Leticia walked slowly through the snow-covered desert.
Dressed in a thin dress, the biting wind seeped in, but she was not cold.
Rather, as time passed, warmth spread through her body.
It was thanks to the healing power that Kailas had infused in her just before she left the carriage.
The healing power, when inside someone else, served a similar role to vitality.
If Leticia got hurt or was in a bad environment, it would protect her until it was exhausted.
It was like a kind of shield.
As the time for Leticia to leave approached, Kailas became increasingly anxious.
“Lady Leticia, please wait a moment. I will infuse you with a little more healing power. Yes? Just wait five more minutes. No, just one minute.”
When Leticia grabbed the carriage door handle, she looked almost like she was about to cry. The words “don’t go” rose to her throat, but she couldn’t bring herself to say them.
“Don’t worry, Kailas. I will succeed and come back. Trust me. Will you do that for me?”
She held Kailas’ hand tightly and then got off the carriage.
Recalling that memory, Leticia suddenly remembered when Kailas had sworn allegiance to her a while ago.
When she, who had only been watching from afar, became her wing, it felt like being chosen by a cute cat.
It wasn’t just Kailas.
The moments when she formed bonds with her other wings were also precious memories.
When the first wing, Noel, first swore allegiance to her.
At that time, Leticia wasn’t even sure she was the representative of the goddess.
Noel, who became her first friend, was precious, but she was always ready to be abandoned.
When her second wing, Ahwin, became her wing, she finally accepted that she was a saint, but the future was still uncertain.
When her third wing, Banessa, became her wing, Leticia had used the goddess’s power but still couldn’t stop Tenua and was on the verge of death.
When she met her fourth wing, Callisto, for the first time, she declared in front of everyone that she was the goddess’s representative.
After meeting her fifth wing, Kailas, she began preparing to confront Josephina in earnest.
She revived the sixth wing, the princess, from death and met the seventh wing, Irene, and the eighth, Julia.
In a short time, many things had happened.
She, who had nothing, became the saint of the empire, receiving everyone’s respect and love.
Her heart swelled with emotion as memories flashed before her eyes like a lantern.
Who would have thought that her life, which always felt like standing on the edge of a cliff, would become so rich?
She, who was so ordinary, received so much love simply because she came back in time.
Leticia burst into laughter and wiped away her tears.
Maybe it wasn’t the time to laugh.
A great crisis lay ahead.
She was alone in the vast desert, and it wouldn’t be strange if Rehir attacked her at any moment.
But she didn’t feel anxious at all.
Instead, she was happy.
Feeling such overwhelming emotion, she thought she could die without regret.
“No, if I die now, I will have many regrets. So I won’t die.”
Leticia chuckled and hugged her belly.
“Mom will live very, very long with you, my baby.”
Leticia was no longer afraid of the curse.
She shouldn’t be afraid.
So many people wanted her to be happy.
She no longer wanted to succumb to that fear.
She would cherish every moment of this miraculous second life.
She had taken all these risks to do so, so she would survive, give birth safely, and save Julios’s soul.
After walking for about half an hour,
when the carriage looked like a tiny speck in the distance, Leticia stopped.
She slowly sat down on the snow-covered ground.
Hugging her knees, she slowly looked up at the sky.
The sky, like a black curtain, was filled with countless sparkling stars, as if they were about to pour down.
Her long blonde hair waved beautifully in the winter wind.
In the silent world, it felt like the stars were speaking to her.
She waited, imagining the whispers of the stars.
For Rehir to appear.
Pressing her cheek against her cold knee, Leticia smiled softly.
And then, she thought.
‘What will Julios’ soul look like?’
She was more curious about Julios’ condition than when Rehir would appear.
She had some guesses.
Thanks to Callisto, who quickly gathered information from the Magic Tower after hearing news about Julios.
“The soul of the deceased is likely to be contained in an object like a jewel or a spirit stone. That’s the only way to minimize damage to the soul.”
When Callisto told Leticia, who was saddened by the idea of Julios’ soul being trapped in a small jewel, he shook his head.
“I don’t think so. Rather, it’s a relief. If it’s contained in an object, it won’t feel much pain. It’s like being numb.”
If Rehir had placed Julios’ soul in the body of a deceased person, Julios’ soul would have suffered terrible pain.
