Love Letter From The Future

The pale moonlight seeped through the crack in the window. The soft crimson light flickered intermittently as if tickled, casting shadows of the flame.

A woman resembling the sun sat against that dreamlike backdrop. Her brilliant golden hair and ruby-like red eyes shone even in the hazy night, where everything else faded away.

The color was rather suitable to be described as seductive. She seemed to have a presence that would not diminish anywhere, sipping fragrant wine with a sultry smile.

Even the sound of her swallowing was beautiful. There were only the two of us in this room, a man and a woman sharing a drink, and thus it could be said that what was to follow was predetermined.

However, it was only the woman who exuded such a peculiar atmosphere.

My eyes were fixed on her as if frozen. My head was in turmoil.

Just now, what exactly did I hear?

I was filled with doubt. If it weren’t for the inexplicable conviction that perhaps it could be true, I wouldn’t have even spoken. It was an act that would go against the feelings of the Yuridina Clan’s heir. Naturally, a certain level of resolve was necessary before making such judgments.

Despite that, I found it hard to find my voice for a while. My throat was parched, but the only wine glass available was the one offered by the woman.

So I decided to endure the thirst. A voice, cracked from my dry throat, slipped out.

“Why…?”

“Is there any reason not to?”

Senior Delphine looked at me with a cryptic smile. Her nonchalant attitude only served to embarrass me further.

Didn’t she say it was unfortunate?

Ceria’s memories tied to her mother, along with that nightmarish recollection of a certain day, were like thorns embedded long ago. Even if I thought I had forgotten them, even if they no longer hurt, I would sometimes be suddenly struck by a piercing pain.

No matter how much of a half-sister she was, she had no right to do that. Isn’t it something one should never do, to poke at someone else’s deepest wounds?

Thus, a very basic question arose in my mind. My gaze sank slightly.

“Yes, there are more than enough reasons not to. In fact, there are more than enough.”

At my heavy tone, Senior Delphine chuckled softly and cast her gaze outside the window.

Her eyes shone with the blurred night scenery. As if sustaining a conversation with me was of lesser value than that, she spoke in a languid voice.

“Is it necessary?”

“…What?”

I couldn’t grasp the intent behind that brief question, leading me to express my confusion. Senior Delphine’s crimson eyes turned back towards me.

“I’m asking if those reasons are necessary.”

“Of course they’re necessary…!”

“No, they’re not.”

Blocking the outburst that surged from my throat, Senior Delphine slowly rose. She downed the remaining wine in her glass, placing it down with a soft thud.

The sound of her gown brushing against itself and her body that resembled a work of art, along with the sweet scent of wine, tickled my nostrils. My head was spinning.

Leaning slightly against the table with her enchanting figure, she said to me,

“Lord Handaxe, you see, whether something is necessary or not … is a question of whether it’s useful for victory or not.”

“…Then, is prodding at Ceria’s mother a means to achieve victory?”

As I chewed on my words, Senior Delphine flashed a faint smile. Though no response came, it was a silent answer.

After a moment of gazing at me with a fierce look, she straightened herself, gently walking over to the window.

The reflection of her front profile on the clean glass was vaguely visible. Even there, her face was utterly calm.

“The heirs of the Yuridina Clan have been enrolling in the Academy for a very long time. It’s the same with any of the five prestigious noble families of the Empire. And our clan has a certain tradition.”

“To instigate the tormenting of half-siblings?”

Despite my sharp mockery, Senior Delphine’s relaxed expression did not falter. She placed her hand on the window frame.

Naturally, her upper body bent forward, and my view, which had been focusing on her back, was now filled with the sight of her lower body.

Long legs, a smooth curve of her hips, and the enticing outline of her backside as her thin gown clung to her.

There couldn’t be a more captivating sight to entice a man. Yet, I neither averted my gaze nor cleared my throat.

I simply glared at her with slightly narrowed eyebrows. I was curious how Senior Delphine evaluated my expression; she shot a quick glance backward and let out a soft chuckle.

Whether it meant I was ridiculous or cute.

