Chapter 155 - 153

Chapter 155: Chapter 153

I carefully broke the wax seal and unfolded the letter inside.

The handwriting was unmistakably Soren’s. Every stroke looked like it had been measured with a ruler.

————————————

My dearest Blanca,

I know this is so old school, but I wanted to write you a letter.

I wanted to be the first person you’d see the moment you came back, but I suppose that won’t be happening. By the time you read this, I’ll already be at the palace, buried under paperwork and dealing with the sudden increase in Rogue appearances along the border.

I won’t be coming back for a few weeks. I know you’ll get bored if you’re cooped up inside the mansion, so please go out from time to time. Feel free to use my card if you’d like to go shopping.

I may be stuck here for weeks...

...but I hope you’ll be the first person I see when I return.

Soren

————————————

"..."

My face felt... warm.

No... It was alarmingly hot as if someone had secretly set my cheeks on fire while I was reading.

’And why was my heart beating so fast?’

I pressed a hand against my chest.

Ba-dump.

"..."

Ba-dump.

"..."

’Could you not?’

My heart ignored me.

BA-DUMP.

"Stop it."

"What?" Gawain asked.

"...Nothing."

I looked back down at the letter then immediately looked away.

Why...

Why did he write a letter?

We literally lived in a sci-fi world. He could have just texted, called, sent a voice message, or he could have left a twenty-minute rant about border security.

Instead he chose a handwritten letter.

And why did he have to start it with ’My dearest Blanca.’

"..."

I immediately folded the letter shut.

Nope.

I wasn’t reading that line again.

...

...

Five seconds later...

I opened it again as my eyes immediately landed on the first sentence.

My dearest Blanca.

"..."

I folded it shut even faster.

"No."

"What no?" Agatha asked.

"Nothing."

"...You’re blushing."

"I’m absolutely not."

"You absolutely are."

"I’ve always looked like this."

"You look like a tomato."

"I’ve always looked like a tomato."

Gawain leaned over my shoulder. "What does the letter say?"

I immediately held it against my chest. "No."

"...Suspicious."

"It’s private."

"You’ve never cared about privacy before."

"I care now."

"Even more suspicious."

I ignored him since my brain had already decided to replay the last sentence over and over again like a broken music box.

"I hope you’ll be the first person I see when I return."

...

"I hope you’ll be the first person I see when I return."

...

"I hope you’ll—"

"Stop."

Agatha blinked. "...Who are you talking to?"

"My brain."

"...Should I call a doctor?"

"No."

"An exorcist?"

"...Maybe."

I covered my face with both hands.

’What is wrong with me?’

It’s just a perfectly normal letter and people write letters all the time. So why was this one making me malfunction?

"Dearest."

There it was again.

"Dearest Blanca."

"No."

I slapped both my cheeks lightly, just enough to snap myself out of whatever this was.

’Focus.’

It’s just a perfectly ordinary word.

People use "dear" all the time.

"Dear customer."

"Dear valued client."

"Dear sir or madam."

"..."

Not...

"My dearest Blanca."

"..."

There was a huge difference.

I groaned internally.

He’s doing this on purpose.

He has to be.

There’s no way someone accidentally writes something this...

I couldn’t even finish the sentence.

Because the worst part wasn’t even the greeting.

It was the ending.

"I hope you’ll be the first person I see when I return."

...

Why did that sound so...

So...

Ugh.

I hated it.

I hated how warm it made me feel.

I hated how my stupid heart reacted every time I remembered it.

I hated how I was smiling without realizing it.

"..."

Wait...

Smiling?

I immediately wiped the smile off my face.

Absolutely not.

That was unacceptable.

I refused to become one of those women who giggled over handwritten letters.

I had dignity.

"..."

"I hope you’ll be the first person I see when I return."

BA-DUMP.

"..."

Nope.

I absolutely refused to deal with... whatever this was.

I calmly turned around and walked to the nearest wall.

Everyone watched me in complete silence.

"...Miss Blanca?" Agatha asked cautiously.

I ignored them as I placed both hands against the wall and headbutted it as hard as I could.

THUNK!

"Miss Blanca!"

"My lady!"

Before I could attempt another therapeutic wall collision, a hand grabbed my forehead and stopped me mid-motion.

"My lady..." Gawain’s voice was unusually serious. "...Have you finally gone mad?"

"Yes," I answered without a shred of hesitation. "I have."

Agatha blinked. "...That was fast."

"I need to leave."

"Why?"

"Because if I stay here any longer..."

I pressed a hand dramatically against my chest.

"...my heart is going to go ka-boom."

I delivered the line with the straightest face imaginable but it was ruined because something warm slowly trickled down my forehead.

"..."

"..."

Gawain sighed.

"You also made your forehead go ka-boom."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a clean handkerchief, and casually pressed it against the cut on my forehead.

"...You’re bleeding."

"I noticed."

"Did the wall offend your ancestors?"

"No."

"Then why are you declaring war against it?"

"It knew too much."

"The wall?"

"The wall."

"I think the situation is much worse than I initially thought."

"See?"

