Chapter 275

Chapter 62: Letter and Heartfelt Thoughts

Clang.

Not far away, I heard the sound of an iron door closing behind me, realizing that Victoria had already returned.

I slightly tilted my head back, looking up at the sky.

The dark clouds gradually dispersed, and a clear crescent moon emerged from behind, casting a faint light through the trees, scattering shimmering silver across the ground.

“Huff—”

I let out a sigh of relief.

… Let’s go home.

Holding the brown paper bag containing the cake, I walked back to the Number Three Mansion absentmindedly. Crossing the wet lawn in the courtyard, I fished out the key from my coin pouch, opened the inner door, and was about to step inside when I suddenly noticed my shoes were caked with mud. I took them off and threw them by the door, then walked barefoot into the house.

The mansion was silent, with no candles lit. A faint white moonlight filtered in through the window, illuminating the outlines of the sofa and tea table in the living room.

I didn’t stop in the living room but went straight to the kitchen. After thinking for a moment, I took a piece of almond cake from the brown paper bag and bit into it while placing the bag on the counter, then turned to go upstairs.

With one hand holding the cake, I pushed open the bedroom door. The scent of lilac hit me as I heard a sharp, hoarse cry from outside the window: “Peipei! Fool—”

“Ahh!”

I was startled, dropping the cake onto the carpet. It rolled somewhere dark, and I felt angry—

“Stupid bird!”

I screamed towards the window and lunged forward, claws spread wide, but stopped abruptly halfway.

Hmm…

Goat cheese has returned!

Its return meant there was a reply at home!

In the next instant, the anger on the young girl’s face in the darkness instantly transformed into genuine joy.

“Goat cheese!”

I pulled the curtains and opened the window. A gentle breeze brushed my face as the black raven spread its wings and hopped inside. Under the dim moonlight, I saw a paper tube tied to its leg, sealed with wax, bearing the family crest in the shape of a moon.

It’s really a letter from home!

I didn’t rush to open it. Instead, I closed the window, turned around, and rummaged through the cabinet for a tinderbox. I lit the lamp on the desk, and the dim yellow light soon illuminated everything.

Goat cheese jumped onto my shoulder.

Dead bird, you’re so heavy… What have you been eating lately? You seem to be gaining weight.

“Get down.”

I frowned unhappily and scolded it, then held the lamp in my hand and bent down to search for my cake.

It wasn’t on the carpet… under the tables or chairs… not under the dressing table either. I couldn’t find it anywhere visible.

Where did it roll to?

“Fool—”

“Shut up.”

Goat cheese still clung tightly to my shoulder until I lay down beside the bed. Then it flapped its wings and flew to the back of the chair, tilting its head with one crimson eye staring at me.

What are you staring at? I’ll pluck your eyeball out…

As I thought idly, I shone the lamp under the bed—

Ah, found it.

The half-eaten cake lay quietly under the bed.

How did it get there…

I stretched my arm out, reaching several times before finally getting the cake. Then I stood up, shook off the dust from my skirt, and carried the cake to the desk.

The cake was covered with fine dust. I picked off the dirty parts and tossed them away, blew on it, and took a big bite. As I chewed, I untied the letter from Goat cheese’s leg and sat down at the desk, placing the lamp at the corner.

The letter paper was spread out before me, filled with neat handwriting. Clearly, it was written by Mother. The opening read:

[To my dear daughter Peiluo:

Mom misses you.]

Just seeing this sentence, a warm current surged from my heart, flowing through my blood.

Mother, I miss you too. Very, very much.

Suppressing my longing, I continued reading:

[While writing this letter, I just saw the Church’s report. It mentioned the terrible disaster in the capital city, saying you are the great hero who saved the city. Peiluo, Mom knows you’ve done something remarkable again, and Mom is truly proud of you. But more than pride, Mom feels scared, so scared she can’t sleep at night…]

Mother wrote many worried words after that.

She told me that instead of seeing Miss Silvija’s bravery and her heroic struggle against monsters, saving countless innocent lives… what she really wanted was to see the mischievous and playful Peiluo, sitting at the dining table every day, worrying over trivial matters.

That’s her small wish.

But she also understood that I probably wouldn’t think like that.

