After You Left
Leticia was waiting for death.
The fear of death was far more slow and intense than she had ever imagined.
Even though she thought she had prepared herself for it, the final moment terrified her beyond measure.
“Within half a year, kill Dietrian. If you do not, your heart will be torn apart while you are still alive.”
To die with your heart being ripped apart—how painful would that be?
A month before the curse manifested, she had experienced seizures and tasted a small part of that pain.
It had been so horrifying that even then, she had wanted to die many times.
“You fool, you should’ve just died back then…”
Why had she struggled to live for another month?
The truth was, when she decided to endure that extra month, she had whispered to herself.
‘Within a month, I’ll kill Dietrian. Then I’ll survive. So just hold on a little longer.’
But in the end, that resolve meant nothing. She had done nothing during that month.
Far from killing Dietrian, she hadn’t even been able to hurt him.
No, she had known from the start.
It had all been foolish self-deception.
Even if a year had passed instead of a month, she wouldn’t have been able to kill Dietrian.
The fact that she had never once taken out the dagger hidden under her bed was proof of that.
At first, she had thought her failure to kill him was because of Julios.
She had even unfairly blamed him for a while.
But as time passed, she realized the truth.
As much as she wanted to avoid it, in this final moment, she had no choice but to admit it.
She didn’t want Dietrian dead.
It didn’t matter whose brother he was.
Dietrian shouldn’t die.
That kind, gentle man—he had to survive.
Josephina had always said something to her.
“You should never have been born, Leticia.”
Leticia agreed with that.
She didn’t believe in the notion that all lives were equally precious. The weight of life differed depending on the person.
Her own life, lived in worthlessness, compared to Dietrian’s, who had sacrificed everything for Genos.
If their souls were placed on a scale, it would undoubtedly tip toward Dietrian’s side.
So he had to survive.
“I just wish it would end soon.”
Tick, tick. The ticking of the clock felt like a hammer striking her soul. Leticia curled up, trying to focus on anything else.
Even if just for a moment, something that could make her forget reality.
“I don’t care what happens to me. You can do something even worse than this. But.”
“But you must not be harmed.”
Ironically, in her final moments, she recalled his words from long ago in the desert.
The blood that had run down his cheek, the careful way he had treated her wound, and the faint smile on his face.
“Haha……”
Tears suddenly burst out.
The thought of her final comfort being the time spent with Dietrian, right before her death.
It was all because she decided to save him that she ended up dying.
“You did well. You made the right choice.”
Leticia smiled through her tear-filled eyes.
She had lived a life that was nothing but trash.
For the first time, she had found a purpose.
After she died, he would shine even brighter in a world without her.
Unlike her, he would be with people who could return his kindness.
“Live happily, you will.”
Suddenly, she had a thought.
Perhaps the reason she endured the past month was because of Dietrian.
She had wanted to savor his efforts, all for her, like a final indulgence.
Leticia whispered with a faint smile.
“Thank you so much.”
At that moment.
A strange sensation arose in the pit of her stomach. The odd feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come.
Leticia, who had been frozen for a moment, took a breath.
Something had definitely changed.
Though she couldn’t tell exactly what had changed.
“What was that?”
It felt as if invisible shackles had been released. She felt free, but also strangely uneasy.
Unsure of what to do, she put on the coat she had discarded earlier.
She didn’t know what had happened, but she felt like she needed to move.
If she moved, she felt like she could survive.
She hurried her steps.
Her legs trembled, unused to running after so long, but she didn’t stop.
‘Where was that secret passage he told me about?’
The commotion outside had quieted down significantly.
She stopped for a moment and wiped the sweat dripping from her chin, thinking.
‘Is Dietrian still fighting?’
He probably was. He wasn’t the kind of person to abandon his country or his men.
She tried to recall Dietrian’s face from earlier.
That desperate expression, as he did everything he could to save her.
She frowned slightly.
She wanted to remember it in more detail, but she couldn’t.
‘I feel like I should be with Dietrian.’
Standing before the secret passage, she turned around and looked back for a moment.
She anxiously bit her lip, imagining herself going outside to bring Dietrian back.
‘But Mother is nearby.’
Josephina must have known that today was the last day of the curse.
‘Maybe that’s why she chose to invade Genos today.’
If she realized that Leticia had failed to kill Dietrian, she wouldn’t just stand by.
