My Wonderful Second Life

Chapter 23- The Return

By night, its pull had won, and I stared at it under the soft candlelight, in the room Gobbie had rented for me on that night. Sealed by a rose stamp, which belonged to the Benedicto's coat of arms, it was easy to open. From it, I pulled out a thick paper. I got surprised as I had expected several pages, since the envelope had felt fuller. Instead, there was only one page, written front and back.

The first part was his message to me.

Lady Lucreatia,

Apologies for not saying my goodbyes as I should. I am sure your father must have remarked on it, but I shall own up to that, at least. I do not do well with goodbyes... One of my many faults, I know. Yet I am truly terrible on those and I would make things all so much worse for everyone. And I do not wish you sad memories in Aerabitina, or at the very least, not more than I can avoid.

I know you want answers, and I understand your frustration in not getting them. But sometimes answers bring more questions which cannot be answered, or worse, can lead to terrible problems. In the end, if you are not careful, it would cause too much pain for one as young as you.

I do not intend to shield you forever. However, I do wish you to live your childhood unconcerned and happy. My promise yesterday is still valid and I will tell you everything, but until then, please wear the bracelet. It will protect you, more so than alchemy.

There are things magic cannot help you.

Signed by an idiot,

Emmanuel.

I read it carefully, turning the page to see the instructions for the "blessed protection" he had taught me before. In anger, I crushed the paper into a ball and threw it far away. It said nothing, as I had expected, yet it still frustrated me. How could they believe I would be alright knowing nothing? How could I walk in the dark and believe their empty words... I couldn't.

And there was no way back from my decision.

Yet... I had hoped. I was turning into an idiot because I hoped for the truth, because I believed in him. My frustration stemmed more from my ridiculous beliefs than because of Emmanuel. And from the realization that I probably would have done the same if I was in his position.

With effort, I left the chair I was sitting in and went to pick up the paper. I straightened it and looked once more before returning to my place.

Jenni and the duke had stolen glances at the letter during the trip. They didn't comment on it, but their stares were obvious. They were waiting for me to open it. Emmanuel was no idiot (no matter how many times I called him that) and had sealed the letter with a blessing of his kind on top of the wax. It had Rosalinda's rose and his power. Only me, its intended recipient, could open it. Well... there was another way, but that meant spending a lot of holy power.

So they waited for me to open the letter to take a peek.

But that would not go well with my plan. Maybe Emmanuel had told the duke of our talk, or maybe not. I was betting on the latter. In the end, it didn't matter. Either way, it wouldn't help if they saw it. It would ignite their suspicions and turn things harder for me. So, with that in mind, I approached the candlelight and let the paper burn slowly. When it was nothing more than ashes, I finally went to sleep.

***

We arrived at the capital on the afternoon of the next day, though we didn't pass through its gigantic golden barriers. Instead, we went around in a more direct and less crowded route to our home. From afar, we could see the enormous palace of the Mountnero family that seemed bigger and even more glorious than before we left, so many months ago. At our awestruck looks, Franco told us the manor had suffered some improvements.