Chapter 44
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Southern Border Diorama (3)
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I read the last word written on the letter.
"Friend?"
Did I have anyone I could call a friend?
I thought back for a moment.
Nothing much came to mind.
'The only time I ever met someone I called a friend was back at the Merchant Academy.'
That was already over five years ago.
These days, the closest thing to 'friends' were the heirs of other merchant groups—people I couldn't even contact anymore.
'No way they'd send me a letter like this out of the blue.'
I stared at that awkward word again.
There was nothing after 'friend'—not even a name.
Maybe it was on the envelope? I flipped the letter over, checking every side.
Something felt off.
"No stamp... and no postal certification mark either."
To send a letter to someone far away, you had to use the Royal Post Office.
It was the fastest and most reliable way.
Just affix a stamp to the letter, get the mark confirming no issues with the shipment, and that was it.
All the documents I'd received from the Foreign Affairs Ministry so far had come through the Royal Post Office.
'That's how you could usually tell where it came from and who sent it, based on the stamp.'
This one had nothing.
Literally, a letter from an unknown sender.
And yet, it was slipped in among official documents from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
"Hmm..."
Situations like this usually boiled down to one of two possibilities.
Someone with access to the Immigration Control Office at the southern border had placed it directly on my desk.
Or...
Someone who could bypass all Royal Post Office procedures entirely had sent it.
Neither was a pleasant thought.
'Plus, no certification mark means they might've tampered with it.'
Anonymous packages were always ominous.
I turned to the Auditory Officer.
"Auditory Officer. Could you check if there's anything off about this letter? Any sensations?"
"This one?"
If there was a curse or something on it, an elf like her could detect the mana.
The Auditory Officer approached and lightly touched the letter with her fingertip.
- Whirr.
A faint light flickered along with the vibration of mana.
She shook her head.
"No, nothing. No magic on it at all."
"I see..."
"It's clean."
I let out a sigh of relief.
'At least it's not a terrorist threat.'
After the past few days, even a falling leaf made me jumpy.
My jaw still ached on the right side from that shapeshifter's kick.
But if the Auditory Officer certified it, it was safe to read.
I started slowly going through it.
[Hello. I'm your friend. Nice to meet you.]
The first line looked like something a child had written.
No formality whatsoever.
You could tell they'd pressed down hard with the pen, trying desperately to write neatly. It was striking.
I kept reading.
[What you said that day really helped me a lot. No one had ever said anything like that before.]
"That day...?"
I tilted my head.
When was that? And what had I even said?
No information at all.
I read on.
[I want to know more about you. I'm writing this in secret so my mother doesn't find out. I hope this letter reaches you.]
[Someday, please tell me your story. I'll write mine soon too.]
[From your friend.]
And that was it.
No details from them—just a ramble of whatever they knew about me.
I frowned.
"What the hell is this?"
Sure, there had been the occasional letter with money or small jewels slipped in, making subtle requests.
Like asking to overlook a banned import their merchant group was shipping.
Or begging to let some noble from another country bring in unauthorized artifacts for their collection.
It happened once or twice a month.
Not just to me—the Sensory Officers got them too.
'Thankfully, it's not the Gerard era anymore, so everyone shuts them down cold.'
But this was the first time I'd gotten a letter pinpointing me specifically, spouting whatever they wanted.
'Not even teenage love letters are this bad.'
It felt like it was written by someone incredibly clumsy with words.
Disjointed content, one-sided ending and all.
At least, no one I knew was this naive.
'Maybe the Gustatory Officer.'
But she came straight to you if she had something to say.
Who could it be?
Then, a phrase in the middle caught my eye again.
- I'm writing this in secret so my mother doesn't find out.
A frank description of their situation.
For some reason, it meant they were being watched by their mother.
"So my mother doesn't find out..."
Someone who knew me, under their mother's surveillance.
And someone I'd truly helped 'that day'...
A ominous name flashed through my mind.
"Ah."
No way.
'Princess Elaine Castor?'
I shook my head quickly.
"No. That's impossible."
We'd bumped into each other once by chance at Prince Rasen's tomb.
No other connection. None at all.
I'd just comforted her honestly because I'd never see her again.
No reason for her to send something like this.
Besides, we hadn't even properly introduced ourselves, so she wouldn't know my name.
"Yeah. It can't be her."
Even considering every possibility, this was out of the question.
I had no desire to get tangled with the royal family again.
I needed a break too.
I shoved the letter into my desk drawer.
"Whew."
My heart was suddenly racing.
Creating this tension on my first day back was not a good sign.
But... could it really be the princess?
No.
It's not.
Trembling with inexplicable anxiety, I slowly picked up the documents.
Meanwhile, in Elaine's room, an odd sound was echoing rhythmically.
