Leticia’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Why…?”
The gemstones, though unpolished and somewhat rough in shape, were stunningly radiant. It was clear that the lord had carefully chosen them as a gift. However, it wasn’t the beauty of the stones that shocked Leticia.
“Two of them?”
Leticia quickly looked at Julios.
“Don’t tell me… you knew?”
“Yes, I did. It was hard keeping it to myself all this time.”
“Oh my goodness!”
Leticia exclaimed in astonishment.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Anticipating and hoping for a child is a special joy only parents can experience. I didn’t want to take that blessing away from you.”
Julios hadn’t told anyone about the future Dinute had shown him—not even those closest to him, including Leticia and Dietrian. They didn’t know that Julios had met his future nieces and nephews in his dream. Despite the fact that this dream had been crucial in bringing Julios back to life, he didn’t want to take away any precious moments that could become cherished memories for Leticia.
“The truth is, Dinute showed me a glimpse of the future that day.”
Julios had waited until Leticia could find out on her own, and now that the time had come, he felt it was okay to share. He slowly recounted the story of how, even after meeting Dietrian, he had still been torn between life and death, until he saw the children who called him “uncle.”
He chose life to meet those children.
“You saved me, Leticia. It was because of those children that I was able to return.”
Julios held Leticia’s hand gently as he whispered.
“Thank you. I’ve always been grateful, but for that dream, I especially wanted to say thank you.”
“Julios…”
Tears welled up in Leticia’s eyes. If Julios hadn’t returned, she wouldn’t have been able to overcome the curse, let alone be as happy as she was now. Knowing that it was her two children who had brought this happiness was overwhelmingly moving.
The more she thought about it, the more curious she became about the children.
“Then do you know their gender?”
“Hmm?”
“Dietrian and I were up all night wondering about it. We’re so curious—are they boys or girls? Please, tell me!”
Leticia’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, even as she dabbed at her tears with a handkerchief. Julios couldn’t help but laugh.
Though Leticia was the saint of the Holy Empire and queen of Zenos, revered by all, she still displayed a youthful, lively spirit in front of Julios, almost like a young girl or a peer’s daughter.
Perhaps it was because Julios was the first adult she had ever truly relied on.
Julios, in turn, cherished Leticia like a little sister.
“I’m sorry. That, I don’t know.”
“What?”
“Both were so lovely and beautiful that I couldn’t tell if they were girls or boys. The appearances I saw in my dream were quite young as well. Of course, I could make a guess, but…”
“Please tell me!”
“In my opinion…”
Julios, who was about to share his guess without much thought, suddenly closed his mouth tightly. He looked at Leticia, then gave a sly smile.
“Sorry. I think it’s better to keep it a secret.”
“Why?”
“I told you. The excitement of waiting to meet your child is a blessing that only parents should enjoy. Would it be right for me to take that blessing away?”
“What? How could you say that!”
Leticia asked in disbelief. Julios placed a hand on his chest and playfully took a bow.
“Here it is, Your Majesty. Now, why don’t you return to the palace? You need to take some rest.”
“Wait a minute, then what about their appearance? What color is their hair? Their eyes? Do they resemble Dietrian or me? Oh, since there are two of them, they could resemble both of us, right? Isn’t that possible?”
“I’m sorry, but I won’t say anything.”
“Oh, please.”
“I will escort you back to the palace.”
Julios smiled and handed Leticia a jewelry box. Gently guiding her, he led her outside. Even as she walked, urged by him, Leticia continued to plead with him.
“Please tell me something, even just a little. We still have a long time before we meet the children!”
“It’s wonderful to hear you have so many days filled with anticipation ahead. My sincere congratulations.”
“Oh, really!”
“It’s no use complaining, Your Majesty. The wings of prophecy are very tight-lipped.”
“If they’re wings, why won’t they grant my request?”
“Because before they are wings, they are Gilead’s.”
“I’ll forget everything as soon as you tell me.”
“Your Majesty, your memory is far too good for that. You remember everything from seven years ago with me, don’t you?”
“Maybe if I ask the Mage Tower, they can erase my memory?”
“Hahaha.”
Julios’s laughter echoed through the hallway. Like a brother and sister, they were very close—though Leticia felt unfairly tricked by Julios—and the sight of them brought a warm smile to the faces of the palace attendants.
And a week later.
An urgent message arrived from the Holy Empire.
It was news of the Emperor’s death.
Chapter 3: Dana’s Responsibility
The news of Leticia’s pregnancy with twins quickly spread throughout the empire.
It was a winter day with heavy snowfall.
In the border town of Heden, in the territory of Zenos.
It was the place where Leticia had once bled to defend against Tenua.
The residents of Heden, who had been the first in Zenos to discover Leticia’s true identity, still cherished her as a treasure.
So, upon hearing the news that there were two royal heirs, they immediately began to celebrate. They danced, sang, and ran through the square, completely unconcerned about the snow piling up on their hair and clothes.
The cheers of the residents reached even the ears of the beasts loitering near the border.