Either way, it was clear she didn’t think of me as particularly threatening. Senior Delphine casually tossed the topic out.

“Hunting Festival.”

“…What?”

I hadn’t anticipated hearing the term ‘Hunting Festival’ again; I immediately frowned. Yet Senior Delphine continued as if stating a very obvious fact in a quiet voice.

“Winning at the Hunting Festival. That’s a tradition of the Yuridina Clan.”

“Then just go ahead and do it.”

“Sure, I will. But it’s also a sister’s role to ensure my poor little sister doesn’t entertain futile dreams, isn’t it?”

I pressed my lips tightly together. Only then did I begin to comprehend her thoughts a little.

Ceria considered this year’s Hunting Festival her last chance. This was a result of various intertwined factors.

Senior Delphine being a fourth-year, the disparity between the legitimate and illegitimate children, and the tradition of the Yuridina Clan.

Ceria wanted to prove herself that much. That she was a deserving member of the Yuridina Clan, that she was a useful person. Thus, she didn’t want to live in fear any longer.

However, since Senior Delphine became aware of this, it seemed she wanted to minimize any variables as much as possible.

She seemed very obsessed with victory, wanting to eliminate any minuscule possibility.

After momentarily biting my lip and sinking into thought, I posed a question to Senior Delphine.

“So you touched on the issue of Ceria’s mother?”

“No, that part was a mistake. I simply wanted to create an atmosphere where it would be hard for Ceria to gather excellent teammates. But somehow, the conversation ended up around that, didn’t it?”

Saying so, Senior Delphine turned her back to the window again. She lightly perched on the window frame, looking down at me with a faint smile.

I found that slightly displeasing. My heated voice scraped through my throat as it passed.

“Then you should have stopped it sooner…!”

Yet even at my threatening tone, Senior Delphine showed no signs of losing her composure. In fact, she burst into laughter.

“Ha, ahahaha! Me?”

Senior Delphine pointed at herself with her index finger and then shook her head.

Looking at me as if she couldn’t understand, she asked,

“Why?”

“Because you have no idea how hard Ceria has been struggling…!”

“…Lord Handaxe.”

With a sigh, Senior Delphine straightened herself again. She walked slowly over to grasp the wine bottle. Then came the sound of pouring.

The glass was filled anew. She spoke to me in a somewhat colder tone.

“Ceria is a member of the Yuridina Clan. She isn’t weak enough to break that easily.”

At those words, I bolted upright. An open hostility glimmered in my eyes. Yet Senior Delphine continued to leisurely sip her wine.

Her gaze said, what will you do about it?

That look seemed familiar, and I thought so even as the heat rose within me.

“Do you even know how bad the torment was? How mentally pushed to the brink Ceria was…!”

“Well, then it’s her fault for being weak.”

Her expression suggested that she was giving a painfully obvious answer without a care. I was momentarily dumbfounded.

“The Northern Region is a barren land. The winters are long, and springs are short… It’s a land unsuitable for sowing, which will lead to famine if we don’t import food from the bountiful Eastern Region.”

“…What does that have to do with Ceria?”

In my voice, still tinged with indignation, Senior Delphine smirked gently, urging calm. Her leisurely tone continued.

“To survive in such a North, the Yuridina Clan has taken a thoroughly pragmatic approach. By any means necessary, sometimes obsessively fixating on achieving their goals. The bloody and ironclad history they have built is inscribed as a scar on the standard of the Yuridina Clan.”

“So, you mean that those who are weak enough to fall apart like that are unnecessary for the Yuridina Clan?”

With a snap, Senior Delphine’s fingers clicked. It was a signal of affirmation.

Of course, that statement did not ease my boiling emotions. I was still glaring fiercely at Senior Delphine. However, she merely continued to refill her glass with wine.

“I think of it as my own form of affection. I felt pride when Ceria was recognized as a member of the Yuridina Clan. Always lowering her gaze whenever I was around, saying goodbye with a quivering voice… Heh, she’s a cute little sister.”

Memories of conversations I had shared with Ceria flashed through my mind.

