Saving My Sweetheart

Chapter 1

Prologue

Had she truly come back to the past? Everything was the same as in her memories, down to her white wedding dress, the lush bouquet of hydrangeas she was holding, and even the frame hanging in the bridal reception room. Her breath caught when she hastily rolled up her sleeve to check the inside of her arm, searching for the bright red scar her mother had given her. Two days before the wedding, her mother had thrown a scalding cup of tea at her—she had been crying that she didn’t want to get married. It had once been a painful memory, but unlike before, tears of joy flowed down her face as she gazed at the familiar mark.

“Thank you, Goddess…” The woman knelt on the floor and prayed. “Thank you… for giving me a chance to save him.”

* * *

Leticia’s mother, Josephina, was the only saint in the Holy Empire. She was the human daughter of the goddess who had revived the crumbling empire and saved countless people. Thus, Josephina was a savior to all except one—Leticia.

Even before she could remember, Leticia had been mercilessly abused by her mother. For unknown reasons, her mother’s holy power had gradually diminished since her birth, so she became the target of her mother’s rage. The abuse had been subtle and secretive until her elder brother noticed, but he had turned his back on her as well. There was a time she had resented him for it, but that changed when, thanks to him, she had met her greatest love—Ditrian. He was both her husband before she died and now the man she was about to marry.

Josephina’s hatred for Leticia had only grown with time. She’d even gone so far as to blame her daughter for all the wicked deeds she herself had committed. No matter how long she waited, her holy power was still decreasing, and her anxiety was turning into hysteria.

“Why not send her away?” her brother had suggested. “How about marrying her off?”

“Marriage? No! Do you expect me to sit back and watch that b*tch find happiness? I won’t allow it!”

“Then, choose a man who would despise her. What about King Ditrian? Why not marry her off to him?”

At the thought of King Ditrian of Genos, Leticia’s mind went blank. Seven years ago, her mother had successfully arranged to have his family killed.

“He thinks of the empire as his enemy. He will surely use Leticia to vent his rage if you command him to marry her. He might even end up outright murdering her.”

“Then I can use that excuse to punish him…”

Her mother had always seen Ditrian as a thorn in her side, and she seemed to love her son’s plan to destroy both of the people she hated in one fell swoop. As such, the plans for her marriage had proceeded swiftly, but her mother had created one more safeguard for herself.

“I won’t let you live comfortably when you’re out of my sight.”

She had inscribed a curse on Leticia’s body.

“You will kill Ditrian within six months. If you don’t, your entire body will be torn to shreds.”

Even now, her mother’s curse held a tight grip on her heart. Leticia placed her hand over where her heart beat within her chest and smiled slightly. She had once thought the curse was frightful, but now, she almost felt it was a blessing. In this life, she would protect him—no matter what.

* * *

The Genos Kingdom was thrown into chaos when the Holy Empire’s proposal first arrived.

“What do you mean you are to marry the daughter of Saint Josephina, Your Majesty?”

Unable to contain his rage, the prime minister slammed his fists on the table.

“How dare they make this proposal when we all know who was behind the death of Your Majesty’s family?!”

“And Leticia…? They expect us to welcome that devil as our new queen?” another minister asked angrily.

Leticia, the daughter of the Holy Empire’s saint, was better known by her nickname—the Blood-Crazed Killer. She was infamous for her cruelty, known for driving her maids to flee within a week of serving her. Among her many misdeeds, she was particularly notorious for the fact that she had killed the nanny who’d raised her since birth.

Even her own people condemned her with pointed fingers, but her savagery had spread across the border to affect Genos. One year earlier, the bodies of ten Genosian boys who had been studying in the Holy Empire had been returned brutally murdered. When asked about the traces of barbaric abuse on their bodies, there had only been a cold response.

“They were punished for their crimes against Lady Leticia.”

That wasn’t all. For the past thirty years, the Holy Empire had relentlessly harassed Genos, but the kingdom had been unable to resist or fight back. There was an overwhelming power disparity between them, since the empire retained the goddess’s power, whereas Genos had long lost the protection of the dragon’s blessing.

Long, contentious relations between them had dramatically deteriorated when Crown Prince Julius of Genos had been executed during a diplomatic visit to the empire seven years ago. On charges of blasphemy, the saint herself had personally killed the prince and hung his body on the city wall for seven days.

The king, who had raced over upon hearing word of his son’s plight, had collapsed out of grief when he viewed his corpse. He succumbed to death in that very field, unable to return to his homeland alive after seeing his son’s body in such a state.

That was not the final tragedy that befell the Kingdom of Genos. A declaration had arrived from the Holy Empire.

—The remains of the crown prince will not be returned. Every insignificant bone fragment will be displayed, and his crime will be widely known!

