To. My beloved Ian Fercurus
Today the moon shines bright.
Do you know, my lord? The cold night air provides a wonderful charm while drinking, and on beautiful nights like this, I can’t help but think of wine.
Yes, and you too.
My love, shining brighter than the moon, how could I forget you?
The sweet intoxication of the wine can’t chase you from my heart.
Looking back, it’s quite the amusing connection.
Even after I ascended to the position of governor, my life hadn’t changed much. In fact, since before my father passed away, I held the real power, so there was nothing that could change.
My life has always been that way.
From the moment I was born, the path I would walk was set.
Perhaps a future filled with victory and glory. The northern champion must not lose, as I heard that saying so many times in my childhood.
If there was a day of defeat, it would have to be the last day of my life.
But isn’t it funny?
I am still alive, fluttering around while calling you ‘my lord’. Moreover, I’ve become a woman blinded by love, still chasing after you.
If you had told the me from a few years ago, I would have laughed so hard I might have fainted.
No, even the me from before the day you visited our territory would be the same.
It was truly a significant battle that changed so much.
That day, the fates of countless people were altered, including mine.
A poor girl, wrapped up in an obsession for victory and stubbornness.
It was a life where I couldn’t freely feel love or despair. Then, for the first time ever, a trial came crashing into my life. At least it was an event not included in my life’s ‘schedule’.
Maybe that’s why I felt my shortcomings even more.
The world I knew was filled with so many lies.
Perhaps it was because I never tried to step beyond the bars of my family; misunderstandings and errors would bite into my mind like a beast.
About elves.
About my younger sister.
About my father.
Moreover, about my family and the empire, I knew nothing.
I lived with you.
I too had to give up and sacrifice many things, but I am grateful that you stayed by my side. If it were a few years ago, would I have cursed saying, ‘a love-stricken foolish girl’?
But I don’t care.
I now know that even a foolish life can be a happy one.
I am so happy that you, who never give up, are by my side.
So if those women bother you again, come to me; I’ll open my arms for you at any time.
My body and heart are already yours, right?
You can do as you wish. I am already your possession, so there is no such thing as a right to reject.
The beauty praised as the Sun of the North, my chest that makes countless men drool, my backside hiding secret valleys.
They are all 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 was on a bright moonlit night.
We tasted wine together, didn’t we?
I still remember it being the sweetest among all the drinks I’ve ever tasted.
Today, I wait only for you.
So come whenever, and I’ll keep it a special secret from those women.
Do you understand, my lord?
Your female is desperately wishing for punishment in the north.
P.S. 1: I heard not long ago that my younger sister was assigned to Arancourt. Even though she is a rather ill-mannered sister, isn’t that too far? But for me, it’s good.
P.S. 2: I heard that that fierce puppy wants to have a baby these days? I’m looking forward to it, as I also need an heir. I wonder whose belly will swell first.
P.S. 3: Please send my regards to Her Imperial Highness the princess, and tell her that there’s no need to be too wary. You have me, not the other way around, right? I can’t stop you, so rather tell her to cling to me. Before everything is taken away.
From. Your possession, slave, and secret lover.
On the second day of the Month of the Sickle in the 571st year of the Empire.
—-
After reading the letter, I let out a faint moan.
There was so little information.
By the time I reached the latter half, only embarrassing contents were listed.
I thought maybe I’d check the backside of the letter.
There should have been roughly scribbled notes, but there was only a pure white blank space.
The voice of the man I had faintly heard in a dream replayed in my mind.
“I can’t help you for a while.”
It seemed that the results of the previous battle were coming back to haunt me. After all, before that, I had forcibly summoned a future self, so I couldn’t help but expect a backlash.
All I could do was endure.
Still, if there’s one part that feels unfair, it’s that I had to give up his assistance at this point.
This letter was perhaps uniquely filled with mysteries.
Why were there two letters, and what were all those ‘secrets’ about?
Most of all, the words left behind by my future self weighed heavily on my mind.
“Never confront recklessly.”
It was similar advice to before.
