Love Letter From The Future

It was a respectful gesture—the proper etiquette for a commoner toward a noble.

Even so, watching that scene made my insides twist.

Emma was my dear friend.

Although there was a social barrier between nobles and commoners, we had spent a long time together as classmates at the academy. Not once did I consider Emma to be beneath me.

Moreover, it was a principle of the academy that all students, regardless of their social status, were treated equally.

The point was that, even outside of the academy, there was no reason to establish such a hierarchical relationship.

Just as I, unable to stand it any longer, was about to say something, Emma subtly shot me a glance.

It was a plea to hold back for a moment.

Unable to ignore her plea, I swallowed my discomfort and looked away.

If I rashly take her side, it will only provoke Senior Elsie’s resentment.

Especially since Senior Elsie had been openly expressing her goodwill toward me recently.

It wouldn’t be surprising if she, at any moment, did something reckless while blinded by jealousy. While I was not sure about the others, nothing was impossible when it came to ‘Elsie Rinella’.

That’s why I decided to pretend not to care.

This was, of course, merely a facade.

My eyes continued to dart toward Senior Elsie and Emma.

Subtly—just enough so the two wouldn’t feel burdened.

With her arms crossed as if displeased, Senior Elsie kept provoking Emma.

“Why do you keep hovering around Master, being so annoying? Ah, that’s right… You’re that girl—the commoner wench whom the Master spent 10,000 gold to save.”

Sneering, Senior Elsie moved in closer to Emma.

Her blue eyes held a fierce glint as a cold voice slipped through her clenched teeth.

“Don’t get any ideas. The only reason Master is giving special treatment to a commoner wench like you is because he’s kind. It’s nothing beyond sympathy and pity. Got it?”

A frustrated sigh escaped my lips. By now, even the Saintess and the Princess were carefully watching my reaction.

Only Senior Elsie, who was all riled up to keep Emma in check, remained oblivious.

It was becoming hard to keep listening.

Emma was as precious as Senior Elsie to me. I wanted the two of them to build a healthy relationship.

Just as I was about to say something to Senior Elsie—

“Lady Rinella…”

Emma, with a somewhat sorrowful look in her eyes, brought her lips close to Senior Elsie’s ear, who stood tiptoed.

And then, a whisper softly resonated.

“In any case, I’m satisfied with just being a mistress.”

Did I hear that right?

Even though I was certain my heightened hearing couldn’t be wrong, I tapped my ears. The statement was too abrupt for my mind to keep up with.

It seemed to be no different for Senior Elsie.

She was left dumbfounded, only able to muster a bewildered question.

“…H-Huh? What did you say?”

“You really don’t need to be wary of me, Lady Rinella. I know my place better than anyone.”

A bitter smile appeared on Emma’s face as she spoke..

“As a commoner whose only skill is making a few potions… How could I possibly dare to be greedy? So please, just allow me to stay by Ian’s side… I’ll assist you as well, Lady Rinella.”

Her overly humble demeanour left Senior Elsie more taken aback than before.

The Saintess and the Princess looked at Senior Elsie as if she were trash. In response, Senior Elsie immediately jumped up, her face turning red.

She appeared utterly indignant.

“W-What! Why! Y-You two also felt the same way as I did, didn’t you?!”

However, the Saintess clicked her tongue and shook her head, while the Princess simply cleared her throat and averted her gaze.

No one took Senior Elsie’s side.

Even I was stunned by Emma’s unexpected declarations.

In the end, Senior Elsie, on the verge of tears, had no choice but to admit defeat.

With the public opinion so strongly against her, stepping down was the usual course of action.

Still determined to preserve her pride to the very end, Senior Elsie pretended to be magnanimous and said,

“W-Well! Uh… Y-You seem to understand well enough. Just make sure you don’t forget that… A-And don’t take my words too much to heart. It’s not like I meant you shouldn’t be by his side at all…”

She then awkwardly patted Emma’s shoulder a couple of times.

Perhaps this was her own way of acknowledging Emma’s presence.

It was understandable, considering the culture of the nobility.In noble society, for the legal wife to be wary of a mistress of commoner origin was often regarded as shameful.

The logic was that, since they weren’t of the same standing to begin with, the noble should embrace the other with a generous heart and demonstrate befitting magnanimity.

It was one of the longstanding qualities expected of an excellent wife.

Though this ethic was undeniably disadvantageous to women, the traditions of the nobility held that much power.

Even seeing the notoriously ill-tempered Senior Elsie now accepting Emma was proof of that.

Senior Elsie even confessed her feelings to me. Naturally, she wanted to show off that she was an excellent prospective bride.

Therefore, it was difficult for Senior Elsie to recklessly provoke Emma, who was declaring herself a ‘mistress.’

To begin with, it was absurd for a noblewoman to quarrel with a commoner over a man, and if there was nothing more to say if that commoner already conceded.

She could either become a narrow-minded woman or accept the situation.

Those were the only two options left.

Emma seemed to be aware of all this. And to use it to her advantage, she had brought up the notion of being a ‘mistress,’ something she didn’t even mean.

Her resolve to declare herself as the mistress of a man she didn’t even like was astonishing.

