Chapter 58
His eyes opened briefly, then drooped again in drowsiness.
“No, the conversation isn’t over yet…”
It wasn’t the child that mattered to me—it was you.
He muttered as if in a trance, succumbing to sleep. His eyes, heavy with drowsiness, closed as he gave in to her touch. Leticia watched him as he fell asleep, held in her arms.
For the last time, she spoke to him.
“Your Highness, I don’t want to repeat the same mistake. Asking for a divorce wasn’t just an idle comment.”
“I thought we had already settled that.”
He flinched as if about to get up, but her touch kept him down. After all, wasn’t he the one who had begged her to let him sleep?
“Just let me be,” Arden whispered, struggling to get the words out. He grasped her waist tightly, as if resisting the sleep that was pulling him under. The more he held on, the more gently she ran her fingers through his golden hair.
“I told you, no matter what it takes, I will do this.”
Go to sleep—sleep deeply enough that you won’t notice when I leave.
She prayed silently, as if casting a spell, willing her desire to reach him. As her fingers repeatedly stroked through his hair, his resistance gradually weakened.
“Yes… Just let it go.”
“…Leti, sia…”
He resisted sleep with stubborn determination, but Leticia persisted, delving into his thoughts. She drew out his happiest memories and planted an illusion in his mind: a false dream of her staying by his side.
“I don’t want to live like this anymore. So please, don’t try to find me.”
Even if he refused to let her go, she had no intention of staying. Further conversation would be pointless. He would never acknowledge the existence of the child in her womb.
She had to protect the child and change her life. Though it hurt to realize this was the only way, it wasn’t a truth she hadn’t known all along. She had tried to ignore it, but reality choked her relentlessly.
Arden struggled against the current dragging him down, but her touch dismantled his resistance. His body sagged, and even as he drifted into unconsciousness, his fingers clutched tightly at her thin robe.
Leticia looked down at Arden, asleep on her lap. Listening to his even breathing and gazing at his peaceful face, she withdrew the hand that had rested on his forehead.
Carefully, she lifted his head and slipped a pillow underneath it.
“This is my final gift to you. Savor it.”
Seeing the faint smile that formed on his lips, she gave the bell cord a gentle pull. Soon, a servant announced that Luenna had arrived outside the door. Leticia opened the door and stepped out.
Smiling at the guards stationed outside the chamber, she said,
“His Highness is sleeping deeply, so don’t wake him. He’ll wake on his own around midday.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I was worried his groans might wake His Highness, so I’ll sleep in my room. Inform me when he wakes.”
The knights nodded without suspicion, finding nothing unusual in her behavior. Leticia began walking slowly toward her room but halted abruptly.
“I think I’ll go for a walk.”
The maid, familiar with Leticia’s recent habit of walking at this hour, nodded.
“You’ll need to change first, so follow me.”
Back in her room, Leticia locked the door and spoke to Luenna.
“It was cold when I went out lightly dressed yesterday. I’ll need a coat.”
“The wind is chilly now that autumn is here. Please wear this. Will you be going alone again today?”
“Yes. Walking alone helps me clear my head.”
But if she didn’t return, Luenna would soon notice something was wrong and alert the others. If that happened, all the plans Leticia had carefully prepared for today would be for nothing.
“Luenna, could you sit here for a moment? I have something to tell you.”
Leticia patted the sofa and sat Luenna down. She tilted her head slightly and then sat softly across from her.
“I’m sorry, but I have to do this to keep you safe.”
“What?”
Leticia gave a small smile and reached out to place her hand on Luenna’s forehead. Startled, Luenna tried to get up, but sleep quickly overwhelmed her, and she slumped back against the sofa.
In no time, her body leaned to the side, and she called out urgently to Leticia.
“Y-Your Majesty…”
“Just sleep. You don’t know anything.”
Murmuring softly, Luenna drifted into sleep. Once Leticia confirmed that she was fully asleep, she slipped out of the room.
She acted as if she was merely going out for a normal walk.
❖ ❖ ❖
Leticia quickly walked along the path she had scouted earlier.
Once out of sight, she stopped in front of a tangle of vines.
The vines moved aside as if making way for her, and Leticia dashed into the forest.
“Haah… Haah…”
Her breath grew ragged, and her legs weakened. When she had looked at the map, the distance hadn’t seemed far, but walking it now, it felt much farther.
Panting, she pressed on toward the location the Pope had mentioned. The branches she passed rustled, moving uniformly out of her way.
Without the spirits’ help, the journey would have been much harder.
After running for a while, she arrived at the designated spot. A horse was tied to a large tree, and there was a map attached to the rope, showing the next location.
Thud. Drip.
The sky wasn’t on her side; raindrops began to fall. She tucked the map into her coat and hurriedly mounted the horse.
She needed to reach the next location before the heavy rain started pouring down.
Leticia rode hard, but the downpour soon made it difficult to see. Streams of rain flowed endlessly down her face as she clutched the reins tightly.
“No… Not after coming this far.”
She couldn’t afford to be caught now. She needed to get as far away as possible—and fast.
Her grip on the reins tightened.
She spurred the horse, urging it to run faster. Just a bit farther, and the people who were supposed to take her away would be waiting. If she could reach them, she’d be free.
She could explain everything to her father later. Telling him now would only reveal her whereabouts.
After hours of riding, Leticia reached the mountainside and looked around.
“They were supposed to signal me…”
But no one was there. Thinking she might have come to the wrong place, she pulled the map from her coat, but it was too wet and ruined to read. With no other choice, she tucked the paper back into her coat.
She stopped the horse and carefully dismounted. Even though she landed lightly, the muddy ground splashed her clothes. Her clothes were already soaked, and her body shivered as her temperature dropped. Alone in the storm-ravaged forest, she felt ridiculous.
She couldn’t stand there getting drenched any longer.
Clutching her wet clothes closer to preserve her body heat, she wrapped her arms protectively around her belly. Her golden eyes flickered violently in the dark.
Whooosh.
The rain continued to pour, drenching the ground. Even though she should have felt overwhelmed by the situation, a strange feeling overtook her. Had she ever acted so freely before?
Never.
Leticia removed her soaked cloak with her hands, letting the rain hit her face directly.
She looked up at the sky, where ashen clouds loomed, casting a gloomy veil over the heavens. A wave of relief washed over her, and the tension in her body finally unraveled.
If she had been facing a blue sky, it would have felt like Arden was watching her until the very end.
As if those eyes, always fixed on her, would follow her wherever she went.
She closed her eyes, letting the raindrops slide down her face.
The hoofprints left by her horse had already vanished under the rain.
Even the faint fragrance lingering on her body was masked by the forest’s heavy scent.
The endless rain erased her traces, as if helping her escape.
The rich smell of wet leaves and soil rose, gradually calming her heart.
At last, a sense of relief washed over her.
The rain would continue to fall. It poured down fiercely, as though it would never stop, and the intensity gave her peace.
When she looked down at the soil beneath her feet, feeling its texture press against her toes, her eyes stung.
She couldn’t tell if the wetness running down her cheeks was tears or rain.
A smile slowly spread across her face, filled with the sense of liberation that embraced her entire body.
“I’m free.”
She had achieved what she had longed for. That alone was a step forward.
Though her face was pale, her chest burned with warmth.
In the heart of the rain-drenched forest, Leticia reveled in her newfound freedom.
Rustle. Rustle.
Suddenly, the sound of something moving through the grass reached her ears.
