Chapter 86 The letter carries the heart
Chapter 86 The letter carries the heart
Luke’s letter to his family and Emma arrived exactly six days later.
His father, Harold Nedville, was unusually sitting in his office doing his business.
“Master. The Bocchan sent a letter!”
“Go ahead and bring it.”
The maid handed the letter to the Herald in a polite manner.
“Letters are so infrequent, Won… ….”
The Herald tut tut and clicked his tongue as he examined the front and back of the envelope.
“I just got a taste of life in the imperial palace.”
“You may be very busy.”
The maid took Luke’s side, but the Herald only shook his head.
Seeing that, the maid burst into laughter as she covered her mouth.
“Why is that?”
“No, sir.”
Actually, the maid knew.
Even though my master grumbles on the outside, on the inside he really welcomes the boy’s letter.
“I’ll just leave so I won’t be disturbed.”
“Uh. Do it.”
Shortly after the maid left her office, the Herald roughly tore off the seal of her envelope with his hand. Then he took out the letter inside.
Is this guy doing well in the imperial palace these days?
[Dear Father
It’s been almost two months since the last time.
I’ve been working tirelessly these days.
Still, compared to when I just started working as His Majesty’s direct secretary, it’s relatively doable.
Also, His Majesty is preparing a job, and while helping with it, I also studied a foreign language.
At first, I resented my father for sending me here on his own. ….
Looking at it now, new learning opportunities keep popping up, so I don’t think it’s bad.
Though it is a workload that is difficult to compare to what I did in the manor.
By the way, how are your mother, older brother and younger sister?
Father, he’ll always be the same, so he’s not particularly curious.
Well, if you have any news, please let me know.
Actually, I’m a little curious.]
The Herald, who had seen that far, smiled.
Child. I still have a bad habit with Abby.
Still, he seemed to be doing well in the capital city, Del Leson, and he felt fortunate.
He read more of what followed.
The contents were concerns about the future of the older brother and younger sister and concern about the safety of the mother. And at the end, it was written that he would come down to his hometown when he got a vacation in the summer.
The Harold thought he should show this letter to his family, so he pulled the rope.
After a while, the whole family gathered in the office of Baron Nedville’s residence.
“Luke sent me a letter after a long time.”
“Oh. That guy, it’s been a while.”
Hans, the eldest son of the baron, made a surprised expression.
“Is my Luke doing well?”
The baroness stared at the Herald with a look of surprise and concern at the same time.
“My brother sent me a present?”
Cyril, the youngest member of the family, showed her anticipation with her eyes twinkling.
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“Heh heh, really… ….”
It’s a family, but it’s hard to find a corner that resembles them.
Even with that thought, Harald couldn’t stop laughing.
“I will read the letter to you, so listen carefully.”
The family members pricked their ears at the word of the Herald. After confirming the appearance, the Herald read the letter in a booming voice.
After hearing everything, the baroness was the first to react.
“Fortunately, you seem to be doing well.”
She let out a sigh of relief as she placed her hand on her chest.
Perhaps if Luke had seen that, he would have asked back if she seemed to be doing well when she was busy.
“As expected, he has to be the next lord…… Evil!”
Hans was talking nonsense and his mother gave her a proper slap on the back.
“Why aren’t you talking about presents?”
Cyril let out a rather disappointed voice.
“Honey. Aren’t you busy?”
“Still, there should be free time on the weekend… ….”
“Cyril. Then you can write down what you want in her letter and send it.”
As soon as she heard the solution the Herald came up with, Cyril put on her enlightened expression.
“Ah! I guess so.”
“Would you like to come and talk to this father in a while? I will write it down in my reply.”
She replied that only then did she know Cyril by her broad smile on her face.
“By the way, when will I get my summer vacation?”
The baroness asked the Herald a question. Then Hans and Cyril also looked at him.
It was because it was the most interesting part of Luke’s letter.
“Hmm. I think I’ll probably get it sometime in August.”
“It has been half a year since I sent my son away. I want to see my son’s face soon.”
The Herald nodded at the baroness’ words.
“That guy must have become more dignified, right?”
“You don’t know that.”
“I think he is more dignified than me.”
The Herald looked at Hans and shook his head.
“I want to see you too. There are many things I want to hear from you.”
“I see. Well then, when he returns to the manor, let’s have a party.”
“That sounds like a good idea, Dad!”
The Herald looks at Cyril, who smiles brightly, and she puts on a satisfied expression.
‘If everyone replies that he’s doing well, he’ll like it.’
The Herald smiled slightly, thinking of Luke, who would be working hard at the imperial palace today.
* * *
At the same time.
Emma was in her room, looking at her Luke’s letter.
“Luke sent me a letter after a long time… ….”
She received this letter while working in the fields with her parents.
As soon as she confirmed that the sender’s name was Luke Nedville, she threw down the hoe she was carrying and ran straight to the house.
Not even in her dreams did she know that her parents were watching her from behind with happy eyes.
Emma sat in her old chair and stared at her letter.
“The paper quality is so good… ….”