The only fortunate thing was that it was not possible to put a soul into just any body.
The body had to resonate very well with the soul to avoid damaging it.
“It won’t be easy to meet the conditions. Rehir probably didn’t intend to use the soul of the deceased from the beginning.”
Having lost his wing suddenly, he would have been unprepared, unable to find a suitable body.
“If he uses a body that doesn’t resonate, the soul will crumble. Of course, he might not care if the soul of the deceased crumbles or not.”
In her memory, Callisto’s hand pointed to a blue bird on the table.
“Looking at the state of the bird that attacked the saint, it doesn’t seem so. The purity is very high. If the soul had been forcibly put in, it wouldn’t be in such good condition.”
Hearing this, Leticia felt relieved but also anxious.
If Rehir lost his patience, he could put Julios’ soul into any body, regardless of the consequences.
The thought of Julios’ soul crumbling in an incompatible body made her feel a chill.
That would distance Julios from the rest he and Dietrian so desperately wished for.
‘This time, I will definitely protect Julios.’
Seven years ago, she couldn’t protect him, but this time she would.
She was determined when,
Crunch.
Leticia opened her eyes wide at the sound of light footsteps on the snow-covered sand.
Holding her breath, she listened carefully.
‘Rehir?’
Step by step.
As the footsteps grew closer, her heart pounded as if it would burst.
Pretending to be asleep, she lay still, but sweat began to form on her palms.
‘Rehir. You really appeared in person.’
Even though she had imagined this moment countless times in her mind.
Facing it, her thoughts swelled.
The strongest among them was anger towards Rehir.
To hide it, Leticia bit her lip.
Finally, the footsteps stopped right in front of her.
Once again, only silence.
Looking at the long shadow cast beside her, Leticia exhaled slowly.
The shadow’s hand slowly moved, gradually reaching out to her.
Preparing for a possible attack, she was ready to summon the spirit at any moment.
“Get up.”
At the cold touch on her wrist, a low voice was heard.
“Get up quickly. Lord Rehir is waiting for you.”
Her whole body stiffened as if she had been doused with cold water.
A chill ran down her spine.
For a moment, she thought Kailas’s shield had dissipated.
Fortunately, the healing power still protected her, but the shock remained.
‘What’s going on?’
The grip on her wrist tightened gradually, but she couldn’t afford to pay attention to it.
She stood frozen, unable to even breathe.
“Get up.”
Could she be dreaming?
No, it wasn’t a dream.
Everything she felt was too vivid for that.
“I said, get up.”
At the low threat, Leticia raised her trembling gaze.
The sight of the figure backlit by the moonlight made her dizzy.
‘Julios.’
Silver hair shining white under the night sky, blue eyes flickering in the darkness.
It was as if Julios’s time had stopped.
He looked down at her exactly as he had seven years ago.
“Little maid, can you show me the way?”
“This wound, it’s Josephina’s doing, isn’t it?”
“Where could she have hit you…!”
Unlike seven years ago, the hand lifting her now was incredibly rough.
Leticia staggered but managed to stand upright.
“Lord Rehir, I’ve captured Josephina’s daughter. She’s not putting up any special resistance.”
Julios spoke quietly to the black aura hovering in the air.
Leticia closed her eyes tightly.
Her pale cheeks were quickly drenched with tears.
She heard a humming sound in the darkness.
It seemed Rehir was giving orders to Julios.
“Understood. I will return immediately.”
Leticia barely opened her eyes.
Julios’s hand still gripped her wrist.
His hand, cold from the wind, now felt warm.
She didn’t know how, but Julios was alive.
‘Rehir found a body that resonated with Julios’s soul.’
In that short time, it was nothing short of a miracle. She should have been glad to see him again, but it was unbearably painful.
It wasn’t just because Julios had become Rehir’s pawn.
‘How much agony must he have endured, merging with a dead body?’
Her heart felt like it was being torn apart. The black aura gradually began to envelop the surroundings. Soon after, there was no one left in the desert.
* * *
[Rehir’s minion took the saint!]
[It’s the owner of the soul that attacked the saint before! I’m sure of it!]
[Your Highness, we must follow them! Quickly! Destroy that person!]
Ignoring the excited chatter of the spirits, Dietrian stared blankly into the air.
The translucent screen showed an unbelievable sight.
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