Emma appeared to be far more skilled at navigating social situations than I imagined.

Unable to contain my admiration, I secretly shared my thoughts with Yuren. But instead of being impressed, he looked at me as if I were an idiot.

For once, a scornful remark slipped from his lips.

“…Are you an idiot?”

It was an unexpected insult.

I closed my mouth with a sullen expression. ‘Idiot?’ No matter what, that was crude language, especially coming from someone from the Holy Nation.

Had I known it would turn out like this, I would have brought Leto.

He would have surely given me more practical advice.

But regret, no matter how early, always comes too late. Leto had already flatly refused my request to accompany me.

He said he didn’t particularly want to go to dangerous places.

It was such a reasonable reason that there was no room for argument.

Even so, I resolved to send him a letter in the near future. While conducting investigations in the North, there would surely be times when I’d need his intellect.

Leto was incredibly knowledgeable, having delved into all sorts of books in the library..

He might also know something about the relationship between the North and the Elves.

As we were heading to pass through the warp gate, some sort of deal was being made among the women.

After the previous conversation, Senior Elsie was strangely friendly towards Emma. Endless whispers could be heard between the two women as they walked side by side.

Most of it was Senior Elsie trying to persuade Emma.

“Hey, commoner. Do you even know how crucial it is to pick the right side?”

“…I-I’m not sure?”

Each time, Emma would break into a cold sweat with an awkward expression. However, her feelings didn’t seem to be of much concern to Senior Elsie.

Unfazed, Senior Elsie pressed Emma again.

“You’ll understand how important it is to choose the right side once you enter noble society… So, make sure you do well.”

Emma, perhaps feeling burdened by Senior Elsie’s subtle suggestion, slightly averted her gaze. Regardless, Senior Elsie poked Emma’s side with a smug look.

“I’m currently in the lead. The others haven’t even properly lined up at the starting line.”

“…The more I listen, the more this pet dog just keeps yapping insolently.”

It was then that the Saintess suddenly intervened.

Perhaps unable to hold back her sudden surge of emotion, she even forgot to keep her usual facade and blurted out her true feelings.

Of course, no one was surprised.

Not only I and Yuren, but also Senior Elsie and the Princess had all seen her true nature at least once. There was no reason to be surprised now.

Only Emma seemed confused by the situation, her eyes wide open..

Seizing the moment, the Saintess sharply retorted to Senior Elsie.

“Could you stop spouting nonsense? I—I asked Ian about what you said last time, and he said it was nothing! Do you enjoy being this underhanded?!”

She was clearly still bitter about having been deceived by Senior Elsie the last time.

According to Yuren’s testimony, the Saintess even cried, so it would be strange if she weren’t angry.

Unfortunately, Senior Elsie wasn’t someone who would bat an eye at such things.

Rather, she displayed an even more triumphant smile.

“Yeah, I really enjoyed it. Who told you to be one step behind? Oh, that’s right… You’re the most beloved maiden of the Heavenly God, so you have to remain a ‘maiden,’ don’t you?”

As if that remark hit the nail on the head, the Saintess’s body trembled.

Since no rebuttal came, it seemed she couldn’t think of an appropriate response. The position of the Saintess in the Church of the Heavenly God was that significant.

She had even abandoned her life as an orphan to live as the Saintess.

She couldn’t abandon her duties recklessly.

Senior Elsie was intoxicated by the one-sided victory she was savouring after a long time.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“But then why do your actions make you seem less like a maiden and more like a ‘slut’? Huh?”

“P-Please, be quiet…”

As always, I shook my head while watching the two of them bickering.

Though I had forgotten about it for a while, Senior Elsie’s original rival was actually Senior Delphine. Just thinking about what new conflicts might arise once we arrived in the North was already giving me a headache.

To make matters worse, seizing the moment while the Saintess and Senior Elsie were arguing, the Princess quietly approached Emma.

“Um, Senior Emma?”

“Y-Yes?!”

Following the young lady of the Rinella family and the Saintess of the Holy Nation, even the Princess of the Empire was getting involved now.

Emma, who was merely a commoner, now looked as if her soul had left her body.

After fidgeting with her fingers for a while, the Princess finally spoke up.

“I-I have a lot of money!”

“…?”

At the sudden declaration, Emma’s eyes went blank.

Regardless, the oblivious Princess clenched her fist tightly with her eyes closed.

“A-And I have power too… Please keep that in mind, uh… when choosing sides…”

After saying that, the princess, seemingly embarrassed, quickly turned around and put some distance between them.

What’s so special about the declaration of being my mistress that it sparked such a fierce competition?

I was dumbfounded, but since I had long given up trying to understand the ways of women, I decided to stop thinking about it.

At least listening to their squabbling made the time pass quickly.

And like that, time flowed by, and right after we passed through the warp gate—

I was greeted by the cold northern climate I had only heard about.

A biting wind blew as if it would cut through my flesh. The dry air delivered a sharp pain to my lungs with every breath.

And beyond it all, stood a woman with hair as radiant as the sun.

“Long time no see, Maste… I mean, Ian.”

Wearing her usual confident smile.

It was a reunion with Senior Delphine.

Although she looked a bit more emaciated than before.