The beasts whispered to each other as if on cue.
「The princess consort is expecting twins.」
「We must inform the Demon Princess immediately.」
The Demon Princess.
This was the title given to Princess Dana of the Holy Empire.
After Leticia had left for the Principality, significant changes occurred among the beasts near the border.
Originally, they had attacked the border towns of the Principality to feed. Humans were the most important toys and food source for the beasts. They were not only a delicacy far superior to any animal, but also excellent at storing food. A day when they raided human-managed livestock pens or food storages was a day of feasting.
The problem was that Leticia, a saint, had become the princess consort of the Principality. She was followed by the Wing of Purification. For beasts born of darkness, the white flames that the Wing of Purification could produce were more terrifying than death. Thus, the beasts completely abandoned the Principality and gradually moved their bases towards the Empire. They had thought that with the saint having abandoned the Empire, they could plunder at will…
But an even more dangerous, no, a far more malicious and terrifying presence than the saint was firmly in place.
It was Dana.
As the Wing that ruled over darkness, she could control the beasts. However, her power only worked within a close range. She could not block all the beasts threatening the entire border of the Empire.
At that time, what came in handy was the skills Dana had honed as a princess.
As the sole heir of the Holy Empire’s imperial family, she had learned all sorts of underhanded tricks that the imperial family had developed over generations. Dana, who had been an excellent student, made the imperial family’s scheming entirely her own and began to use it not only against her political enemies but also to subdue the beasts.
There was no way out, especially with Callisto, who was practically confirmed to be the next master of the Mage Tower, by her side.
She used any means necessary to subdue the beasts within her range, threatened other beasts using those she had subdued, and used the beasts who bowed to her threats to force other beasts into submission. In less than a month, almost all the beasts attacking the cities of the Empire disappeared. Even without the saint, the Empire remained safe from beast attacks.
In the process, Dana of the Holy Empire gained a new nickname.
The Demon Princess.
It was a name given to her by the beasts who had suffered under her.
Even the beasts, who had spent their lives tormenting humans, found Dana’s methods demonic.
「The humans are holding a festival. Because the princess consort is expecting children.」
「We must inform the Demon Princess.」
「If we delay, we’ll face hell.」
The beasts who had experienced how long Dana’s grudges could last urgently began to fly toward the Empire.
* * *
“Kiieeek!”
When the fastest beast arrived at the imperial palace, Dana was in the middle of a meeting.
“You’ve brought news of the Saint?”
Dana, who had been seated, quickly stood and approached the beast. The sharp cry of the beast caused the nobles in attendance to cover their ears in agony. Dana, who was already tired from dealing with the cunning nobles, smiled slyly and put on the earplugs she always carried with her.
“Speak clearly. I can’t hear you well, so louder.”
“Kiieeek!”
“A little louder?”
“Kiiieeeek!”
“Ugh!”
Just as the elderly nobles were about to faint from the terrible noise, a bright smile spread across Dana’s face.
“Is that really true?”
The beast nodded enthusiastically. The princess turned around with a beaming smile.
“We’ve received delightful news. The Saint is expecting twins! This is a great blessing for the Holy Empire as well, so we must begin preparing for a festival immediately!”
As a Wing, as a friend of Leticia, and as the ruler of the Holy Empire, this was news worth celebrating with a grand festival.
‘The possibility of a royal marriage alliance is higher with two royal heirs than with just one!’
The idea of a union between Zenos and the Holy Empire through marriage.
Leticia had laughed, thinking it was a joke, but Dana was serious.
With Zenos gaining not only the power of the dragon but also the blessing of the goddess, it was set to become even stronger. A marriage alliance was the quickest and most powerful way to bring the two nations closer together.
‘I don’t know when our side will have a royal heir, though.’
However, there was a significant flaw in Dana’s plan. Both Dana and Callisto, the two who should produce a royal heir, were still unmarried. They hadn’t even been engaged.
Dana was so busy these days that she didn’t have time for marriage, let alone romance, and Callisto, despite having time, showed no interest in women. The noble young ladies who admired him were left yearning in vain. Dana was too occupied to even push Callisto about it, as the emperor had completely withdrawn from governing the state right after Leticia left.
Dana had turned the emperor into a puppet.
Even after Josephina’s death and the destruction of the darkness that had controlled her, the emperor continued to dream foolish dreams.
Dreams of imprisoning Leticia and taking her child to protect the Holy Empire—dreams that made no sense.
Dana couldn’t stand to see it any longer.
In the end, using the excuse that the emperor needed treatment for his drug addiction, she took over all power and began acting as the regent.
‘Thanks to that, His Majesty curses me daily now.’
The excitement Dana had felt upon hearing the news from Zenos quickly faded as her mood soured again.
After losing power to Dana, the emperor behaved like a vengeful spirit. If words could kill, he would have torn Dana apart dozens of times over. It seemed as if he was pouring all the hatred he had accumulated throughout his life onto her.
Well, that much was bearable.
She had endured having her cheeks slapped until her lips bled, so verbal abuse was nothing.