No, rather a stronger warning than last time. Because it included the word ‘never’.
Then, I should surmise that the enemy I have to confront is at least as formidable as the last one.
The minions of the evil god, the ‘Corpse Giant’.
How many dangers had to be crossed to defeat that monster from the myth?
It wasn’t just me. It was only after pouring all the strength gathered in the territory that we could barely take it down.
And it was clear, if the Sword Saint hadn’t arrived in time, I would have been a dead man.
And now, I was potentially facing an enemy that could surpass that one.
“…I think I’m going to die.”
With a bitter smile, that was all I could lament.
I would have to prepare myself for death.
Frustrated, I took my canteen and gulped down some water.
As the cold water soaked my throat, it finally felt like my muddled mind was returning.
Only then did I gather my thoughts.
Right, for now, I had no choice but to go on as I always did.
First, I needed to gather information.
The contents of the letter were blatantly pointing towards the north. Since elves only inhabit the coniferous forests of the north, it was clear.
This meant that I would soon have to leave the Academy.
It hadn’t even been a few days since I arrived, and now I had to leave the Academy again.
I felt bitter, but there was no time to grumble.
A glance at the calendar showed that several days had already passed.
This was evidence that my future self had been active for those days.
Then what I needed to do was clear.
I had to find out what my future self had done during that time.
If I could trace the steps of those days, I would get a rough idea.
It had always been this way.
With my destination set, I quickly packed my things. Then, forcing my tired body, I began to take steps forward.
It was still dawn.
Yet, the dormitory was already bustling with people. With the end of the break, the start of the semester was bringing life back to the Academy.
What eased my mind was the fact that none of them had tried to provoke or whisper about me.
That meant I hadn’t done anything strange in public.
That was a relief.
After all, I had no further negative perceptions to deal with, but I didn’t want to be cursed for something I didn’t do.
My notoriety had already piled up enough.
I no longer wished to be a subject of fear.
Of course, even until that point, I could not let my guard down.
The ‘me’ from the future always did insane things.
There was never a single exception to that rule.
It was clear that he had done something even if it wasn’t in public. If not, there wouldn’t be any reason to have delayed for days.
In the end, I skipped breakfast and left the dormitory.
I was so anxious that I had no appetite. Rather, I was more curious about what my future self had done while wandering around.
Surprisingly, the answer wasn’t far away.
Once I left the dormitory and my footsteps reached the main road, I spotted a familiar figure.
A girl neatly brushing her black hair back.
Though she appeared somewhat lethargic in her gait, I recognized her immediately, as I had known her for years. The woman walking ahead was my childhood friend.
In the midst of my confusion, she was a lifeline.
I called out in a welcoming tone.
“…Celin!”
But Celin’s reaction was the exact opposite of my expectations.
Startled, she turned slowly to look back, trembling slightly.
And upon meeting my gaze, her complexion turned pale.
It was quite rare to see Celin, with her bold and lively personality, looking this fearful.
Would she respond like that if she saw the Emperor of the Empire?
Celin stared at me with quivering pupils for a time. Then, after a moment, my childhood friend seemed to sense something was off.
She hesitated, then asked.
“I-Ian oppa…?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Ian Fercurus.”
That was all I could do to respond in a daze.
It was hard to fathom why Celin would react this way towards me.
Then the cause must lie with the ‘me’ from the future.
Proving my guess, Celin rushed into my embrace, crying.
“Y-You’re finally back! Huhuh… I-Ian oppa. I struggled so much…”
As Celin’s sobs continued, my questions became deeper.
Just when I couldn’t hold back anymore and was about to ask Celin a question.
After a few minutes of wailing and getting herself together, she wiped her eyes with her sleeve and told me.
“No, no… We don’t have time for this, oppa. Let’s go to Seria right away.”
“…Seria? Why?”
Even with my dumbfounded question, Celin didn’t provide a proper answer.
She simply threw out a single line with a forlorn expression.
“Seria is currently hospitalized in the Intensive Care Room…”
Hearing those words, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
What on earth had happened?
