Leticia's room was large, large enough to accommodate an upright Fenris ice wolf with room to spare.
The air was permeated with a faint fragrance, like that of some nameless flower blooming under the moonlight; it was the lingering aftertaste of the Divine Charm aura naturally radiating from Leticia.
When Angronia's massive body, filled with explosive power, made contact with the unbelievably soft bed, every muscle that had been tensed for hundreds of years let out an overwhelmed, joyous moan.
This was her—or rather, "him"—first time lying in such a comfortable place in her entire life.
It was not the cold sand of the Colosseum, not the blood-stained cot, nor the freezing metal deck.
It was warm, soft, and safe here.
Leticia carefully arranged her into a comfortable position, and looking at that sleeping face, stripped of all anger and defensiveness and left with only pure peace, her heart softened.
She prepared to get up to deal with the "mess" left in the hangar.
Just as she pulled away, a hand, fast as lightning, precisely grabbed the hem of her black robe.
Angronia still had her eyes closed, her breathing steady and long, but her brows, which had just smoothed out, were once again slightly furrowed in unease, like an infant about to be abandoned by its mother, using all her strength in her sleep to grasp the only straw of hope.
Leticia's movements stopped.
She looked down at that hand.
Bronze skin, long and powerful fingers, knuckles covered in calluses from battle, but at this moment, like a child, it was clutching a piece of her robe tightly.
"This grip strength..."
Leticia tried to pull it away gently.
It didn't budge.
It didn't feel like pulling fabric; it felt as if her robe hem had been welded to a piece of red-hot alloy ingot.
She had no doubt that if she used force, the entire robe would be torn to shreds, and the owner of this hand wouldn't even be woken up.
"Even in unconscious deep sleep, is the strength still this absurdly high?"
Leticia felt a bit helpless.
She could easily break free by using the power of her authority, but that would inevitably disturb the peaceful sleep Angronia had finally obtained.
Let her sleep.
This was Leticia's only thought at this moment.
Let her make up for the sleep she had owed for hundreds of years all at once.
She gave up struggling and, following that force, sat down on the edge of the bed.
A strange thing happened.
The moment Leticia's body sat down, Angronia's furrowed brows, as if smoothed by an invisible hand, instantly relaxed.
From deep within her throat, she even let out a low, satisfied, slightly vibrating purr.
The sound was very much like a giant feline dozing by the fireplace after a full meal.
Watching this scene, the corners of Leticia's mouth curled into a smile involuntarily.
However, this didn't seem to be enough.
The Valkyrie on the bed seemed to feel that just grabbing the hem of her robe wasn't enough to gain sufficient security.
She turned over in her sleep, her movement as natural as if she had practiced it a thousand times.
The next second, a warm and heavy object rested on Leticia's thigh, which was wrapped in the black robe and felt excellent to the touch.
Angronia's head, topped with lava-like red hair, just like that, brazenly occupied this unique, sacred territory in the entire universe.
Her cheek even rubbed gently and dependently against the smooth silk fabric, as if looking for a more comfortable angle.
Leticia's body froze instantly.
She could clearly feel the astonishing heat and heavy weight belonging to another body coming through the thin fabric onto her thigh.
She could even smell the unique scent radiating from Angronia's hair, a mix of gunpowder smoke, sweat, and fresh skin, full of wildness and vitality.
...
Leticia was silent.
"I seem to have just saved a tragic Primarch and gained a furious guardian, right?"
"Why does it feel now like I've picked up a giant husky that is oversized, extra clingy, and doesn't sleep still?"
"And the kind that uses its owner's leg as a pillow."
She looked down at the Valkyrie sleeping sweetly with her head on her lap.
That face, which was always tense and full of aggression, now had incredibly soft lines.
Long eyelashes cast a small shadow under her eyelids, and the corners of her mouth were even slightly upturned, carrying a childish, satisfied curve.
Even breathing sounds came from the tip of her nose.
Warm air currents brushed against Leticia's lower abdomen, one after another.
Bringing an imperceptible, strange itch.
All the complaints in Leticia's heart vanished the moment she saw this sleeping face.
All that remained was a soft emotion, like her heart being gently scratched by a feather.
She reached out her hand.
White, slender fingers, as if carved from divine jade, gently and tenderly reached into that red hair burning like flames.
The texture of the hair was unexpectedly smooth, carrying a vigorous, life-filled warmth.
She just like that, one after another, used her fingertips to gently and soothingly stroke Angronia's scalp.
As if soothing a young beast that had just woken up from a nightmare.
Under Leticia's stroking, Angronia relaxed completely.
Her tall, fit body, like a piece of butter melted by the sun, slumped completely on the soft bed, and the purring in her throat became more obvious and more comfortable.
This Lord of Anger of the World Eaters, who once made the entire galaxy tremble.
This most ferocious beast, who once used endless slaughter and roars to fight against pain.
At this moment, she was as docile as a big cat curling up in its owner's arms, acting coquettishly and begging for pets.
Looking at her, Leticia suddenly remembered some documentaries she had watched in her previous life.
Those wild beasts rescued in the wild, even after growing into kings of the forest, would still expose their bellies and purr coquettishly when facing the humans who had rescued them.
Angronia was the same.
Her anger, her fangs, her claws would henceforth exist only to defend against foreign enemies.
And in front of the goddess who granted her rebirth and peace, she shed all her disguises, leaving only the most authentic appearance of her soul.
A child... who longed to be loved, longed for warmth, and longed for a home.
Leticia's hand did not stop.
She even began to hum a melody in an out-of-tune, extremely gentle tone.
That melody had no lyrics; it didn't even count as a song.
It was just a fragment of a lullaby from her previous life's memories, long since blurred, and she didn't know where she had heard it.
Peaceful and distant.
Just in this tranquility, which seemed warm enough to melt steel.
"Knock, knock."
The door was knocked on gently and tentatively.
The sound was very light, as if afraid of disturbing something in the room.
The song Leticia was humming stopped, and she raised her head to look at the door.
The door was pushed open a small crack.
A small head, topped with long hair as brilliant as molten gold, peeked in through the crack in the door.
It was Terrania.
Her pure golden eyes, carrying a trace of curiosity and worry, scanned the room.
Then, her gaze landed precisely on Leticia.
And...
That red-haired, tall figure sleeping soundly with her head on Leticia's lap.
Terrania's movements stopped.
She maintained her peeking posture like that, her small body frozen in the door crack, motionless.
In those golden eyes, originally as clear as glass, countless complex emotions surged instantly.
There was relief at seeing Angronia obtain peace.
There was pity for this "little sister" who had just escaped the sea of suffering.
But more than that, it was something Leticia had never seen in her eyes before...
Like the grievance of having a part of one's favorite toy stolen by another child...
And a trace, which even she herself had not noticed...
A sourness called "jealousy."
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