The woman knelt for several days and nights, pleading at the sea ruled by Sigmund.
People ridiculed her.
“Do you think the Dragon will help us? Wake up! Why would the Dragon extend a hand to insignificant humans?”
“Exactly! Accept your fate. Even if the priests torment us, just endure it. It’s easier to accept than to fight against it!”
Some even criticized her for clinging to a futile endeavor. The woman herself thought her prayers would go unanswered.
“Did you call for me?”
To her surprise, Sigmund responded to her plea. Sigmund, in human form, appeared before her.
“What do you wish from me?”
“O great transcendent, the world is mired in chaos. The messengers of the gods are tormenting the powerless humans.”
“What do you wish me to do?”
“Please save us humans. Grant us mercy so that the powerless may live in peace.”
“Every transaction requires a price. What can you offer me?”
“I will give anything. My life, my soul. I will give everything.”
Even as she spoke, the woman did not truly believe her offer would be accepted. Why would Sigmund want something so insignificant from her?
“Do you seek to change the world with such a trivial human soul and body?”
As expected, Sigmund scoffed. The woman bowed her head even lower. Her forehead touched the coarse sand as she spoke with a trembling voice.
“This is all I have. Please, have mercy.”
If only she could save innocent people, if only she could end this hell. She was willing to do anything. Bowing her forehead to the ground was a small price to pay.
“Believe in human potential. If you find yourself insufficient, I will offer my descendants as well. They will serve Lord Sigmund for generations. I will strive to achieve whatever you desire.”
“Destiny of descendants, huh? A bold proposal for a mere human.”
Fortunately, the woman’s gamble succeeded. Sigmund burst into laughter. He lifted the prostrate woman up. His golden eyes shimmered with a strange light.
“Very well. I accept your proposal. I will let you save your world.”
Afterward, Sigmund, along with the woman, traveled the world, driving out the corrupted priests. When peace returned to the world, the woman knelt once more before Sigmund.
“Lord Sigmund, thank you for keeping all your promises. As pledged, I will offer everything. My soul and my life. Take them as you wish.”
Sigmund gently lifted the woman, with a level of respect far beyond their first encounter by the sea.
“What I desire is you.”
Sigmund said.
“Become my wife. Live out your remaining life as the companion of an immortal. That is the only thing I ask of you.”
Afterward, Sigmund established a country by the sea where the woman had awakened him. He named it Zenos and became its first king. Zenos, welcoming the Dragon as its king, enjoyed an era of peace.
* * *
“So the day the sea opens became a national holiday.”
“According to the historical records.”
“Is it possible that it might not be?”
“Lord Julios says there is another story passed down in the royal family. The account in the book is said to be exaggerated by historians to suit their preferences.”
“Another story, huh?”
“The imperial family is descended from Lord Sigmund, so the story passed down in the royal family must be correct, right?”
“I’m curious. What kind of story could it be?”
“It is true that Lord Sigmund and his consort met by the seaside. However, it seems the process is different. It wasn’t because of the woman’s request that Lord Sigmund appeared in the human world…”
Kailas, who was about to relay the true past of Sigmund as told by Julios, hesitated.
Noel, who had asked the question, was sitting on the sofa, staring blankly out the window.
Her posture, with knees drawn up, made her look as if something was amiss.
“Ah, I see.”
Noel responded reflexively even though Kailas hadn’t yet spoken.
This meant that Kailas’s words went in one ear and out the other.
Kailas, watching Noel quietly, gave a small, ironic smile.
She closed the founding history book she had just read to Noel and took off her glasses.
She went to the window, which had been firmly shut, and opened it wide.
A rush of cold wind swept in.
Noel, who had been absentmindedly watching, shivered.
“Brr, it’s cold.”
Noel trembled from the cold. Unlike Banessa, who governed fire, Noel, who controlled water, was sensitive to the cold. Kailas covered her with a blanket and asked,
“What on earth are you thinking about?”
“Hmm?”
“Be honest. You didn’t come here just because of the founding myth, did you? There’s something else you want to say, right?”
Kailas took a circular chair and sat on it.
The chair was higher than the sofa, making her look down at Noel.
As she tightly gathered her roughly tied hair, she motioned to Noel with her chin.
“If you have a concern, just say it. I can see it.”
Noel awkwardly avoided Kailas’s gaze.
“I don’t have any concerns. I was just curious about the founding myth of the Principality. Since I’ve always been in the Empire, I don’t really know. I was wondering why people celebrate the day the sea opens as a national holiday.”
“You came to ask me about that? I’ve lived my whole life in the Empire too.”
Noel bit her lip while hugging her knees. Her appearance was pitiful, not befitting the First Wing of the Saint.
Kailas, observing her, suddenly said,
“Something happened with Ahwin, didn’t it?”