The real problem was that the emperor also attacked Leticia.
These days, he would grab anyone who came to see him and insist that Leticia and Dana were conspiring to bring down the empire.
Callisto, who already harbored ill feelings toward the emperor, stormed in as soon as he heard the news, demanding that the emperor be deposed immediately. He argued that it wasn’t enough to just leave him as a powerless old man; they needed to cut off his arms and legs properly. The emperor was unfit for the throne, and it was only right to strip him of all his power, not just temporarily, but permanently.
Dana couldn’t easily follow Callisto’s advice.
Although she knew in her head that Callisto’s method was the most effective, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Even though he was a terrible father, the emperor was still her father.
As long as the emperor didn’t cross the final line, Dana wanted to fulfill her duty as a daughter.
That was the principle of Princess Dana.
‘Though I don’t know how long I’ll be able to uphold that principle.’
Dana swallowed a troubled sigh and looked up at the bright blue sky. She could only hope that the emperor wouldn’t cross that final line, so she could continue to uphold her principles.
* * *
Unfortunately, Dana’s hope was not fulfilled.
In the end, the emperor crossed the line.
It happened exactly two days after the news of Leticia’s twin pregnancy spread. Callisto came to see Dana. The moment she saw the icy look in her brother’s eyes, she knew something had happened.
“What happened? At this late hour.”
“Take a look at this.”
Callisto threw a rolled-up piece of paper onto the desk. As Dana quickly scanned the paper, she gasped in shock.
“Who on earth would do something so insane?”
“Who else but that old man?”
“This is unbelievable.”
Dana ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. On the fine parchment, used only by the imperial family, was a familiar handwriting.
“The Saint Leticia has conceived twins. Traditionally, twins are a sign of disaster. This means that the Saint’s childbirth will bring great calamity to the empire. Celebrating the Saint’s pregnancy with a festival is absurd!”
Twins as a symbol of disaster? That was an ancient superstition believed by a long-extinct civilization.
“The emperor has already distributed this to the major noble families. Sister, how much longer must I endure this?”
“Callisto.”
“He might be your father, but he isn’t mine. Not since the day I set fire to the temple. I was never a son to him, either. I was just a sacrifice for Josephina.”
The emperor had never done anything for Callisto as a father. Instead, he had only taken from him. He stole Callisto’s childhood, shattered his spirit, and subjected the boy to the agony of the covenant, all while inflicting violence upon him.
Callisto, now an adult, had the power to repay the emperor for all that had been done to him. Yet, he had never once directly attacked the emperor.
It was because of Dana.
She had always wanted to prevent a son from attacking his father directly.
“If you don’t want me to use force, I won’t touch a hair on his head. But I can silence him without leaving a mark. If there’s any trouble later, I’ll take all the blame. Announce that an unworthy prince of the royal family committed an unforgivable act.”
“Callisto.”
“I can’t stand by while the man who tried to destroy me now tries to destroy those I care about.”
Callisto’s words, spoken with a clenched jaw, made Dana pause. “Those I care about.” It was a phrase that referred to more than one person. Not just the Saint Leticia, but…
‘I’m included in that too.’
Dana smiled bitterly.
In truth, the emperor’s attacks had no real impact on Leticia. It was Dana’s own position that would suffer. In the relationship between Zenos and the Holy Empire, the empire was at a severe disadvantage. They had to do everything in their power to avoid being abandoned by the Saint Leticia. Even though Dana knew Leticia wasn’t the type to use her power to crush the empire, she had never forgotten the possibility of the worst-case scenario.
If the emperor continued to act out like this, the worst might actually come to pass.
“His Majesty has already become as weak as he can be.”
“Weak, but not enough. That’s why nonsense like this is still circulating. The throne is still his. His followers will keep responding to his madness until a new emperor emerges.”
“You know we can’t drive them out all at once. The chaos would be too great.”
“I know. But I also know that we can’t keep overlooking them just to avoid a little chaos.”
Dana sighed softly and closed her eyes.
The words from the letter she had just read seemed to dance before her eyes as if they were alive.
Despite his long-standing drug addiction, which should have left him too weak to hold a pen, the emperor had somehow managed to write this. She could easily imagine her father’s twisted expression as he poured his hatred into a curse against Leticia and her unborn children.
After a moment, Dana opened her eyes and slowly folded the paper.
She pressed down with her well-manicured nails and then, with deliberate calm, tore it in half. As she carefully tore the emperor’s letter, she spoke.
“…You’re right.”
Dana finally made her decision.
“We need to discard the rotten container. New wine must be put into new wineskins.”
Even if people called them traitors, even if the shock of purging the emperor’s faction all at once caused chaos.
It was better to cut out the rotten flesh before it infected the healthy parts.
Perhaps, the empire was paying the price for its sins. This might be the punishment for failing to recognize the true saint and persecuting her instead.
“We must depose His Majesty.”
Dana declared.
“I warned him before—he was never to touch the Saint. He ignored that warning. So, we’ll make sure he gets the rest he desires.”
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