Rehir using Julios’s soul—it was hard to believe what she heard was real.
“Dietrian, what does that mean?”
Leticia reflexively tried to ask but quickly closed her mouth.
‘Dietrian is trembling.’
Her mind cleared in an instant. Leticia released her embrace and cupped his cheeks. Dietrian quickly avoided her hand, but it was too late. The moisture on her fingertips made Leticia’s heart sink.
‘Dietrian is crying.’
Seeing him cry silently out of concern for her made her heart feel like it was being torn apart. But Leticia held back her tears and hugged him even tighter.
‘I have to stay strong.’
The matter with Julios was certainly a huge shock to her, as he was also very precious to Leticia. But it couldn’t compare to the shock Dietrian, his brother, received.
‘I will protect him. I will be someone he can lean on.’
Now that he was shaken, it was her time, as his wife, to step forward.
Leticia carefully released her embrace. Dietrian avoided her eyes and looked down.
But he couldn’t hide the tears wetting his dark eyes.
Seeing the silent tears flowing down his pale cheeks, Leticia also felt tears welling up. Still, she held back, gently wiping away his tears, and then whispered with a kind smile as if it were no big deal.
“Dietrian, don’t worry about me. I wasn’t that surprised.”
“…Leticia.”
“Don’t worry about me or the baby. I told you earlier, our child is really strong. Everything will be fine. Lord Sigmund, Lady Dinute, and everyone else are helping us. Rehir can never stop us. We will definitely be able to save Lord Julios’s soul.”
Leticia repeated these words to him several times, trying to bring even a little comfort to his heart. Then she hugged him again and patted his broad back.
Whether it was Leticia’s strategy working or not, as time passed, Dietrian’s trembling gradually subsided. After a while, Dietrian whispered in a much more stable voice.
“…Thank you, Leticia.”
He was grateful for her resilience and steadiness. As Dietrian regained his composure, Leticia, on the other hand, felt her anger rising more and more.
‘Rehir, I will never forgive you!’
The more she thought about it, the more unforgivable it was.
Of course, Rehir had committed countless atrocities.
He had twisted Leticia’s fate using Josephina and caused immense suffering to many.
But now, it was truly the limit.
‘To dare touch Lord Julios? How could he! To use that poor soul who sacrificed everything to protect everyone!’
And to make the one she loved suffer so much. She couldn’t possibly forgive that. Anger flared in her green eyes.
‘I will find him first. I will never stand still!’
To hate someone, to harbor such thoughts while carrying a child might not be the right thing. But Leticia didn’t try to suppress her anger. Ignoring Rehir’s evil deeds for the sake of the child would be a disservice to the child as well.
“Dietrian. There’s something we need to do first. We have to find Rehir as soon as possible.”
“We, ourselves?”
“Yes. We don’t have time. If Rehir is really using Lord Julios’s soul, he must be causing him great pain.”
Dietrian flinched. He spoke in a trembling voice.
“This is terrible. You’re right. I was so shocked to hear that Rehir was using my brother’s soul that I didn’t think that far.”
“Rehir is incredibly cruel and enjoys others’ suffering. Such a person wouldn’t have left Lord Julios alone all this time. He might be harming him even at this very moment.”
“Damn it…!”
Dietrian gritted his teeth. As the fear subsided, cold anger took its place.
“Are you saying Rehir is torturing my brother?”
“It’s quite possible.”
Leticia nodded.
“So, we must save Lord Julios before it’s too late. We don’t know in what form his soul exists.”
Using a human soul was the realm of transcendents. As an ordinary human, Leticia couldn’t even begin to imagine it.
“He might not be the Julios we know. He could be left as just fragments of a soul.”
Leticia’s eyes reddened slightly as she spoke resolutely. She wanted to show a strong front to Dietrian until the end, but thinking about Julios suffering was not easy.
At that moment, as if sensing her emotions, a firm hand grasped hers. When she lifted her trembling gaze, dark eyes stared steadily at her.
“Don’t worry, Leticia. We are a couple. We can overcome this together. Just as I leaned on you, if you waver, I will support you. Lean on me anytime. I will also rely on you.”
“…Alright.”
Leticia took a deep breath and nodded.
A few deep breaths seemed to ease the anxiety filling her chest.
Of course, it wasn’t perfect.
She was scared.
It felt daunting.
Like facing utter darkness without a single point of light.
Both of them had lost someone very important to Rehir.
But they had the strength to move forward.
Because they weren’t alone. They were together.
“Rehir will never give up on Lord Julios. He will always keep him close. So, to find Lord Julios, we need to lure out Rehir. We need to make him appear before us.”
“It won’t be easy. Rehir is deliberately hiding. He will commit all sorts of evil in the darkness until he creates another Josephina.”
“But there is a way.”
“Do you have a particular plan in mind?”
“Use me.”
“…What?”
“What do you think Rehir’s reason is for sending Lord Julios to us? What does he want?”
Once, darkness was just frightening. She couldn’t even imagine its intentions.
But after fighting Josephina, defeating her, and almost stripping Rehir of his power, things were different now.
The nefarious intentions of the darkness were all too clear.
“Rehir wants more suffering. He wants us to crumble in despair. He must be eagerly anticipating my suffering.”
“Of course, he would.”
“Moreover, Rehir must know about our child.”
“That would be likely. Prayers celebrating your pregnancy have been held in temples across the Empire.”
“So, I will pretend to collapse.”
“…What?”
“Just a moment.”
Leticia whispered as she cradled her belly.
“Baby, help mommy just this once. Okay?”
Dietrian looked at her with extreme tension.
Talking about their child, whom he cherished more than his own life, made him anxious.
Knowing his wife, she was capable of quietly living her life and then suddenly doing something completely unexpected.
“Dietrian, tell everyone right away. That I collapsed from the shock of this incident. And since Rehir might not believe it…”
She paused, taking a deep breath, trying to convey her determination clearly.
“You must tell them convincingly that I am in a dire state. We need to make sure Rehir believes it. Then, when he thinks we are vulnerable, we will be ready to strike. Do you understand?”
Dietrian nodded slowly, his eyes filled with a mix of determination and concern.
“I understand, Leticia. I will spread the word. But promise me, promise me you will be careful.”
“I promise. For our child, for Julios, and for us. We will bring him down.”
Together, they began to plan their next steps, knowing that their strength and unity were their greatest assets against the darkness that threatened them all.
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