The queen of Genos, who had been barely hanging onto her sanity since the death of her son and her husband, had finally descended into madness. Amidst the execution of his brother, the death of his father, and the madness of his mother, only sixteen-year-old Ditrian remained alive and sane. Seven years had passed since then.

—This is a marriage proposal between the saint’s daughter, Leticia, and King Ditrian of Genos.

Ditrian gazed down at the proposal, and his deep black eyes sank. His long finger traced over the paper and then paused. Everyone was adamant about him rejecting the proposal, but he couldn’t. If he did, the Holy Empire would not remain silent, and his innocent people would be sacrificed to the blades of their swords.

There was only one answer. He could hear thunder rumbling as he slowly rose to his feet, suppressing the swirling emotions that raged deep within.

“I have heard all of your advice,” he said, his quiet voice immediately silencing the council room. “However… I will accept the royal marriage.”

“Your Majesty! Whatever do you mean?”

His ministers were in an uproar.

“It is better to wage war than to accept that devil as our queen!”

“Your Majesty! Please reconsider the matter!”

Some wept openly, unable to suppress their anguish. Ditrian recalled the past seven years of hell as he gazed at each of them. He had lost his entire family suddenly, and though years had passed since, he still had nightmares. When he managed to wake, he often ached and trembled alone in his bed until dawn. Unable to bear it, he frequently sprung awake before the sun rose to rush outside, get on his horse, and break into a mad dash.

If only he could storm the Holy Palace by himself, slit the saint’s throat, and kill all of her children, perhaps the anger in his heart could abate, even in the slightest. However, he always stopped and turned back. He was a king, and he had to protect his people.

Ditrian closed his eyes.

Leticia… Can I endure that woman? The woman who killed my people… The daughter of my enemy…

He had to, no matter what. He slowly opened his eyes, and helped his fallen ministers to their feet.

“My will has not changed,” he spoke firmly.

“Your Majesty—”

“The Holy Empire will not sit still if I reject their proposal. I cannot risk that danger.”

“But… that means you must…”

Ditrian smiled inscrutably and shook his head.

“I will be fine.”

If I can save everyone by sacrificing myself, does it matter if I am all right?

“I will convey my acceptance to the empire.”

Start of the Rainy Season

After spending the past month preparing, the wedding ceremony would occur in the Holy Empire. During that time, all of Ditrian’s men who opposed the marriage had done their best to persuade him to change his mind. Among them was a young knight named Barnes. Barnes’ nephew had been one of the boys Leticia had killed, yet when he had raged that he’d rather go to war than welcome that demon as his queen, Ditrian still hadn’t budged.

“We cannot go to war and allow the blood of our innocent people to be spilled.”

“But it’s okay for Your Majesty to be the sacrifice?”

“It’s not a sacrifice. It’s my duty as king.”

Similar struggles had ensued with others, but Ditrian had not once changed his mind. On the day of their departure, Barnes ground his teeth as he glared at the dragon statues next to the castle gate.

Why did you abandon us, you damned dragons?!

The Kingdom of Genos was founded by dragons long ago, and was as powerful as the Holy Empire when their protection was still in place. One day, the dragon’s blessing vanished, and people began murmuring that the dragons had abandoned them.

Many people in Genos agonized that their king wouldn’t be in such a situation if the dragons hadn’t abandoned them. Barnes kicked the statue, unable to contain his rage, but heard a low voice speaking behind him.

“We haven’t departed yet. If you don’t wish to go, then stay here and vent your anger elsewhere.”

“Your Majesty!”

Startled, Barnes turned to face Ditrian and immediately slunk to his side, worried his king would truly leave him behind.

“When did I say I didn’t want to go? I was just… frustrated. That’s all. Why did they summon us now?” he asked, jerking his chin upward. “It’s the start of the rainy season, and we must walk for a month. An illness might break out among us because of the rain, Your Majesty. People may die.”

“Don’t be too concerned. We have made adequate preparations.” Ditrian patted Barnes on the shoulder and grinned. “It won’t go as the empire hopes it will.”

He briskly walked away toward the caravan shortly after responding. Barnes, watching his retreating figure, grimaced as he spat toward the empire.

“Bastards… May they rot in hell.”

The delegation commenced their month-long journey. Thanks to their thorough preparations, they moved quickly, except for minor incidents. There was, however, a small disturbance just before their arrival—Barnes had stumbled and fallen in the pouring rain.

“You see this, you empire bastards? We’ve arrived safe and sound! I bet you’re feeling sick to your—” he’d shouted, interrupted by his sudden descent to the ground. Fortunately, Barnes was not gravely injured, but he was reduced to using crutches for the time being.

Ditrian approached the capital at last, two days before the wedding ceremony.