With a wide smile on her lips, Alicia jumped out of bed and headed towards her desk.
Familiarly, she took out her letter opener and neatly cut the top of the envelopes.
And eventually, both the red envelope and the white envelope were wide open, waiting for her to make a choice.
"Which one should I read first?"
Like Rosetta, Alicia had also been exchanging letters with Daniel often.
However, it was the first time she received a letter from Leo.
Her golden eyes, which were as bright as the sun, looked intently at the two letters.
In time, her long but simultaneously short contemplation reached an end.
Alicia reached for Leo Carter's letter first.
The red envelope.
She decided to read Leo's letter first, however it wasn't due to very positive reasons.
'Something about him makes me uncomfortable.'
That's how Alicia felt about Leo.
Her sister gave her the advice of, 'Never be alone with him, never engage in private conversations as much as possible.'
Or perhaps it's because those red eyes were far redder than she could expect.
Alicia's first impression of him was quite intense, and he made her feel uncomfortable.
She was so nervous about what words that red envelope contained.
So, she wanted to read Leo's letter quickly so that she could read Daniel's letter in peace.
'It's better to just get it over with first.'
After deciding on this though, Alicia faltered a little.
She soon thought, 'Am I being a little too suspicious?'
The poor young man just lost his older brother, and she had met him only once. And yet, she was thinking of him so badly…
Of course, she never gossiped about this to anyone, these were just her own thoughts.
Her heart felt heavy because she felt like she herself had become a bad person.
Feeling her heart grow softer, Alicia opened the letter.
〈 Dear Lady Alicia Valentine, 〉
As she slowly read the letter, she felt a bit nervous.
The handwriting was as neat as the man's demeanor, however unlike the impression she had of him, she felt a small sense of admiration for the man's graceful cursive script.
〈 I apologize for not writing to you sooner.
More than I initially expected, I was left in shock after my older brother's passing.
It was a struggle to pull myself together, and I also had to take care of my grieving mother, so I had been left with no time to write to you.
The hunting festival is drawing near, so let us meet once more there.
Then, I will be looking forward to meeting you at the hunting festival. 〉
Alicia did not know, but it was almost exactly the same as the letter that was sent to Rosetta.
It's just that the end was a little different.
〈 Then, I will be looking forward to meeting you at the hunting festival. I would be very happy if Your Ladyship is also looking forward to the next time we meet. 〉
Alicia's letter did not say anything about 'something fun that would happen at the hunting festival'.
And yet, that's what Rosetta's letter said.
While taking in the letter's contents, Alicia blinked. Compared to what she had expected, it was flat.
And with the polite letter going against her strong impressions on the young man, Alicia felt guilty again.
She carefully folded the letter that she had just read.
'I'll write back to him later…'
Furtively pushing the letter aside, she picked up Daniel's letter this time.
Washing away the subtle expression on her face, a smile rose at once.
Her silent heart began to beat a little more.
After Daniel had helped her with his divine power back then, she sometimes dreamed of him.
Of that warm energy, of the way her pain disappeared at once, and how only the impression of gentle kindness was left.
Besides that, she felt a bit more comfortable with him thanks to their occasional correspondence.
Whenever she met other people, the first thing she'd feel was discomfort. However, it wasn't so bad around Daniel.
The occasional correspondence between them detailing their mundane, everyday life was her small dose of happiness.
Carefully, Alicia opened the letter.
"Dear Lady Alicia,"
Reading the first part of the letter out loud, Alicia smiled bashfully. Her round eyes cheerfully read the rest of the letter.
〈 Dear Lady Alicia,
How are you doing these days, Lady Alicia?
The heat has gone away a lot in the meantime while the weather is starting to get colder. It's easier to fall sick during times like this, isn't it?
Please be careful so that you're in tip-top shape despite how different the temperature is between night and day.
If you fall sick, it would also sadden me so.
.
.
.
Oh, and the hunting festival is almost here.
I'm looking forward to the grand event, but I don't think I'll be able to kill any of the animals.
I am someone who heals, so I am not confident in taking another's life.
I know that I may be criticized for seeming weak in doing so, but I'm writing about this here because I believe that you'll understand me.
Well then, I'll be looking forward to meeting you at the hunting festival.
When that time comes, let's have a pleasant chat, too. 〉
There's nothing much in the letter's contents, but even so, Alicia was happy anyway.
There was someone else who told her about his daily life, and at the same time, he listened to her as well.
Daniel's letters always gave her such a soft, fluffy feeling.
After reading the body of the letter, Alicia soon read the postscript added below.
"Oh my!"
Unknowingly, a small exclamation brought upon by admiration left her lips.
