Chapter 304: Bread and Dagger (2)
Chapter 304: Bread and Dagger (2)
To my beloved Ian Percus,
The moon is bright again tonight.
Do you know, Master? The cold night air provides a wonderful ambiance for drinking. On nights when even the moonlight is this beautiful, I find myself thinking of wine without even realizing it.
Yes, and of you.
My love, who shines brighter than the moon—how could I ever forget you?
Even the intoxication of the finest sweet wine cannot drive you from my heart.
Looking back, it truly is a strange twist of fate.
Even after ascending to the position of Head of the Family, my life didn't change much. In truth, I had held the actual power since before Father passed away, so there was no reason for anything to be different.
My life was always like that.
The path I was to walk was decided from the moment I was born.
It was likely a future paved with victory and glory. "The Lord of the North must never be defeated by anyone"—I heard those words until my ears bled since I was a child.
If there ever came a day I was broken, that day was supposed to be the last day of my life.
But isn't it funny?
I am still alive, acting coy and calling you "Master." Moreover, I've become a woman blinded by love, still chasing after you.
If someone had told the "me" from a few years ago this, she would have fainted from laughing too hard.
No, the same goes for the "me" before you visited our estate that day.
That battle changed so many things.
The fates of countless people must have shifted that day. Mine, of course, was among them.
A pitiful girl who was nothing but a bundle of obsession and stubbornness for victory.
A life where I couldn't even experience love or despair as I pleased. Then, for the first time in my life, a trial came crashing down upon me. It was an event that was definitely not on my "schedule."
Perhaps that's why I realized my own inadequacies all the more.
So much of the world I thought I knew was a lie.
It was likely because I never tried to climb over the bars of my own family's cage. Because of that, all sorts of misunderstandings and errors bit into my mind like wild beasts.
About the elves.
About my younger sister.
About Father.
Furthermore, about the family and the Empire—I knew nothing at all.
I lived because I was with you.
I, too, had to discard and sacrifice many things, but I am grateful that you remained by my side. If it were a few years ago, would I have cursed myself as a "stupid bitch who lost her mind to love"?
I don't care.
Because I now know that even a stupid life can be a happy one.
I am truly happy that you, who never gives up, are by my side.
So, if those women bother you in the future, come to me. I will offer you my embrace anytime.
My body and my heart already belong to you, don't they?
You may do as you wish. Since I am already your possession, I have no right to refuse.
My beauty, praised as the Sun of the North; my breasts, which other men salivate over; and even my hips, which hide my secret valley.
Everything is prepared solely for you.
Are you looking at the same moon as I am?
If so, I hope you think of me.
The moonlight resembles my color, and our first night together took place on a night when the moon was bright.
We shared our tongues while holding wine in our mouths, didn't we?
I remember it being the sweetest taste of any alcohol I've ever had.
Today, as always, I am waiting only for you.
So come visit whenever you like. I'll keep it a special secret from those other women.
You understand, Master?
Your female is in the North, desperately begging for punishment.
P.S. 1: I heard recently that my sister was stationed in Arankot. No matter how rude a brat she is, didn't you send her a bit too far? Though, of course, I'm fine with it.
P.S. 2: I heard That Fierce Puppy wants to have a child lately? I'm looking forward to it. I happened to be in need of an heir myself. I've become curious whose belly will bulge first.
P.S. 3: Give my regards to Her Highness the Princess, and tell her there's no need to be so wary. You are the one who possesses me; it's not that I possess you. Since I can't stop you anyway, tell her she might as well join my side. Before she loses everything.
From: Your possession, your slave, and your secret lover.
On the 2nd day of the Month of the Sickle, Year 571 of the Imperial Calendar.
----
After reading the letter, I let out a faint groan.
There was a complete lack of useful information.
Toward the end, it was nothing but a list of embarrassing, face-flushing contents.
Just in case, I checked the back of the letter.
Normally, there should have been some roughly scribbled words there, but there was only a blank white space.
The man's voice I had heard briefly in my dream replayed in my mind.
‘I won't be able to help you for a while.’
It seemed the consequences of overexerting himself in the last battle were catching up. He had even forcibly summoned his future personality before that, so a backlash was inevitable.
I just had to endure it.
Still, if there was one thing that felt unfair, it was why he had to withdraw his support at this specific moment.
Out of all the letters that had arrived so far, this one was particularly full of riddles.