- Swish. Scratch scratch.
The quill danced across the stationery once more.
She'd lost track of how many hours had passed.
Even though her right arm had been numb for quite a while, Elaine didn't stop writing.
For the first time in ages, she felt something other than sorrow and pain.
'I wonder what he'll think when he reads it.'
Her lips curved upward without her realizing.
In the mirror on the desk, her reflection looked like an innocent child experiencing something exciting for the first time.
- Flip.
Finally, after a long while, the letter was done.
"Mm..."
Her sharp green eyes, narrowed slightly, scanned the paper intently.
After reading through the densely packed text with almost no margins, she nodded seriously.
"Mm!"
Then she crossed her arms in satisfaction.
'Yes. This is a perfect masterpiece!'
Even to her, it was the pinnacle of calligraphy—a letter worthy of the ages.
No famous novelist or essayist could match this heartfelt, meticulous touch.
It rivaled the last one: clean, comprehensive, saying everything she wanted.
Finally, Elaine carefully penned the closing at the bottom.
[From your friend]
"Hee..."
Her face softened every time she saw those words.
Why?
Why did her heart feel so light?
At that moment, Hanna—Elaine's personal maid—entered the room, struggling with a stack of fresh stationery in her arms.
"P-Princess... I brought it..."
"Ah."
Elaine flicked her hand through the air, and the stack of paper floated up, piling into a mountain right beside her.
She then hurriedly handed the freshly finished letter to Hanna.
'Please, this time too.'
Her eyes gleamed like a spy passing classified intel.
Hanna paled and shook her head.
"P-Princess... If the Queen finds out, we're done for. The first time was a miracle!"
Just yesterday, Hanna had done something she'd never dreamed of in her life.
Going to the Royal Post Office and showing the postmaster the royal seal to request top-secret express delivery.
It wasn't what she wanted.
She didn't have the courage for it.
She was just a mere maid.
"Eek!"
But Elaine had been so serious—practically forcing the royal ring into her hands—that Hanna had no choice but to obey.
And now, the princess's green eyes burned with passion and anticipation.
The first letter must have reached him by now.
So, she'd write a second, a third—and every day from here on.
Her first friend ever.
Her first true understanding soul.
She had so much to say.
And maybe, someday, she'd get a reply from Nathan Kell.
"Sigh..."
Hanna let out a small sigh.
If the Queen caught wind of this, Elaine would lose even this joy for sure.
Hope shone so brightly, but it always carried the shadow of despair.
The moment the Queen sensed Elaine's soaring spirits, she'd crush them without hesitation.
So Hanna had to stop this reckless act now—but she caught sight of Elaine's upturned lips, a smile she hadn't seen in ages.
Reluctantly, Hanna nodded with a grim face once more.
"Just this once!"
Having served Elaine since childhood, she could never be truly strict with this pitiful princess.
After all, hope gleamed too brightly.
She couldn't bear to refuse Elaine's smile, unseen for 15 long years.
"Next!"
Even into the afternoon, I couldn't shake the anxiety as I called out.
They say mild stress boosts productivity—and it was true.
While my mind swirled with 'Could it be the princess?', I'd plowed through that mountain of documents.
'My stomach's killing me...'
Of course, it wrecked my mind and body.
- Creak.
At that moment, someone opened the door to the Immigration Control Office.
"Central Officer? Are you here, Central Officer?"
A strong voice.
One I'd heard before.
I turned and saw a soldier in armor stamped with the margrave's insignia, looking around.
Only then did I recognize him as one of the cavalrymen from the previous 'boar hunt operation'.
"Here."
"Good day, Central Officer. I came yesterday, but you weren't in, so I returned today."
He stood before me and saluted.
I returned the salute and asked.
"I got a summons from the capital and was away on a short trip. What brings you?"
I read the purpose on his face.
"Did the Margrave send a message?"
"Yes."
The soldier nodded.
"The interrogation of the shapeshifter is complete."
"..."
Shapeshifter.
Purple eyes flashed in my mind.
The one who'd punched my jaw and kidnapped Erzena.
And the key justification for Erzena's provisional asylum.
The soldier said tensely.
"As promised, the Margrave is handing over interrogation rights to you, Central Officer. Please visit the earl's castle whenever you're ready."
Good news.
I'd been dying to know which faction had put Erzena through that.
'If I get that info, I could push for full asylum beyond provisional.'
And it might serve as a card in dealings with the Holy Church later.
I asked calmly.
"...Understood. What's the deadline?"
If there was time, I'd request intel bureau support and squeeze every last drop from her.
'A powerhouse like that must have connections. Follow the lines, and big names will pop up.'
But the soldier's expression was stiff.
"She'll be executed the day after tomorrow."
Time was tighter than expected.