#19.
Prince Archie,
You might not care and just be leisurely staying in the monastery, but today was the Wednesday I went to Portobello to collect the manuscript.
I’ll save the story of whether I met Liam again, which you might be curious about, for later. I have urgent news to share.
Princess Edwina’s son is appearing!
His name is Florian.
The manuscript says you found him.
This manuscript is very short and the rest is all flashbacks, so there isn’t much more I can tell you.
I don’t know how you end up finding him, but be careful, Archie.
Has Cecilia returned from the frontier? I’m worried about what Cecile will think of this.
6.19 evening
-Your faithful friend, Cordelia
* * *
My Annoying Friend Cordelia,
Ah, Coco. How I wish I had seen your letter a little earlier!
Then I wouldn’t have taken the former king to the forest.
At least I would have gone alone.
Or waited until Cecilia returned from the frontier.
But fate has unfolded this way.
Yes, what you mentioned has already happened.
This morning, while accompanying the former king to the princess’s cabin, I discovered Princess Edwina’s son right in front of His Majesty.
It was before Cecilia arrived. I ended up being credited with finding the princess’s son and now I’m likely to receive a medal.
Cecilia will begin to doubt my pure heart, which I once confessed had no ambition for the throne. As you know, Cecilia is not one to keep her suspicions to herself. She might use a sword or perhaps poison, so I can’t even eat dinner peacefully today.
But I can’t afford to lose my beauty by skipping meals, so I will attend the banquet with Cecilia, Her Majesty the Queen, and the former king. Surely, she wouldn’t poison me in front of everyone, right?
If my letters stop from today, know that I died at Cecilia’s hands.
On the twentieth day of the Green Moon,
-Hoping today isn’t my last, Archie Albert William Rendike Ellington Winterton.
P.S.: Last time, Liam told you not to look at the manuscript first, didn’t he? Did he say anything like that today? Even in this life-threatening situation, I’m curious about this, which shows how much I must like you.
* * *
Cordelia, who seems too busy to worry about her friend’s safety,
Thanks to your deep concern, I barely kept my life.
(Yes, I’m being sarcastic.)
Just kidding. I thought you might be curious after your busy work ends, so I’m updating you on my situation.
For some reason, Cecilia has become much kinder and my thread-like thin lifeline is surprisingly well-maintained despite your indifference.
I’ll explain why Cecilia became so kind in the next letter. For now, I need to answer the door that Princess Edwina’s son is knocking on.
If you’re sitting at your desk, write about what you’ve been doing with Liam that kept you so busy. Right now, I’m trying hard not to ask you like Juliet, ‘Did you sleep?’
On the twentieth day of the Green Moon.
Writing a letter filled with slight obsession but not jealousy,
6.20. night. Archie Albert William Rendike Baileyish Ellington Winterton
P.S.: Did you notice my name got one letter longer? Yes, I’ve just been awarded a new title and medal. Didn’t Anne Selin tell you about this?
* * *
Archie?
What happened?
Leaving me with such a curiosity-filled letter and telling me to recount my dealings with Liam.
What’s with the medal, and how did you find the princess’s son? What about Cecilia?
Hurry back and tell me.
-6.20. Cordelia, the sad office worker busy with deadlines.
* * *
To the cruel prince,
Have you heard the saying, “Curiosity killed the cat”?
The one who killed the cat is now killing your Coco.
Now I’m about to carry our heavy bookcases to work.
Come back quickly, Prince.
6.21.
-Your Cordelia, whose neck is long from waiting.
* * *
Prince,
I read your letter carefully again.
So, it happened that you accompanied the former king to the forest without Cecilia and found the boy, earning credit for it. You found him at the princess’s cabin, so he must have been living there all along. When you went to the cabin last time, he must have been out or hiding inside.
But simply finding him in the house wouldn’t seem like such a great achievement, so how did you end up receiving a medal?
Moreover, Cecilia would not remain calm knowing that only you received the medal, so what could have softened her heart?
I try to deduce, but everything is blocked here.
Could it be that Cecilia, pretending to be gentle, is planning to secretly attack you?
Well, knowing Cecilia, she might do that…
But then again, even if Cecilia had such a plan, I don’t think you would be easily deceived.
Are you alive?
If you are, please respond, Prince.
6.22.
-Exhausted Cordelia after the deadline.
P.S.: Considering I come home and read your letter twice even after finishing the deadline, I must really like you. You know that, right?
* * *
Cordelia, with newfound patience,
Have you decided to trust me more?
Or have you lost interest in me?
Thank you for limiting your letters to just three, even though I couldn’t write for three whole days.
(This time, I’m not being sarcastic at all. My friend, you know I like you “very, very” much, right?)
I’m still alive and well. However, in the past few days, I have been bombarded by Cecilia, Florian, the former king, and Her Majesty, all suddenly opening my door to find me, leaving me with no peace.
I haven’t had a single hour a day to sit at my desk alone to read and write letters, so this period has been like your “deadline” for me.
The biggest problem is that rascal Florian. Yesterday, I even had to ask him to leave so I could read your letter, but he just smiled and said, “It’s okay, go ahead with what you were doing.” If only he had half the perceptiveness of Cecilia.