Why did two letters arrive, and what on earth were all those "secrets"?
Above all, the words my future self had left weighed most heavily on my mind.
‘Never, under any circumstances, confront them recklessly.’
It was advice with a similar gist to last time.
No, it was an even stronger warning than then. He had used the word "never."
If so, it was only right to assume that the enemy I had to face was even greater than before.
A subordinate of the Evil God, the "Corpse Giant."
How many times had I crossed the line between life and death to defeat that mythical monster?
It wasn't just me. We only managed to barely take it down after pouring in every bit of strength gathered at the estate at the time.
Even then, if the Sword Duke hadn't arrived just in time, I would have surely been a dead man.
And yet, an enemy that could be even stronger than that.
"…I'm going to die."
With a hollow smile, I could only lament.
Literally, I would have to be prepared to die.
Feeling stifled, I picked up my canteen and gulped down some water.
As the cold water wetted my esophagus, I felt my clouded mind finally clearing.
Only then did I pull myself together.
Right. For now, I had no choice but to keep doing what I always did.
First, information gathering was the priority.
The contents of the letter pointed explicitly toward the North. It was certain, as the only remaining habitat for the elves was the coniferous forests of the North.
This meant I would have to leave the Academy soon.
I had only been back for a few days, and I already had to leave again.
I felt a sense of bitterness, but there was no time to complain.
Glancing at the calendar, I saw that several days had already passed.
It was proof that my future personality had been active for a few days.
In that case, my task was as good as decided.
I had to figure out what my future self had done.
If I tracked his movements over those few days, I would be able to get a general sense of things.
That was how it had always been.
Having decided on my destination, I quickly finished my preparations to head out. Then, forcing my exhausted body forward, I began to walk.
It was still early dawn.
Nevertheless, the dormitory was already crowded with people. With the vacation over and the new semester beginning, the Academy's daily routine had returned.
One thing that relieved me was the fact that none of them tried to pick a fight or whispered about me.
It meant he hadn't done anything strange in public.
That was a relief.
My reputation couldn't get much worse anyway, but I didn't want to be cursed for things I hadn't even done.
I already had more than enough infamy.
I didn't want to reign as an object of fear anymore.
Of course, I couldn't let my guard down until the very end.
My future self always went around committing at least one crazy act.
It was a formula that had never seen a single exception.
Just because he hadn't done it in public didn't mean he hadn't done something. If he hadn't, there would have been no reason to waste several days.
In the end, I left the dormitory without even eating breakfast.
My mind was too rushed for an appetite. I was more curious about what my future self had been up to.
Surprisingly, the answer wasn't far away.
As I left the dormitory and reached Central Avenue, I saw a familiar back.
It was a girl with her black hair neatly tied back.
Her gait looked somewhat lethargic, but having known her for years, I could tell. The woman walking ahead of me was my childhood friend.
She was a lifeline found just when I was feeling lost.
Feeling glad, I raised my voice.
"…Celine!"
However, Celine's reaction was the exact opposite of my expectations.
Flinch.
Celine trembled and cautiously looked back.
And the moment our eyes met, her face turned deathly pale.
It was very rare for the bold and lively Celine to be this afraid of someone.
Would she be this intimidated even if she saw the Emperor?
For a while, Celine stared at me with pupils shaking violently. Only after some time had passed did my childhood friend seem to notice something unusual.
She asked hesitantly.
"I-Ian...?"
"Yeah, it's me. Ian Percus."
I could only answer with a bewildered heart.
I couldn't think of any reason why Celine should be trembling at the sight of me.
If so, the cause must lie with my future self.
As if proving that guess true, Celine burst into tears and lunged into my arms.
"Y-You're finally back! Waaaaah... I-Ian. I... it was so hard..."
As Celine's sobbing continued, my confusion only deepened.
Finally, just as I was about to lose my patience and ask her what happened.
Celine, who had spent a few minutes wailing and composing herself, wiped her eyes with her sleeve and spoke to me.
"No, no... there's no time for this, Ian. Let's go to Seria, quickly."
"...Seria? Why?"
Celine didn't give me a proper answer to my stupid question.
She only dropped one sentence with a gloomy expression.
"Seria... she's currently admitted to the Concentrated Healing Room..."
The moment I heard those words, a groan escaped my lips.
Just what on earth happened?