IWTTSMD Chapter 93

"Butler?"

It had been a while since Mr. Cerberus came to see me in person.

There hadn't been any need to submit assignments for Madam Freya lately, and unlike the time with the Blue Company, there wasn't any exchange of information either.

'What's going on?'

As I walked over to Mr. Cerberus, I figured out the reason. He was smiling ear to ear when he saw me, clearly for one obvious reason.

The stocks of Blue Company, which Dad had directly told me to buy, were still on the rise.

"A letter has arrived for our Miss Berry."

Now even the phrase "our" Miss Berry came naturally from Mr. Cerberus's lips.

"Huh? For me?"

"Yes, you can collect it at the Stone House, but... this is a first, isn't it? I thought you'd be pleased to know, so I came to tell you myself."

I blinked in surprise. I had no clue who it could be from.

Letters to and from Grandma Marshall were usually handled by Dad or Miss Jena, so it was unlikely to be addressed to me. Other than that, who else would write me a letter...?

"Baron Voltman? Zikal? Coco? Mr. Damian? ...Who sent it?"

"You do know a lot of people, Miss Berry. It was from someone named Lucian."

"Gasp."

I held my breath.

There was no one I knew by that name.

So only one person came to mind.

Lucian Alexis.

The person who stirred such strong emotional turbulence in Dad that Wyndis would react, requiring him to suppress his power.

'No way…'

Even as I told myself that a diplomat from the Kingdom of Edencia wouldn't possibly send a letter to someone they'd never met, I knew I had to check the contents.

Because if it was from Diplomat Lucian, Dad would never let the letter reach me.

"Mr. Cerberus, that letter! Can I read it first?"

"You want to check it before your guardian? Technically, until you're of the age to stop receiving dignity maintenance allowances, all letters must first go to your guardian…"

"Then I'll read it and give it right back to you! A perfect crime, what do you think?"

I looked up at Mr. Cerberus with pleading eyes.

"A... perfect crime?"

"Yes. Please."

His eyes wavered.

His lips twitched slightly, then he gulped and opened his mouth.

"I… can't. It has to go to Young Master Reytan first."

***

[Little Quartz, is this it? It says it's from someone named Lucian.]

In the end, I had to get Aqum's help.

I checked the mail Aqum had brought me in an empty room near the butler's office of the main house.

The envelope bore a postal stamp, and both the sender and recipient names were written clearly.

To: Lady Berry Quartz Travel.

From: Lucian.

The handwriting was neat and formal, the kind you'd expect to see in official settings.

"Ooh, it's grown-up handwriting. Looks legit! Thanks, Aqum!"

[I'm the best, right? Right?]

"Yup. No one like you, Aqum~!"

Seemingly pleased, Aqum climbed up onto my shoulder and wagged its tail.

I examined the squared envelope. Instead of being sealed with wax, it was glued shut. That meant I could open it without leaving any obvious traces.

"Let's give this a try~"

[String? What are you going to do with that?]

"Watch. I'll show you something cool."

Hehe. I took two thin threads and pulled them taut. It was a method Mr. Peter often used with my hair, by pulling carefully, it was possible to detach things cleanly without breaking the hair or the thread.

I slid the thread gently into the sealed fold of the envelope and began working it back and forth.

[Oooh…! Little Quartz, you're like a craftsman!]

Amid Aqum's admiring commentary, I carefully completed the delicate opening operation.

Phew. Thankfully, I succeeded in pulling out the contents without tearing the paper.

"Let's see what this letter says."

Just as I confidently opened the letter.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

To: Lord Reytan Quartz Travel

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

Oh my. I instinctively folded the letter back up in a panic as soon as I saw the familiar name at the top.

So… the letter I thought was addressed to me was actually meant for my dad?

In an instant, I'd become the kid who secretly opened someone else's mail that had a rightful owner…

"So, my little chick went through all of my mail, huh?"

My heart was pounding, and I felt cold sweat running down my scalp.

It reminded me vividly of the day Grandma Marshall scolded me severely.

"B-but still-"

This was a chance to understand what connection Dad had with suspect No. 20 on the list.

I apologized to Dad in my head at least ten times, then quickly opened the letter again.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

To Lord Reytan,

I didn't think you'd read a letter from me, so I'm sending this under your daughter's name.

Soon, someone familiar will come to you.

An alchemist's potion can temporarily change a person's appearance.

The issue of succession in the Kingdom of Edencia is of great importance.

Please… do not let that child become an obstacle to my cousin.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

"...Huh?"

No matter how many times I read it, I couldn't make sense of the second half.

It was clearly a warning that someone suspicious, disguised in a familiar form, would approach Dad.

But...

"Succession? Obstacle? Cousin?"

Ughh… I lowered my head and stared at the letter intently.

Then I noticed a strand of my hair that had fallen onto the paper.

I kept glancing back and forth between the letter and that single strand of hair.

"……"

[Little Quartz, did you finish reading it?]

As I silently slipped the letter back into the envelope and glued it shut again, Aqum asked.

"Yeah."

[Really? What did it say?]

"Nothing you need to know~ Look, Aqum. Pretty neat, right? Dad won't even notice it's been opened, will he?"

[Yup! It's flawless! Give it to me. I'll drop it off at the butler's office! If I slide it under the door, they'll just think it fell on the floor~]

"Ooh! Aqum, you're the best!"

[Right?! Little Quartz, you go on ahead to the Stone House! I'm gonna check out the land near the front gate~]

"Okay. See you later~!"

Aqum grabbed the letter and headed out. The letter was bigger than Aqum, so it dragged a bit on the floor, but since the main house had clean floors, I didn't worry about it getting dirty.

"Upsy-daisy."

I stood up. It was just about dinnertime.

As I stepped outside the main house and walked toward the education hall, I saw Theon standing in the outdoor corridor.

"Oh? Theon!"

"Berry, are you done?"

Theon smiled softly at me. The sky had begun to glow red with the setting sun, casting a beautiful light over him.

"Did you come to get me? Where's Jeffrey?"

"Jeffrey was called away by Anne during training earlier. You're heading to the Stone House, right?"

"Yup!"

When I held out my hand, Theon naturally reached for it. Lately, I hadn't been falling down as much, so I could walk on my own just fine, but once in a while, it was nice to hold someone's hand. Just once in a while.

"Oh, right. Berry."

"What is it?"

While we were walking toward the Stone House, Theon suddenly called me.

He held out his right hand, clenched in a fist, toward me.

Was he going to give me something…?

I placed my palm under Theon's fist.

A candy dropped into my hand.

"Oh? What's this candy for?"

"Chief Commander Rex gave it to me. Told me to share it with you and Jeffrey. There's a whole glass jar full at the Stone House."

"Ooh~"

I gripped the candy tightly in my left hand. In my right, I held Theon's hand.

So… I was okay.