A Letter from Father

It was six in the morning. The hour when birds stirred awake and filled the air with song, as the pale blue light of dawn crept upward, Eline opened her eyes.

Her body moved on instinct now.

She drank a glass of water, opened the window, and drew a deep breath of the crisp early-morning air. In the scraps of time she had, she reviewed material she still didn’t fully understand or read academic journals sent down from the Magic Tower while preparing breakfast. Finally she would put on her uniform and leave…

Or so it should have been.

Instead she stood motionless before the mirror for a long while. She examined her clothes from every angle, then carefully smoothed her silver hair one last time. These were actions she would never have taken before.

The mirror had always been nothing more than a passing glance on her way out the door. She knew looking wouldn’t change anything, yet lately she had begun to care.

Besides, today was Friday. Once the morning classes ended, she would see Lutes in the afternoon liberal arts lecture.

Maybe I should ask him to take a walk after class.

Exams were approaching, so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠focusing on study might have been wiser. But after watching the effort Lutes had shown and the speed of his growth, she decided a single day of rest would be perfectly fine. It felt a little self-serving, but that was all right.

One last time.

She gently pressed down a single rebellious strand of hair. Calming the flutter in her chest, she left the dormitory, walked down the hallway, and looked outside.

Beyond the broad vista the sun was rising over the mountains, and the academy buildings cast long shadows in its light. It was a sight that should have grown familiar, yet it still moved her.

As a child locked inside the Payless mansion, buried beneath endless study and pressure, she had held no memories of the outside world.

The sole exception had been one trip when she was very young—her father, dispatched as a court mage, had taken her and her brothers somewhere before he left. Even then she had only been scolded.

She shook her head. Childhood memories were something she hated recalling; she had tried to erase them entirely. All that remained were tears, scoldings, and the lonely confinement of a solitary room.

Has anything changed now?

She stopped and gazed at the scenery once more. After graduation she was expected to enter the Magic Tower. That path, too, had been decided by her father.

As students began to appear on their way to class, she turned away. There was no point in entertaining such useless thoughts.

In Alpha Class, lectures never ended without a crowd of students gathered around the professor. The room overflowed with questions about things they didn’t understand, curiosities, and every other imaginable topic.

It was a completely different atmosphere from Beta Class, where students poured out like receding tide.

Lui, seated in the back, had prepared a long list of questions as usual. Today, however, something far more important weighed on her mind.

Huu.

She took a deep breath and pulled a small bottle from her bag. When she turned, she saw Eline rising with her customary indifferent expression.

Now?

Lui breathed in again. One. Two. She walked up to her.

“E… Eline!”

At the courageous call, Eline paused on her way out and turned.

“…Yes.”

But the moment she met Eline’s indifferent face, every ounce of courage Lui had gathered collapsed. Her mind went blank.

“Um… uh… well…”

Not wanting to waste any more time, Lui squeezed her eyes shut, rushed forward, and bowed deeply.

“Thank you… for last time!”

She thrust both hands forward, politely offering the small bottle.

A fragrant scent bloomed instantly. Eline’s gaze dropped.

“…What is this?”

“Ah, well, in my hometown freesias are really f-famous, so I made perfume from them! I just received it, but I really wanted to give it to you! I thought it would suit you… hehe.”

Lui rambled on, still holding the bottle out with both hands.

“…”

“Last time… when I stayed conscious of the tension in my left shoulder like you told me, it really improved! Thanks to you I could increase my practice time… so… this is… a thank-you.”

Though she fidgeted, Lui refused to lift her head. She desperately hoped Eline would accept it. To her, Eline was an idol—flawless, steadfast, brilliant, and intelligent. After catching a glimpse of her skill by chance in her first year, Eline had taken root in Lui’s heart.

Eline watched her quietly, then reached out and took the bottle. Even sealed, the subtle fragrance hinted at more than just freesias; other flowers had been blended in. A scent that eased the mind.

“Thank you.”

At Eline’s words of gratitude, Lui’s face lit up.

“Not at all! I’m the one who should be thanking you…”

She flashed a bright smile, bowed hurriedly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠once more, and prepared to leave with her bag.

Eline thanked me.

Joy bubbled inside her, but she tried to hide the silly grin spreading across her face. Once Eline left she would follow naturally and then…

Eat with Ian and then…

She was busily organizing her schedule while gathering her things when—

“Lui.”

“Yes?!”

Eline called her again. Lui turned. Eline’s eyes never left her.

“Thank you. I’ll make good use of it.”

“…Ah.”

Even after Eline gave a small nod and left the classroom, Lui remained standing there in a daze.

“…Hehe.”

Only then did she come back to herself and finish packing. She hummed unconsciously the whole time.