As expected, Noel flinched at the mention of Ahwin. Her brown eyes shook violently.
“H-how did you know?”
“It’s written all over your face.”
Kailas chuckled softly. She then pulled one knee up and spoke,
“Get to the point quickly. Madam Mano will be coming soon. We don’t have much time.”
“Is there still treatment left?”
“There are still incomplete parts.”
“Can’t I be with Madam Mano?”
Kailas clicked her tongue at Noel’s attempt to change the subject.
“What if Sir Ahwin brings you along?”
Noel could not respond. Tears began to well up in her brown eyes.
Seeing Noel’s distress, Kailas placed a hand on her shoulder and started to channel a bit of healing energy. This might help ease Noel’s heart, even if just a little.
Noel’s face twisted as if she was about to cry.
“Kailas.”
“You can cry if you need to. You didn’t have a fight, did you? Are you perhaps avoiding Sir Ahwin?”
Noel squeezed her eyes shut, and clear tears fell.
“Kailas… What should I do?”
“I might not be able to solve it, but talking about it might help.”
“Ahwin says… he wants to marry me…”
“…Marry?”
Noel buried her face in her hands and sniffled.
“He said if I’m okay with it, he’ll propose. But I can’t face him.”
“Why?”
“Because… I don’t want to get married…”
* * *
The wedding of Leticia and Dietrian was set for the day the sea opens.
As a result, not only the royal palace but the entire capital was buzzing with activity.
The palace staff was busy with wedding preparations, while the citizens of the capital were preparing for the festival.
Traditionally, the palace led the wedding festival, but this time it was different.
The citizens were determined to make this festival the best one ever and worked with great enthusiasm.
As the wedding day approached, the atmosphere in the capital swelled like a balloon.
Although the wedding was still ten days away, flowers were already raining down on the streets at all hours.
Tailors were overwhelmed with customers fitting clothes for the festival.
Candy shop owners stayed up all night making sweets and pastries to sell on the big day.
Noel was thrilled when she heard the news of Leticia’s wedding.
Leticia, her master, savior, and friend, was getting married.
But the joy was short-lived.
A dark cloud hung over her heart.
This was because she remembered something Ahwin had said shortly after arriving in the Principality.
“Shall we get married?”
It had been almost a year since she started her relationship with Ahwin.
If I were to get married, I naturally thought it would be with Ahwin.
Although the courtship period wasn’t long, we had crossed several life-and-death situations together.
According to Leticia, in a previous life, Ahwin had gone mad after Noel’s death.
I knew it wasn’t easy to meet someone who loves me so desperately.
Even though I thought that if there was a fated connection determined by destiny, it would certainly be with Ahwin.
However, when it came to actually accepting the proposal, the words just wouldn’t come out.
At that moment, Kailas, who was going to hear about it, cautiously asked.
“Noel, you couldn’t easily accept Ahwin’s marriage proposal, right? Do you dislike marriage? Can you tell me the reason?”
“I am a wing.”
Noel loved Ahwin. She also wanted to start a family. She wanted to have a child who resembled both her and Ahwin.
However, as much as she looked forward to a future with Ahwin, she also loved her current life as a wing.
“If I marry Ahwin, my life as a wing might be ruined. I’m afraid.”
Noel was a saint’s wing.
And not just any wing, but the first wing.
Noel was very proud of this fact.
Being the first wing didn’t just mean being the first choice.
It meant that she was the wing who first recognized Leticia, the most trusted wing, and therefore had the strongest power.
Noel hoped to further develop herself as a wing.
She wanted to master water even better and wield its power freely.
She wanted to help not only Leticia but also the Principality, and if possible, the empire’s people.
“Thank you, Noel Armos! Thanks to you, our village survived!”
“Noel Armos, hurray, hurray!”
When she first became a wing, the villagers who drank clean water thanked her with tears. She had never forgotten the overwhelming emotion she felt then.
“If I get married, family will become more important. I might have a child. If I have a child, what will happen to my life?”
Noel liked young children. She had always been that way since her time in the slums. Even after becoming a wing, she took care of the younger siblings there diligently.
She even cried when she heard about Leticia’s pregnancy.
Therefore, Leticia’s children were even more precious to her.
As a wing, she wanted to protect Leticia’s children and the future royal heirs.
She wanted to remain the first wing, not only for Leticia but also for the newly born royal children.
But if she married Ahwin, that life might end up as just a dream.
The fear of possibly losing herself by becoming a ‘mother’ grew stronger.
Eventually, she concluded that she was a person who didn’t fit at all with marriage.
The painful part was that despite this, she still longed for Ahwin.
Even though it was clear that if Ahwin wanted to start a family, she had to let him go.
Her inner conflict deepened, and there was no one to confide in. In the end, after much deliberation, she sought out Kailas.
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