Cackle. Ca-cackle.
The flames danced within the fireplace, casting flickering light in all directions. A lone human shadow stretched across the floor in front of it.
Though the fire welcomed its guest with warmth, it seemed they had come for something other than comfort. From within their clothes, they pulled out a letter.
They tossed it where it would be easily found—if someone happened to prod the embers with a fire iron. The flames eagerly caught hold.
At first, they merely nibbled at the paper, as if testing it. If this letter was something precious, say, a letter filled with love, wouldn’t it be a shame to burn it?
But no matter how much they licked and scanned, no trace of emotion could be found within the ink. Only then did the flames settle into ease.
Ah ah, this is indeed firewood. I can swallow it.
Sparks crackled.
A loveless love letter burned pitch-black.
The paper became one with the firewood before vanishing into ash.===============================================================
*
A quiet corner of the mansion.
*
A long-abandoned guest room, untouched for years—so secluded that even the servants rarely passed by.
Under the cover of night, Nelliel made her way there.
A discreetly delivered letter had asked her to come there, claiming there was something important to discuss.
When Nelliel opened the door and entered, a servant who had been waiting inside stood up and bowed her head. She was a maid under her own command.
“You are⋯⋯? Why have you called me here?”
The servant looked at Nelliel with an expression full of sympathy, her face brimming with concern.
“—Second Madam, how cruel the heavens are. The Grand Duke is even crueler. How can he be so heartless⋯⋯.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“Madam, isn’t it unbearable to live like this? I have a way. A way to escape this wretched situation.”
Nelliel held her breath and asked cautiously,
“⋯⋯And what is that way?”
“Spread rumors about how poorly you’re being treated, and return to your family home. Once the truth is out, it will be the Grand Duke who bears the brunt of the public!”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“I’ve even arranged a carriage. Johnny from the stables gladly agreed to help—he said your situation is far too pitiful, so⋯⋯.”
It was a far more mundane plan than I had expected. I had anticipated something complicated—like planting the Second Wife within the household to extract vital information or inciting severe internal strife to divide the Grand Duke’s faction.
Perhaps there was a larger scheme at play—getting Nelliel outside, having her bear a child, and then claiming inheritance rights by asserting that the child carried the blood of the Grand Duke of the North.
But whatever the plan was, this was where it ended.
Nelliel took the servant’s hands as if moved by her words. And then—
Click. She snapped a pair of manal handcuffs onto her wrists.
“M-Madam? What is this⋯⋯.”
“So, that was your plan—to sow chaos within the Grand Duke’s family from the inside.”
“⋯⋯What?”
“Come out.”
At Nelliel’s command, the Grand Duke’s soldiers and I, who had been waiting nearby, burst through the door. The color drained from the servant’s face.
The soldiers seized her by both arms, restraining the one who had dared to scheme against the Grand Duke’s household.
“I’m, I’m being wronged! I wasn’t trying to⋯⋯!”
She struggled, protesting her innocence as they dragged her away. I was ready to dismiss it as the desperate plea of a thief who had been caught, but…
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Her expression wasn’t one of anger or panic. It wasn’t just desperation to escape or resentment toward me for putting her in this position.
One emotion stood out above all else, something I couldn’t quite grasp. It left my thoughts tangled.
Why did she look… betrayed⋯⋯?
I asked Nelliel as I turned toward her. She was twirling her hair with her finger, watching until the last moment as the servant was being dragged away.
“Nelliel. Doesn’t something seem off?”
“Hm? Heart, what part?”
“The servant’s face. I feel like we might’ve overlooked something⋯⋯.”
“Eueum⋯⋯ but everything went just as Heart predicted. The Grand Duke’s soldiers will interrogate her now, so all we have to do is wait for the results.”
That was true.
Stretching, I tried to shake off the mix of relief and lingering unease. Then, turning to Nelliel, I said,
“Shall we go get something to eat? I’ll bring Arte and Daisy-kun too. Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, if we take things step by step, then wouldn’t we be able to build a harmonious family?”
“Yes! Thank you, Heart. It’s all thanks to you!”
No problem.
Now, I just needed to run the couple’s therapy clinic and my role would be complete. With that thought, I led Nelliel toward the dining hall. That day’s meal was quite lively.
===============================================================
Knock knock knock.
At the sound of knocking at midnight, Arte Ropelmann paused her research and rose from her seat.