She both admired and feared her half-sister. Ever since hearing that chilling warning that she might be cast aside if she proved worthless that night.

And Senior Delphine had likely amassed victories supported by all sorts of assistance as the heir of the Yuridina Clan. Meanwhile, Ceria had to undergo rigorous training to be recognized as a member of the Yuridina Clan.

There was no way Ceria could surpass Senior Delphine. The very environment they stood in was different. Even if Ceria possessed a more brilliant talent, it could not measure up in terms of time or finances.

If, by any chance, Ceria tried to get ahead of Senior Delphine, the Yuridina Clan would probably cut off its support for Ceria instead. That was the world of the high nobility.

Too harsh for Ceria, and too warm for Senior Delphine. Thus, Ceria was always unable to even properly meet Senior Delphine’s gaze.

My voice sank even deeper.

“…Is that how you live, then? Have you built up many victories?”

“Well, I’ve never lost a single time. Being ‘undefeated’ is the best proof of my suitability as the heir of the Yuridina Clan.”

“Your attempt to recruit me was an extension of that, I see.”

“Mhm,” Senior Delphine regarded me with a piercing stare as if asking me to speak up. It was a charming gaze, but my heart was currently a mix of heat and cold, leaving me unaffected.

“It seems that a competent-looking fellow has appeared around Ceria. Sufficient to gather a team for the Hunting Festival.”

“And that ‘little villain’ wouldn’t be able to climb up the ranks if you were around.”

Senior Delphine kindly filled in the inadequate parts of my response. I could do nothing but whimsically smile in disbelief.

“…But why did you reveal the truth to me?”

That was the final question I arrived at.

Why had she confided the truth to me? She could have easily feigned ignorance or used it to fuel my guilt to foster a friendly relationship.

That would have been a much better strategy. Still, Senior Delphine chose the difficult path.

It seemed relatively clear that sharing the truth with me would drive a wedge between us.

So perhaps I was even more flustered when I first heard Senior Delphine’s words.

As she listened to me, Senior Delphine closed her eyes, tapping her lips as if pondering a question she possibly couldn’t comprehend herself.

The deliberation didn’t last long. Senior Delphine smiled lightly and replied to me.

“Well? As I said, courage should bear rewards…”

With that statement, the stillness that Senior Delphine had maintained was revived.

She was approaching me slowly with the usual sound of her gown rustling. That pure white neckline and a sweet fragrance as though to draw me in.

The aromatic and warm scent of wine reached me. Before I knew it, she was right in front of me.

Though the enchanting form of the woman was present, my eyes stayed fixed on Senior Delphine’s red pupils. It seemed to please her, as she drew closer with an entrancing smile.

In the next moment, her voice tickled my ear.

“…Nothing would change just because you know.”

That was my limit. Instinctively, my hand went to my waist. And as I grasped the handle of the handaxe strapped to my belt, just then.

Like magic, Senior Delphine’s body distanced itself from me. Even without knowing where my hand was, she merely continued to refill her glass with wine.

She glanced my way briefly. The intention was singular.

A look that dared me to draw it, if I could.

As I trembled with the grip on the handaxe, I quickly loosened my hold. There was no other choice.

This was Senior Delphine’s private space, and she was unarmed. Even so, she was not someone I could guarantee a victory against, but my justification was too weak.

The situation could escalate into something more serious, beyond the Academy’s regulations. Therefore, I couldn’t bring myself to draw the handaxe.

Senior Delphine smiled as if she had expected this, raising her glass. She then gestured toward the still-filled glass of wine.

It was the glass she had been drinking from, which she had offered me. They say it symbolizes camaraderie in the North.

I gazed at Senior Delphine in silence. With a leisurely smile, she addressed me.

“…What do you think, would you like to share one last drink? It’s quite fine wine.”

That was the final moment.

In a flash, the handaxe was drawn. It might have been a moment no one could have anticipated, not even Senior Delphine.

There were no changes in her expression at all.

And in that instant, as the axe blade tore through the air,

Bang, the handaxe descended like a ray of light.

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