Chapter 79: - The First Letter (79)

༺ The First Letter (79) ༻

Moonlight shone down like a curtain upon an empty area. Silence pervaded the night as a man and woman stood close together.

Ian stared at Seria while her fingers twitched behind her back. It was a habit that tended to manifest whenever she was nervous.

Ian, who was thoroughly accustomed to Seria’s lack of social skills, decided to wait until she relaxed. After all, patience was a gentleman’s virtue.

After waiting patiently, Seria finally seemed to be ready.

Her gray hair glistened under the moonlight and a faint blush colored her cheeks. Out of nowhere, Seria bowed her head, an action wholly unbefitting a noble. Bowing was a sign of deference to a perceived superior and was not appropriate amongst nobles.

Her waist was curved at almost a complete right angle, and as the man’s eyes widened from bewilderment, her clear voice echoed out.

“T-thank you, Senior Ian!”

Ian couldn’t believe she had been that nervous just to say ‘Thank you’.Diiscover new stories at nove/lbin(.)c/om

His mouth curved into a smile, but that smile quickly turned bitter as I shook my head in disbelief. It was so like her to fuss over something so trivial.

At first, it had been frustrating to see her behave this way, but now it just seemed cute as part of her charm. ‘Yurdina’s Bastard’ was truly unsuited for such a lovely girl.

It had only been a month, but they had already experienced many things together. It was funny how close they were now, considering they’d barely known each other’s names in the beginning.

It was a strange connection that had started with the letter from the future.

“I should be thanking you too, Seria, so you don’t have to bow so low.”

“B-but.......”

Seria hesitated while still bowed. It was very much like her to be stubborn.

Ian, noticing her discomfort, decisively got rid of her worries.

“Then, should I bow as well? I think we both want to express our gratitude to each other.......”

“N-no! I-I’ll stand up now!”

Seria bounced on her feet and finally straightened her posture. From a distance, the whole series of events that just played out would have looked like a frightening senior punishing a poor junior.

However, the two just relaxed as there were no watchful eyes—At least, none that either of them could perceive.

Ian turned to Seria who was blushing and avoiding eye contact.

“Do you feel better?”

It was a simple and vague question, but Seria immediately understood what he meant.

She lowered her head and stared at the ground for a long while. Finally, a weak sigh escaped her lips.

“......I don’t know.”

It was understandable. Although she was still young, it was a trauma that she carried her whole life. Despite her decisive victory over Delphine, it hadn’t completely erased the darkness in her heart.

Ian reached for the canteen strapped to his waist and drank some water while thinking this conversation was going to take a while.

Feeling comfort in their solidarity, Seria started to lower the walls around her heart.

“I was initially a bit confused. I wondered if I had really beaten her. I thought it was more of a victory for you than it was for me since I didn’t do much.......”

“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.”

There was no hesitation in Ian’s words, and feeling somewhat comforted by his words, Seria gently bit down on her lips.

Her senior’s golden eyes shone as they reflected her figure within the moonlit mist.

For Seria, Senior Ian’s presence was puzzling. One moment she felt respect, next, admiration, then, something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Even the way he drank water from his canteen seemed special.

Step by step, her emotions bloomed and colored her world. At times, it even seemed mysterious. Her world had always been black and white—A place where everything felt meaningless.

Seria’s emotions had withered and dried up. They may have been there, but they were too faint to have any substantial effect on her.

She was like a Lizardman in the jungles of the Southern Kingdoms—Someone who would unhesitatingly cut off their arm or leg if it were poisoned.

Her life was devoted to the sword while stripped of emotion, pleasure, and anything else.

But suddenly, colors began to mark her monotone life, and unbeknownst to her, Ian’s colors, had at some point, become more prominent than even her victory over her half-sister.

“You were the decisive factor, Senior Ian.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you and your ambush against Senior Delphine.”

Ian’s voice was soothing as he praised her performance, and he genuinely meant every word.

Seria felt her heart warm a little. She thought that she could trust him even if she doubted her own judgment.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

“Do you think I...... will stop having nightmares?”

Ian didn’t bother asking what nightmares she was talking about as there was only one nightmare Seria would have.

It was the memory of the day her mother was thrown out. Ever since that day, Seria had dedicated her life to the sword to prove her worth to her family while living in constant fear.

Delphine had broken her, and each time, the seeds of the nightmare grew bigger and bigger within her mind, dragging her deeper into darkness.

“Do you like it? I hope you do.”

Did she like it?

She loved it. She loved it oh so much...

It was so wonderful that she couldn’t even stop her heart from pounding so hard. She couldn’t even speak.

She just kept her head down while trying hard to hold back her tears.

“...... I love it very much.”

Suddenly, she realized—Realized what this fluffy pink emotion that tickled her heart was.

In the language of flowers, sepia represented ‘first love’.

**

Leto scratched his head while wandering through the forest. Ian hadn’t come back no matter how much he waited so he decided to go find him.

‘Surely he’s not drunk and passed out somewhere, right?’

Leto thought it would be funny if he was. He found the idea of the hunt champion being unable to handle his alcohol and passing out in the woods very amusing.

As Leto blindly wandered around, he saw a familiar face in the distance.

A girl was dazedly staring at something in the distance.

It was Celine. Leto raised his hand in greeting.

“Hey, Celine. What are you doing.......”

However, Celine didn’t respond. She only turned away with a vague expression while biting down on her lips.

Then, she punched Leto on his shoulder without any apologies.

Leto stifled a laugh – ‘What the hell? Is she on her period?’

As he started to walk away, Celine’s irritated voice rang out from behind him.

“...... Don’t go over there, you clueless bastard!”

Shaking his head, Leto glanced over in the same direction Celine was previously looking.

A girl was crying while clutching onto a small item as if it were the most precious item to her, and Ian was panicking while trying to soothe her.

Leto gasped in surprise, understanding Celine’s reaction.

Then, he clicked his tongue as he turned to leave.

‘I hope Celine isn’t too hurt.’

At this time, Leto had no idea this was only the prelude to an epic conflict.

**

The night after the festival, I fell asleep, feeling relieved for the first time in a while.

We had won the Hunting Festival without any casualties, and Emma had also been treated.

It felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted. When I first received the letter, I had many questions, but in the end, everything worked out, and I was glad I had acted upon it.

However, the name ‘Sepia’ still lingered in my head.

Looking back at the letter from the future, Seria was the person who best fit the bill.

Would she and I become lovers in the distant future?

Currently, it was impossible to tell. It was hard to imagine that I, who was merely the second son of a rural viscount, would become the lover of a woman of exceptional skill, beauty, and prestige.

As I entertained such thoughts, my consciousness gradually slipped away, and I soon fell asleep.

When I reopened my eyes, I felt a throbbing headache and a burning thirst. I groggily sat up to reach for the water bottle sitting on top of the nightstand near my bed and began drinking desperately.

My mind cleared up as I quenched my thirst. As usual, it was time for my early morning training session. However, I had drunk excessively last night, and I was tempted to just go back to sleep.

While resisting the urge to lie back down, I noticed some discrepancies.

The page on the calendar had turned to the next page.

It had changed from the Month of the Bow to the Month of the Wheel although I hadn’t touched it.

All of a sudden, my mind jolted awake and my hair stood up on end.

As I scanned the tabletop, I soon noticed a luxurious envelope.

A sense of foreboding filled me as I stared at the envelope.

I cautiously staggered towards the table, then held up the envelope with trembling hands.

Inside was another letter addressed to me seven years from the future.

“......Fuck.”

It was a letter from my future fiancée.