At lunchtime Eline returned to the dormitory carrying the perfume. When she quietly opened the sealed cap, the suppressed fragrance rushed out and gently permeated the room.

Closing her eyes, she felt as though she stood in a flower garden. She carefully dabbed the perfume on her wrist and the nape of her neck. The new scent wrapped around her, bringing a sense of comfort. She closed her eyes again.

I wonder if Lutes will like this scent.

She hoped he would. If it was Lutes… surely he would like it?

Bright midday sunlight poured down. Sitting comfortably in her chair with her eyes closed, breathing in a fragrance that made her feel as if she were in a garden, she would soon head to class and meet him.

It’s nice.

The quiet beat of her heart, the laughter of students outside, the warm sunlight, and the full vitality of spring brought Eline a peace she could not have asked for more.

Her heart began to pound. Only one person could press the family seal onto a personal letter.

The head of the house.

Father.

It was a letter from her father, Rogard.

To summarize my recent daily routine, it went something like this: wake up and study, go to the classroom and study, study through lunch, practical training during afternoon lectures, then study with Eline again in the evening.

The amount of work I had done in the past few weeks far surpassed the previous year and a half. That wasn’t my imagination. It was utterly exhausting.

Aside from Edgar, who shared my morning lectures, I had barely seen any of my friends. At best, Ross would drop by occasionally to say hello.

Perhaps they were being considerate, seeing how seriously I was studying. When I thought about it that way, I realized I really did have good friends.

My biggest worry at the moment was one thing.

I silently took the brooch from my inner pocket. It was a golden flower-shaped accessory I had received after consulting the herbalism professor. Until now I had only watched from the sidelines, trapped by guilt, yet in the end I had done nothing but receive from Eline.

The other day, when my lips had brushed her cheek… I had felt a faint tremble run through her.

Will she like it…?

So I wanted to give her a small gift. Talking about constellations would have been nice, but she was busy studying and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we wouldn’t have time. Once exams began, even weekends would offer no leisure.

That was why I wanted to give it to her today.

Would Eline like it? I hoped she would.

I never knew giving someone a gift could make my hands shake this much. If she disliked it, if her reaction was bad… Even if I prepared myself, it would still hurt. But I would have to accept it.

I entered the classroom and sat in the back row. I could feel the other students’ eyes on me, but I had no attention to spare for them.

How should I give it to her?

That single thought consumed me. Giving it the moment we met might distract her from the lecture. It would be better to wait until after class.

Soft, cat-like footsteps. So light you would only notice them if you were listening carefully. Now I recognized them without a word.

“Lutes.”

As expected, Eline’s voice reached me. I looked up to find her standing there.

“You’re here?”

She gave a small nod when she saw me.

“Yes.”

As always, Eline pushed the chair back and sat, quietly taking out her book. Wondering if something was wrong with her unchanging expression, I quietly slid my hand under the desk. Like a magnet, she immediately took it.

It’s warm.

Her small hand. Soft and delicate, without a single callus. I held it carefully.

As the lecture began, we kept our hands tightly clasped beneath the desk. Simply holding her hand like this brought me great comfort.

Comfort.

I squeezed a little harder. Eline responded by gripping mine in return.

…Hm?

Sensing something strange, I glanced at her, but she was staring at the blackboard with her usual blank face.

“Looking at it from this perspective…”

The professor’s calm voice echoed through the room as he wrote on the board. His voice was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠always pleasant to listen to, which usually helped me concentrate. Today, however, it didn’t.

I squeezed her hand once more, then let go. I stopped taking notes. Slowly I moved my left hand closer to her and wrote as naturally as I could.

Eline stopped writing and looked. I added another line below.

The hand that had always given off comfortable warmth now carried a powerless tremor. I looked at her face. She wasn’t flushed and wasn’t coughing, so it wasn’t a cold. Eline glanced at me, then turned away and wrote a reply.

…

It was a lie.

For the past few weeks no one had spent more time with Eline than I had. Because she always told me her true feelings when she looked at me, I knew. Eline could not lie. Even if she tried, it showed immediately.

Should I pretend I didn’t notice?

It might be something she couldn’t tell me. If it were something she could say, she would have told me first. Pressing her here might only create an awkward atmosphere.

Still… I didn’t want to see her like this.

Swish—

I released her hand. Eline, who had been focused on the lecture, made a couple of empty grasping motions before turning her head sharply. Her usually indifferent eyes trembled.

I quietly wrote beneath her reply.

She stared at the words, seeming to consider them for a few seconds, then gave a small nod. Immediately she scribbled beneath it.

When I extended my right hand under the desk again, and she caught it as though she’d been waiting for it. She interlaced our fingers, holding on as if she never wanted to let go. Pulling harder. Tighter.