[My dear child, Mom knows you have great aspirations. But Mom is just an ordinary woman, and when I see my daughter in danger, I can’t help but complain. Don’t take it to heart. My daughter, you are amazing. Do you know? You’ve done things even Mom wouldn’t dare to imagine. You are the pride of Shunter Castle, the pride of the Winter Moon. So, follow your heart and be yourself. But Mom hopes you remember, no matter what happens in the future,

No matter what strong enemies you face or how dire your circumstances may be, you must remember that in the northern part of Xizhou lies a city perpetually covered in winter snow. There are still people who think about you day and night.

Mother hopes you will always remember this.

Love you.

Looking at the lavish signature ‘Catherine Winter Moon’ at the end of the letter, my nose suddenly stung, and my eyes moistened slightly.

“Ah—”

I took a big bite of almond cake.

Do you have anything to say…

What I really want to know is the current situation in Santel Fortress, the specific movements of the Cold City and Father’s people. Will the Empire go to war? Are you prepared… I urgently need to know these things.

But Mother barely mentioned any of this in her letter. She just told me to stay安心 in the capital and not worry about them. The more specific details were just about new military reforms in the Santel army, Bella being officially appointed as a team captain, while also serving as the overall commander of the Santel army, Hoover’s elite third squad expanding to a thousand strong… Such messages seem to be written to reassure me, but from the lines, I can feel that Mother doesn’t want me to worry about these matters.

But Mother…

The more you do this, the less reassured I feel.

After a long while, I put away the letter, took out a fresh piece of paper, spread it out, and began writing a reply, biting the pen as I did so.

The dead fat uncle… How are Father and the hunters doing… Who is guarding the Cold City after they left… The deployment of the Santel army… and so on.

I wrote down all my questions. Of course, most importantly, was the contract Victoria mentioned.

I hope this can help Father and Lafayette.

After finishing the letter, I rolled it up, sealed it, tied it to the leg of a goat cheese, and released the bird from the window.

“You worked hard~”

“Ga—”

The goat cheese quickly blended into the darkness.

Until I could no longer see its silhouette, I closed the window, drew the curtains, changed into my sleeping gown, and went to wash up. After cleaning myself, I immediately threw myself onto the soft bed, burying my face in the pillow.

The night was dark.

The candlelight flickered beside me, and occasionally faint insect sounds echoed in the courtyard.

I lay on the bed for a long time. My slender, fair right calf lifted and fell from the bend, then the left one followed suit. This back-and-forth motion repeated several times, with my feet patting softly against the soft silk quilt, making a “puff puff puff” sound. Yet, I felt no hint of sleepiness, and countless thoughts swirled in my head.

I thought of the imposing Santel Fortress, of the white birds under the bridge, of Mother’s gentle face as she looked at those white birds, and of Father’s silent smile at the desk.

If only the capital… If only Ethanbel could establish an alliance with the Cold City. One day, I could stand by Victoria’s side at the window of Santel Fortress, together admiring the full moon hanging amidst the wind and snow. How delightful that would be.

Gradually, the image of Victoria’s breathtakingly beautiful face appeared in my mind.

Victoria…

I quite like her.

I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why, but I genuinely liked her.

But—

I just want to be very good friends with her…

Why did Victoria avoid my gaze tonight? That’s not like her at all…

Is she a lesbian?

And…

Why did the palace prepare so many dresses for me!

It must be Victoria’s doing, right? Only she knows my size…

“Mm—”

I buried my head even deeper. Past moments with Victoria flashed before my eyes like slides, and at the time, many things didn’t seem unnatural. But now, when I look back, I can vaguely sense some undefined, indistinct affection mixed in.

Could it be that Victoria…

This idea suddenly surfaced in my mind, but I immediately shook my head, dismissing it.

That’s impossible, right?

Impossible, impossible… Don’t be delusional, what are you thinking!

Besides, Victoria never said she was a lesbian.

She abolished the decree, maybe just to promote free love… The people love their queen very much. Victoria’s actions must attract more migrants to the capital, which is just one way to boost population growth. She isn’t a conservative person; if she wants to develop the city well, she surely has plenty of innovative ideas—

Really…

What am I thinking about all this nonsense.

Time to sleep!

In the warm bedroom, on the soft white bed, a delicate girl turned over, her brows lightly furrowed, her eyelids tightly shut, her curled lashes gently trembling. After a moment, she hugged her pillow, pulled the silky quilt over her head, exposing most of her fair legs, her feet swinging left and right.

The girl continued to let her thoughts wander.

If…

If Victoria truly likes me. Then I—

The girl pondered for a long time, unsure how to handle this problem.

So she decided to start counting sheep.