"I believe..." Gawain said while carefully wiping the blood away, "...you should spend some time in a mental asylum."

"..."

"I believe I already have a reservation there."

I raised a brow. "You have a reservation?"

"Yes."

"...Why?"

He looked me dead in the eye. "It’s reserved specifically for you, My Lady."

I slowly turned to face him. "...You booked me into a mental asylum?"

Gawain frowned. "Oh dear."

"What?"

"Now your hearing’s starting to get damaged too."

"..."

"..."

I smiled before I swung at his shoulder.

He casually sidestepped, making my hand sliced through empty air.

"Don’t dodge!"

"I value my bones."

"I barely hit people!"

"My left shoulder would like to file a formal complaint."

"I’ve never even broken your shoulder!"

"You’ve certainly tried."

"I have not!"

He nodded thoughtfully. "This is exactly why you need to be admitted."

"I don’t need to be admitted."

"You’ve assaulted a wall."

"The wall was asking for it."

"You attempted to assault me immediately afterward."

"You deserved it."

"You see?" He spread his arms triumphantly toward Agatha and Mikael. "The patient continues proving my diagnosis."

Agatha immediately covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing.

Mikael, meanwhile, had adopted his usual calm expression but the tiny twitch at the corner of his mouth betrayed him.

Traitor.

All of them.

Every single one.

My eye twitched.

I turned away from Gawain before I actually gave him a reason to reserve that asylum room.

Instead, I looked at Agatha and Mikael.

"I’m afraid we have to leave now."

Agatha immediately stopped laughing. "So soon?"

"Yes."

"You just got here," she said, sounding genuinely disappointed. "At least stay and get some rest first, My Lady."

"I can’t," I glanced down at the letter still in my hand. "...I still have some prior business to take care of."

That wasn’t exactly a lie.

I did have things to do.

I just also happened to need several hundred kilometers of distance between myself and this mansion before I spontaneously combusted from embarrassment.

"I only came here because I wanted to chat with Soren for a bit before leaving. Clearly..."

I gave the envelope a tiny shake.

"...that plan failed."

Agatha’s expression softened. "Master was disappointed he couldn’t stay."

"I figured."

"He actually delayed leaving."

I looked up. "...He did?"

Mikael nodded. "He kept checking the time."

"He said," Agatha continued, "’She’ll probably arrive soon.’"

"’I’ll wait another five minutes.’"

"’No... another five.’"

"’Surely she’ll be here this time.’"

I felt my stomach sink a little.

Agatha smiled helplessly. "He only left after the royal messenger arrived for the third time."

"He glared at the messenger for three separate times before you arrived," Mikael added.

"...Why are you both telling me this?"

Agatha tilted her head. "Because you looked disappointed."

"I do not."

"You’ve been pouting for the last two minutes."

"I have not."

"You absolutely have," Gawain chimed in.

"I don’t pout."

"You’ve also reread that letter four times."

"I only read it once."

"You unfolded it four separate times."

"...You were counting?"

"I was concerned."

"About me?"

"No. The paper."

I glared at him. "You’re lucky violence is frowned upon."

"It’s actually encouraged in your case."

"I regret bringing you with me."

"You say that every week."

"And I mean it every week."

"I know."

Agatha looked between the two of us before quietly leaning toward Mikael. "They’re like siblings."

Mikael glanced between Gawain and me. "...Are you sure?"

"Why?"

He lowered his voice another notch. "Gawain looks really ugly when he’s standing beside Miss Blanca."

Gawain froze as he stared at Mikael. "I look what?"

Mikael met his gaze without a hint of guilt. "When standing alone, you’re average."

"..."

"But beside Miss Blanca..."

He tilted his head thoughtfully.

"...The contrast is unfortunate."

Gawain placed a hand over his chest. "My Lady."

"Yes?"

"I’ve suddenly realized something."

"What?"

"I no longer dislike Mikael."

"Oh?"

"I hate him."

Mikael gave a polite nod. "The feeling remains mutual."

I couldn’t take them seriously anymore.

"You know what?"

I let out the most dramatic sigh I could manage before pointing toward the portal room.

"Let’s go."

Gawain nodded immediately. "My pleasure."

I looked back at Agatha and Mikael.

"It was really nice seeing you both again."

I smiled and gave them a small wave.

"Bye."

Agatha immediately waved back with both hands.

"Take care, My Lady!"

"Don’t overwork yourself!"

"And please visit again soon!"

"I will!"

Mikael gave a respectful bow. "Have a safe journey, Miss Blanca."

As we started walking away, I glanced down at the envelope one last time.

I gently pulled it out just enough to see Soren’s familiar handwriting.

My thumb brushed across the edge of the paper.

The corners of my lips lifted into a small smile.

’I’m sorry...’

I should’ve answered your calls.

I should’ve replied to your messages.

If I have done that...

Maybe you wouldn’t have needed to write a letter.

Maybe you wouldn’t have waited around hoping I’d arrive before you left.

I carefully tucked the envelope back into my pocket, making sure it wouldn’t get bent.

’I promise I’ll make it up to you when I come back.’