Before, she would’ve ignored it. But ever since the incident where her door had been kicked off its hinges with a drop kick, she had started checking her visitors.. She didn’t want to experience that a second time.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Second Wife Nelliel. May I come in?”
An unwelcome visitor.
Arte would’ve preferred to send her away, but she didn’t want to give Nelliel any excuse to whine about her to Heart. Clicking her tongue, she replied,
“I’m not exactly pleased about visitors at this hour. Come in.”
“I heard the First Wife keeps her schedule reversed—night for day. Excuse me.”
Creeak . The door swung open.
Nelliel stepped inside without hesitation, scanning the room as she did. Arte, uninterested in entertaining her, quietly set the kettle on the fire. If she had to endure this conversation, she’d at least have coffee to make it tolerable.
She prepared the brew in silence, the clatter of utensils the only sound between them.
Bubble bubble bubble.
The kettle began to boil. Only then did Arte finally ask,
“I thought we settled this long ago. I clearly told you—I don’t care what you do in the mansion, just don’t involve me. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
“Of course not. I only came to ask you something. I heard you had tea with Heart this evening.”
“I did.”
“It must have been a fun conversation. Could you share what you talked about? I’d like to grow closer to Heart as well.”
Drizzleeee.
She poured the coffee into a cup, placed it on a saucer, and carried it to the table. She had prepared only one cup—for herself. There was nothing for Nelliel.
Taking a slow sip, she enjoyed the coffee’s deep taste and scent. Arte finally spoke.
“I don’t know.”
“⋯⋯Pardon?”
“You came to ask if Heart noticed, didn’t you? I don’t know. I tried dropping hints because I was annoyed at how easily Heart falls for your little games, but she trusts you completely.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
At Arte’s cryptic remark, Nelliel flinched as if she had been pricked by an awl. Her smiling expression collapsed for a moment and revealed nothing but guilt.
Arte scoffed.
“I don’t care, and I won’t say anything either. After all, it’s none of my concern. Besides, Heart specifically asked me to get along with you. But⋯⋯ don’t you think it’s ironic?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know. The whole love letter incident⋯⋯ yet the person at the center of it had neither love nor friendship. So tell me, Nelliel—what exactly do you have?”
Nelliel’s face darkened instantly. The blow had landed right where it hurt.
“⋯⋯I shall take my leave.”
Almost as if fleeing, Nelliel stood and hurried away. Arte watched her retreating figure with a sneer. Her future was all too predictable.
Heart was a smart person—sooner or later, she would piece everything together. And when that time came⋯⋯ what would she do? Would she forgive her?
===============================================================
Late at night, when even the servants had retired to bed.
I made my way to Daisy-kun’s office, a bottle of alcohol in each hand. Peeking through the window, I saw the light still on—he was awake.
Now that the Missing Love Letter Case had been resolved, I thought we could finally unwind and share a few stories.
With everything that had kept us busy in the Holy City, we hadn’t had a proper conversation in ages. This was the perfect opportunity.
Since both my hands were full, I knocked with my mouth.
“Knock knock knock. Daisy-kun, are you in there?”
“Ah, Heart. Please come in.”
Daisy-kun greeted me warmly. Noticing the bottles I carried, he smiled and hastily pushed a stack of documents aside to clear space on the table.
Quite a workload. I should help him out sometime later.
“Drinks after a long time?”
“Heart, you were never the type to get drunk. I remember I was always the first to pass out whenever we drank together. Is your tolerance still the same?”
“Ah, well… I was kind of cheating back then. It was like I was drinking, but not really, if that makes sense. This time, I’ll actually get drunk, so I’lldrink carefully.”
“Then we better take it easy.”
The setup was simple—we pulled up chairs and settled in. Snacks would have been nice, but instead⋯⋯we were substituting them with conversation.
“Daisy-kun, it’s been a while since we had tea time like this, just the two of us⋯⋯ ah, or did we meet back in the Holy City?”
“It has indeed been a while. For me, it felt like quite the wait.”
“Save lines like that for your wives. As I always say, that kind of talk is a little creepy.”
“I say them to creep you out.”
How shameless. Trying to match wits now that you’re all grown up, huh?
Clink.
“Cheers.”
We drank deeply.
And then, we reminisced. Having known each other for two years, the stories flowed easily with just a little prodding.