‘……What is this?’
Leticia’s breath quickened. Anxiety rushed over her, sudden and overwhelming. Something was wrong. She was certain she hadn’t killed Dietrian.
But why then…?
‘I have to escape before Mother notices me.’
Leticia sprinted into the passage. She ran until her breath caught in her throat.
She felt that if she stopped, something would come to mind.
Something terrible she refused to acknowledge.
She had to get far away.
‘Let’s go as far as possible. Dietrian wanted that, didn’t he? He said I needed to be safe.’
She would wait for him there.
She had to show him that she survived, just as he had wished.
“Hah, hah.”
Running through the passage wasn’t easy. It was dark, cold, and the air was damp. Her feet kept tripping on the sticky ground.
‘I have to keep going.’
She couldn’t stop. The more exhausted she felt, the faster she forced her legs to move.
But the farther she ran, the more anxious she became. It felt as if something was chasing her from behind.
Something pitch-black and terrifying…
“It’s been a while, Princess.”
“Ugh!”
Just as she barely escaped the passage, a familiar figure blocked her path. Leticia suppressed a groan as she felt strong hands grab her by the collar.
“Where are you rushing off to? Off to a party?”
“T-Tenua?”
It was Tenua, the one who had tormented her the most brutally out of the Nine Wings.
Frozen in instinctive fear, Leticia managed to speak.
“L-let go, please.”
“And where do you think you’ll go if I let you? Off to a real celebration?”
“Please, just once… Let me go, just once…”
I have to survive. He said I must survive, no matter what.
“Well, it *is* something to celebrate. After all, you’ve been freed from the curse after half a year.”
“…What?”
Leticia’s struggling came to a halt. Tenua’s yellow eyes gleamed as he smiled darkly. Leticia, dazed, looked up at his smile and shook her head.
“No… That’s not possible. That can’t be true.”
“Haha, what do you mean? What can’t be true?”
“There’s no way I’m free from the curse. That can’t be…”
Leticia’s body began to tremble like a leaf.
“That can’t be, that can’t be true…”
Tenua burst into laughter.
“Our princess is still so foolish. Why do you think it’s impossible? Midnight has passed, and you’re still alive. Isn’t that enough of an answer?”
“Midnight… has passed?”
“Of course. It passed a while ago.”
Her mind went blank. She could no longer avoid the truth she had been denying all along.
The curse had been broken.
Instead of Dietrian, she had survived.
Dietrian… that kind and gentle man… had died.
“A-ah…”
She couldn’t find the words. Why… Why was it you? I was determined to save you. Why…?
“Why, why…”
How could someone like me, a worthless person, be alive when you’re not?
“You idiot. What are you doing?”
Tears fell before they even had time to well up.
“That’s not possible. I… I gave up. I was supposed to die. Why…”
“What? Gave up? Don’t tell me, you were going to die in his place? You were going to do something that insane? Why? Because he was your husband? Did you really love that guy?”
Tenua chuckled as he grabbed Leticia’s tear-streaked face, his laughter cruel.
“That bastard’s dead. Dead for good. No matter how much you cry, he’s not coming back.”
He whispered viciously, a cold smile on his lips.
“Congratulations on surviving, Princess.”
* * *
“It’s finally over.”
After all the battles had ended, only the desolate wind swept through the ruined royal palace of Genos.
Josephina looked at the devastated palace with eyes gleaming with ecstasy.
The palace, once considered one of the most beautiful in the continent just the day before, had been utterly destroyed.
“I’ve won. I’ve won, Sigmund!”
In the middle of the blood-soaked lawn, the statue of Sigmund stood tall.
Josephina burst into maniacal laughter as she gazed at the dragon’s statue, the symbol of a protector who had failed to defend his people.
“You couldn’t stop me in the end!”
The memory of being threatened by that damned dragon after killing Julios was still vivid in her mind.
She had always wanted to crush Genos and exact her revenge, but she couldn’t.
The power of the dragon had still protected Genos.
But now things were different.
She had found a way to neutralize the dragon’s power, paying the price to the law of causality.
Thanks to that, she had successfully crossed the border.
Though the cost had been immense, it was worth it.
The dragon and its descendants were completely finished, and she had triumphed.
Now, no one could stand in her way.
“Destroy that cursed statue immediately.”
