm the emperor.
She had decided to overthrow the emperor, but he still had his uses.
‘What if Calisto gets too excited? What if he says he wants to kill His Majesty right now? Can I stop the spirit with my guards? Should I bring the saint here?’
As she worried, something felt off.
“Cal? Are you listening to me?”
While she was diligently recounting the day’s events, Calisto had frozen as if time had stopped.
Thinking that Calisto had lost it completely, the princess quickly tried to calm her brother.
“Cal. It was really nothing. His Majesty can’t act recklessly. He understands that if he does, he can’t guarantee his throne or even his life.”
“…Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“Is it true that the saint…”
Calisto spoke in a trembling voice.
“Is pregnant…”
…So, the wings’ reactions are all the same. The princess smiled, shaking her head. At that moment, Calisto snapped back to his senses as if cold water had been poured over him.
“Then, that time, could it be…”
Calisto’s expression turned serious immediately. He muttered,
“The traces of the curse left near Josephina… I wasn’t mistaken.”
“Traces of the curse?”
“After Rehir harmed sister, Josephina activated the curse. She must have executed the curse by offering sister’s life to causality.”
“At the cost of my life?!”
“Yes. But only traces remained, and the saint was unharmed. I thought I was mistaken, but now I understand. The dragon’s blood blocked the curse.”
“The child in her womb… Oh no! Isn’t that a big deal?”
It was fortunate the child had blocked the curse.
But the child was still a small life.
She worried that Leticia’s child might have been hurt blocking the malicious power.
“I need to see the saint immediately.”
“The child… is safe, right?”
“We need to confirm immediately. Also.”
As he hurriedly walked out, Calisto stopped abruptly.
“Cal?”
Calisto, who had been frozen as if doused in cold water, gasped. Then, in a trembling voice, he said,
“It seems I have found a way to neutralize the curse before the child is born.”