Daisy-kun often called me his heart’s benefactor, but the truth was, he had played just as big a role in keeping me emotionally grounded. Back then, even the senior mages at the Magic Tower were quite volatile. Sure, I had fun bickering with Yuna in our own way, but⋯⋯ well, she’s a woman.
Daisy-kun was the first real male friend I’d had.
There were certain conversations only guys could have, weren’t there? Like finding a perfectly sleek branch in an alleyway (that looked like Excalibur) and feeling an inexplicable urge to claim it.
Or making ridiculous bets on ‘who would win’ between this and that.
“You seem to handle your alcohol better now, Daisy-kun?”
“I’ve improved a lot. I can tell when I’m about to get drunk and stop myself.”
“Right, right, Daisy-kun. Remember that time you got completely wasted? Shouting, ‘Where’s Heart?’ and⋯⋯.”
After laughing and chatting for quite a while…
Out of nowhere—
A thought struck me.
These weren’t my memories.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
I was not the original.
Even though I remembered being close to Daisy-kun, the one who had truly built a friendship with him in the past was⋯⋯ the original. I was something like a doppelganger.
When the original eventually visited the North, I would lose any right to call myself Daisy-kun’s friend. Perhaps even my very existence would become meaningless. The realization that I was merely a copy was colder than I had expected.
As I silently stared at my reflection in the wine glass, Daisy-kun suddenly spoke.
“Is that not right?”
“⋯⋯Pardon?”
“You are Heart.”
“Ahaha, what are you suddenly saying, Lord Daisy-kun? Of course I’m Heart. Who else would I be?”
I tried to deflect, but Daisy-kun’s gaze was unwavering. It was direct, piercing, as if he could see straight through me.
Of course.
Five years ago, the Grand Duke of the North—Daisy-kun—had learned from me how to read people. That insight of his wasn’t much weaker than the original’s, at least from what I could remember.
And just as I had observed Daisy-kun closely for years, he must have studied me as well. Was that why he could see through me so easily?
He spoke again.
“I know you are a bit different.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“But if we remember the time we’ve spent together, if we trust in our friendship and care for each other⋯⋯⋯ then whether we are different or the same doesn’t really matter. Whoever you are, you are my friend.”
“⋯⋯What’s this, Daisy-kun? Since when did you learn to say things like that?”
“You taught me. How to say what others need to hear.”
This guy.
I bursted out laughing. His simple acceptance of me, just like that—it lifted something in my heart. It was funny, really.
That’s right. Even if I was just a fragment, I had two friends now. Maybe even three, if I counted Arte’s subtle feelings.
If that was the case, then maybe⋯⋯ maybe I wouldn’t have too many regrets, even if the original absorbed me in the end.
“By the way, you’re amazing, Daisy-kun. Even though I’m just one-thirtieth of myself⋯⋯ reading my real emotions shouldn’t be an easy thi⋯⋯”
Wait.
Huh?
Even as the alcohol warmed my body, a sudden chill crawled down my spine. Like an electric current of realization.
Something was off.
What was I missing? Why did I feel like I was overlooking something crucial?
Daisy-kun’s insight was extraordinary. Even comparable to the original. That was all I had been thinking about, but⋯⋯.
“And besides, Nelliel Vergne doesn’t like me either. It wouldn’t have hurt her that much.”
…Huh?
Daisy-kun’s words echoed in my mind.
At the time, I had dismissed it as a simple misjudgment. After all, it made no sense. Nelliel, who had poured out so many love letters, not actually loving Daisy-kun? It sounded absurd. And from what I could see, there was nothing particularly off about her.
But—
Right now⋯⋯ I was in an incomplete state where my consciousness was split into 30 pieces. My ability to read people’s inner thoughts had weakened, just as my computing power had diminished. So…
So…
If I had to trust someone’s insight over my own, it had to be Daisy-kun’s.
‘Nelliel Vergne doesn’t love Daisy-kun.’
If that statement was true⋯⋯.
“⋯⋯Keut!”
I shot up from my seat. My eyes darted around the room until they landed on a picture frame hanging on the wall.
It was a portrait of a black-haired woman, someone who looked a bit like Heart. Without hesitation, I grabbed it. I had some business to do where I would need a picture frame.
“Heart, wait⋯⋯ no, please take the one next to it. That is the one I value the mo⋯⋯.”
“I’m borrowing this, Daisy-kun!”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Without another word, I bolted down the corridor.
My destination was Nelliel’s room.
The Missing Letter Case wasn’t over yet.
***
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