A new era had begun, and the traces of Sigmund had to be erased completely.
At her command, the earth spirits shot out like whips around the statue, coiling tightly.
And moments later, shattered fragments of the statue began to fall, one by one, into the pools of blood from the Genos people.
* * *
Three years passed after that.
Leticia had been dragged to the Holy Empire and confined to the West Palace.
Josephina no longer pretended to act with false maternal care.
There was no need for it.
The world saw Leticia as a villainess who had betrayed her mother’s country to sell it to Genos.
No one stopped Josephina from doing whatever she pleased to Leticia.
A life with not a shred of hope left.
Yet, Leticia no longer found Josephina’s cruelty painful.
A far more excruciating wound had already torn her heart apart.
“Dietrian…”
The memories of the six months spent with him resurfaced again and again, endlessly.
He had been kind to her until the very end.
But she had never once returned his kindness. Only harsh words had ever left her lips.
She was consumed with self-hatred for her past self.
If she had given him even a single gesture in return, perhaps she wouldn’t be left with this much regret.
It should have been him who survived, not her.
Regret and longing grew larger and larger within her.
Then, one quiet day as she was fading away, someone whispered.
I’ll give you a new chance. A chance to protect the one you love.
As she lay dying, Leticia, feverish, thought.
A new chance to save Dietrian…
Was this a dream?
Perhaps.
But it didn’t matter…
She curled up, wrapping her body tightly. Even if it’s a dream, it doesn’t matter. Even in a dream, I want to save you. So please, give me the chance. I’ll give anything…
* * *
And when she opened her eyes again.
Leticia instinctively knew, as she looked around the familiar bridal waiting room.
This wasn’t a dream.
It was a new reality.
Seeing the scar on her wrist, Leticia shed tears of joy.
“Dear Goddess, thank you. Thank you for giving me the chance to save him.”
Again, Dietrian
I recalled all of this after Leticia had left for the Empire.
At the time, Leticia had gone to the Empire with the Wings to face Josephina in a final confrontation.
I had remained in Genos to fulfill my duties as king, but the longing for her was unbearable.
It was especially painful because it was right after we had finally become true partners, after a long period of misunderstandings and separation.
Just when our hearts had finally aligned, we were forced to part ways before we could even enjoy the sweetness of newlywed life.
Every moment, I missed her so much it felt like I was going mad.
The way her delicate body fit perfectly in my arms, her soft fragrance, her boldness when she shyly blushed but still took the initiative to kiss me—all of it.
From head to toe, everything about her was so lovable. I was completely captivated by her.
And how could I not be?
Any man who had become Leticia’s lover would be the same.
She always exceeded my expectations.
Just when I thought my feelings for her couldn’t grow any deeper, she would say something that broke through those limits.
When I asked her to pretend to love me in front of others, she would laugh and tell me one kiss a day wasn’t enough and then fall into my arms.
When we crossed the desert, thinking I was asleep, she spent the entire night kissing me, holding me close.
On a beautiful moonlit night in Heden, she softly confessed with a smile that she wanted to be the mother of my child.
And not long ago, after confessing about the curse, even as she teared up because I couldn’t fully believe her sincerity, she locked the door to my study, not wanting our time together to be interrupted—so bold, so mischievous.
These moments were so full of love, so unforgettable, I knew I would carry them with me until the day I died.
It was no wonder that I often felt like abandoning my duties as king and running to her.
But I forced myself to remain steady.
What I truly wanted wasn’t just immediate happiness but a future filled with joy.
I dreamed of raising a child who resembled her, of living together as husband and wife, as parents.
Leticia shared the same dream, which was why she took the risk of heading to the Empire.
And for that reason, I knew I had to do my best in my position as well.
It was the path that would support her.
If I could make Genos stronger, then one day, when she returned, Genos could be the solid foundation she needed.
So, I focused on my duties as king, even through the busyness of daily life.
One day, while immersed in these duties, I received an unbelievable truth from Leticia’s Wing, Ahwin, who had been protecting her in the Empire.
Leticia, it seemed, had already lived through one life.
Shocked, I found myself retracing the past, and then something even more extraordinary happened.
I heard the voice of Sigmund, the dragon who had founded Genos.
“You are Gilead. Now that your power has awakened, all truths shall be revealed to you.”
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