Alicia blushed even more compared to when she was reading the body of the letter.
Then, after reading the postscript, she folded the letter and pushed it to the side.
And she took out two new sheets of paper.
There was a tingling feeling in her hands because she wanted to reply as soon as she could.
Alicia dipped her quill into the inkwell, then she pondered as she stared at the white sheet of paper.
She mulled over what she was going to write for quite a while. Still, even as she worried over the matter like this, she was in a good mood.
So, after a short yet long period of contemplation, Alicia slowly wrote on the piece of paper.
"Dear Young Duke Daniel Freesia,"
The sentiment of what she mostly wrote down mirrored Daniel's letter.
She mentioned the mundane things that happened lately and also a few stories, just like what Daniel said.
She also said that she was looking forward to meeting him at the hunting festival.
Her small, round letters gradually lined the letter paper.
And just like that, the long piece of white paper was quickly filled.
After writing many things, Alicia nodded satisfactorily. However, the hand holding that quill did not stop there.
Like with Daniel's letter, she also wrote a postscript at the end.
P.S.
"Congratulations! I'm glad to hear that House Freesia's sacred relic reacted to you. There's still some time before the coming-of-age ceremony, but it's amazing that this happened."
She murmured with a small voice as she wrote down the same words.
"Certainly, you'll be chosen as the master of the sacred relic once you reach adulthood. And just as you said, I will keep this a secret. I won't tell my family either, so there's nothing for you to worry about. Then, I'll be seeing you on the day of the hunting festival."
She conveyed her congratulations once again, then she signed her name, Alicia Valentine.
After happily checking her completed letter, she folded it carefully into the envelope and sealed it.
She also did not forget to write a reply to Leo.
After writing both letters, Alicia immediately pulled the rope beside her bed.
She tugged more urgently than how she usually would.
Expressing her true feelings, she did so just as hurriedly as she completed both letters.
* * *
A few days later, amidst a dark evening—
Here as well, there was one more person looking forward to the hunting festival.
Someone who was anticipating the hunting festival more than anyone else in the whole empire.
It was a man.
He contentedly smiled as he looked down at the two letters in front of him.
Both were sealed with the crest of House Valentine.
The man reached out and picked one of them up.
The only light sources around him were the subtle moonlight pouring through the window and the singular flame on a candle, shaking precariously. Nevertheless, the man read the letter over and over again.
Until the edges of the letter had become worn out.
"Good grief."
He looked at the wrinkled edges of the letter and briefly murmured his lamentation.
He soon sealed the letter once more with a careful touch, as though he was holding precious treasure.
One mistake was enough to wear out precious things.
He stared at the envelope with a prolonged gaze, but with his arms resting on the desk, he closed his eyes.
Through those closed eyes, one person's image lingered.
That person's hair was golden blond first, then became silver.
Her eyes were blue at first, and then became golden.
Clearly in his mind, he saw the specter of a woman, wavering and staggering countless times.
A woman with dazzling silver hair and lustrous golden eyes.
The image of Rosetta.
While repeatedly calling up the face of the ever-disinterested woman, the man smiled tenderly.
Those red lips of his tugged up into a saccharine smile.
"…The hunting festival. I'll finally meet you again, Rita."
The curled lips crooned with a low voice.
Soon, the man's eyes slowly opened.
He turned his chair around and gazed at the scene behind him.
Through the window, which had a clear view of the round moon.
It's been such a long time since he had seen such a blue expanse.
Small animals, large animals.
And, people of all ages.
Blue beast.
Blue monster.
Dead, but have yet to perish. Living, yet not alive.
The man's dry eyes scanned through the many monsters before him.
Still sitting on that chair with his legs elegantly crossed, one foot bobbed up and down lightly.
"I've prepared a surprise event, so it would be nice to see Rita's surprised reaction."
'It's only natural that someone on the receiving end of a gift should be surprised.'
These words were from the days when Rita still smiled. It's what she told him.
"Ha."
The man's lips let out a small, cheerful laugh once more.
His body trembled in anticipation.
He did not know how long it had been since the last time his heart was beating this loudly.
Oh, how I look forward to the hunting festival.
My Rita.
My Rosetta.
* * *
It's been a few days now since the northern forest near the capital began bustling with activity.
The procession of the aristocrats' carriages continued for several days, and soon, temporary barracks were built one by one in the large clearing.
Those tents would be taken down after a few days, but they boasted of such durability and elegance that it didn't seem like that at all.
Those barracks would be used as a resting place for the nobles.
There were no building structures in the northern forest, so it was an old tradition for these barracks to be built every 'hunting festival'.
That's right. Today was the day everyone was looking forward to.
The opening day of the hunting festival.