Emma held her letter under her nose this time and inhaled.
She didn’t smell anything, but somehow she felt like she smelled Delleson’s air.
At the same time, my beating heart calmed down a bit.
“Good.”
Now we are ready to open Luke’s letter.
She carefully removed the seal from the opening of her envelope.
The stationery inside the envelope was neatly folded in half. She caressed her letter for a moment, then slowly unfolded it.
The type used on the stationery was not a cursive, but a clear handwriting.
‘It’s also Luke.’
To think this kind of consideration for me, who stumbles through the typeface…….
A smile came to Emma’s lips.
[To my precious friend Emma]
“My dear friend…….”
She also thought of Luke that way.
…… No, I would have to say that she considers them more intimate than her friends.
[It’s been a while since I wrote a letter like this.
How are you doing?
Perhaps you always have a lot of trouble working in the field.
Still, I think he will always smile brightly and share his strength with his family as well as his neighbors.]
Even at the beginning of the letter, Emma tried to catch the corners of her mouth in her ears.
Even in a faraway country, she always thinks of herself.
Emma seemed to be filled with emotion from the depths of her heart.
She got her emotions under control and then looked down at her stationery again.
The letter continued with brief comments on Luke’s daily life and current work.
There were also comments praising the people who worked together.
‘It seems that Her Majesty cares for Luke a lot.’
And the two maids mentioned along with Empress Cecilia.
Daughter of the Marquess of Simonion and Countess of Fordward.
It was written that the two maids also became very close with Luke.
“You’ve become close… ….”
Emma made a sullen expression.
Of course, it’s only natural that we get to know each other as colleagues who work in the same space. Emma knew that too.
However, it was a fact that was hard for her heart to fully accept.
‘No. Don’t think like that.’
Emma shook her head and finished reading her letter.
The contents of her letters after that were filled with longing for her hometown.
And at the end, it was written that she would definitely come back to her hometown when she went on summer vacation.
“Summer vacation!”
Emma’s expression brightened again.
When will it be?
July? Or August?
She calculated the number of days until then.
‘There are more than two months left… ….’
It’s already been 4 months since I haven’t met Luke.
She sighed as she thought that she still had to wait.
Emma folded her letter back in half and placed it carefully on her chest. Just like that, she went to her window.
She was able to see the clear blue sky today as well as yesterday without a single cloud.
“I want to meet you soon, Luke… ….”
Emma looked up at her sky and muttered her own wish.
* * *
About three weeks after sending her letter to the Nedville estate, a reply came from her father and Emma.
It was just after lunch, so I read the reply in a comfortable position in my room.
“Cyril is a gift again… ….”
It’s hard to spend money so carelessly…….
However, since the Nedville estate is a remote village, it is understandable to be greedy.
I need to buy some moderately pretty jewelry later.
Still, I’m glad that everyone in the family is enjoying a peaceful life.
Next, I decided to check the letter from Emma.
For some reason, her heart even pounded when she opened the seal with a paper knife.
‘What will be written in the reply?’
I sniffed the half-folded stationery.
Ah, the smell of the air in this nostalgic Nedville estate…… Is a horn. There was no smell.
I wish I could go on vacation soon…….
“Ha ha.”
After letting out a short sigh, I opened Emma’s letter.
In her letter, it was written that she was doing just as well as I said, and that I hope she will take her summer vacation soon.
She said that Emma desperately felt that she wanted to see me.
“As expected, these are childhood friends, but we get along well… ….”
I spent a while soaked in afterglow.
When another two weeks passed like that.
“Secretary. Your Majesty is urgently looking for it.”
A butler rushed into my room. After lunch, I was enjoying a break and asked him.
“What happened to His Majesty?”
“You asked me to come to your room first.”
First of all, it’s Cecilia’s order, so I’ll have to go find it quickly.
I headed to her room in a month.
“Did you call, Your Majesty?”
“Oh, Luke. A reply came from Sergel’s royal family a little while ago.”
“Really?”
When I asked back in surprise, Cecilia showed the envelope she was holding in her hand instead of answering her. The crest symbolizing the Sergel royal family I saw in the book was drawn.
This can be seen as the fact that the head of the postal department moved really quickly.
Otherwise, there would be no way I would receive a reply so quickly.
“I can’t decode it, so I want you to read it for me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I am willing to do so.”
“Sit down in your desk chair.”
I sat down on her desk chair and started translating her letter, as she ordered. Cecilia got up from her armchair and came to my side.
Then, she felt the faint scent of citrus on the tip of her nose.
Looks like you’ve changed your perfume…….
But now was not the time to pay attention to that.
I spoke the words of the kingdom written in the letter clearly and distinctly.
“We welcome the meeting with the Eckhart Empire.”
As I read the last line, a mixture of surprise and joy appeared on Cecilia’s face.
“Good start.”
“Yes. It looks like things will work out in the future.”
At my words, Cecilia nodded her head once.
‘If I ever go to Sergel Kingdom, I’ll have to find out the cost of housing.’
Resolving into her, I clenched her fist without Cecilia’s knowledge.
-Continued