Anyway, I couldn’t stand it any longer and summoned the chamberlain to transform the small chapel that Princess Edwina used into my writing room.
Knowing I’m not one to wait long, Chamberlain Edmund quickly got to work, and this morning, my writing room was completed.
Through the large window, I can see the moonlight, and the small but sturdy mahogany desk has enough space to place the bookcase and still write letters.
However, the room itself is very small, just enough for the desk and a chair, leaving no room for even an armchair, so no visitor would dare enter.
I now plan to keep this magic box of ours in that room.
Every day, I’ll pretend to be in quiet meditation and come here, waiting for our rendezvous.
So, there will be no more days where I can’t check letters for three whole days, my Coco.
Now, isn’t this a good enough reason for the three-day wait? Forgive me quickly, my generous friend.
At the end of the Green Moon,
-Never making you wait again, Archie Albert.
P.S.: Your deduction was completely wrong, but there were enough correct parts to make me admire your sharpness again.
* * *
Archie, who seems to be very good at romance,
First, you were sarcastic, then you praised me, and you even made me wait for three days by saying you might die, only to suggest we enjoy secret meetings because you’ve made a room for us.
I’m trying to get used to you picking me up and putting me down like this, but it’s not easy. Yes, it’s not easy.
Look, you’re still not telling me the story I wanted to hear the most.
You want me to say, “Hurry up and tell me. Please!” don’t you?
I’ll beg as you wish, so tell me quickly what happened. Where did my deduction go wrong?
-Cordelia, who can’t hate you.
* * *
Cordelia,
Aren’t you the one who keeps playing with me?
I am simply your loyal servant, moving according to your orders.
Since you wish, I’ll tell you the stories I’ve postponed.
A lot happened during the week we couldn’t write to each other.
I mentioned that I went to the forest with the former king, right?
When Her Majesty learned that the princess’s cabin was discovered, she sent soldiers to the forest, and the forest and its surroundings were completely sealed off, making it a restricted area.
That’s why I took our magic box to the monastery. Someone had to guide the way to the forest.
So, it’s impossible that the princess’s son was in the house or briefly went outside as you guessed. Soldiers thoroughly searched the cabin and the forest surroundings.
But, Coco,
The boy appeared inside the cabin.
Former King Alfred insisted on seeing the princess’s cabin and rose from his sickbed, and it was my duty, acting as a bridge of love between you and Beder, to accompany him.
As soon as the former king reached the graveyard, he burst into tears. They say he was as fierce as Cecilia in his youth, but seeing him cry like that was quite a struggle for me.
After entering the house, his tears subsided a bit.
The cozy household items made us feel strangely warm.
To our eyes, accustomed to the grandeur of the court, it was a humble house, but it never looked impoverished.
Anyone who saw that house would think like I did.
‘Ah, the family that lives in this house must have been very happy and harmonious.’
There were paintings by the princess everywhere, and I followed those paintings up the stairs, guiding the former king. There would be a picture of the red-haired boy upstairs that the former king was so eager to see.
Then suddenly, there was a thud downstairs. Thinking something had fallen, I went down to the first floor, but everything was in order.
As I thought the sound might have come from outside, I started hearing a clattering noise again.
Following the source of the sound, I saw a small courtyard next to the kitchen, and there was a small red-haired boy sitting there.
“Who are you…”
Before I could ask, the boy suddenly collapsed and fainted.
It was a strange situation. The soldiers had searched the cabin and the forest thoroughly over several days. They confirmed two or three times that there wasn’t even a small cat. They were stationed at every window and door, guarding the cabin daily, though no one had ever found the forest, to prevent even a wild boar from ruining the grave.
So where had the boy been hiding, and why did he come out now?
As I was bewildered, the former king suddenly sat down and hugged the boy.
It was unbelievable.
Just because a red-haired boy was found in the princess’s cabin, and he looked a bit like the boy in the princess’s drawings (and let me tell you, the drawings weren’t very realistic), was it enough to hastily believe he was the grandson?
Even though the boy didn’t wake up despite the former king crying loudly and clinging to him, the king immediately ordered a doctor from a nearby village, and soldiers were dispatched to summon the royal physician to the Arles Palace.
It was an excessive fuss, but I was also worried about the boy who had suddenly appeared and fainted. However, the doctor from the Arles Palace said,
“He just seems to be sleeping.”
Indeed, his breathing was quite even. The boy, who was soundly asleep even in the rattling carriage, suddenly woke up when we were about halfway to the palace.
As soon as he saw me, he screamed in a high-pitched voice, like a girl. After several screams, the carriage stopped, and the former king came running.
Finally, after seeing the bearded, white-haired former king hugging him and sobbing, the boy said,
“This beard… Alphy…?”
It was an extremely disrespectful tone, but perhaps it evoked some nostalgia, as the former king hugged him and cried again.
“Yes, Alphy, it’s Grandpa Alphy. Edwina used to call me that when she was young. Open your eyes, child. Look at this grandpa with those green eyes.”
The boy was almost my age, yet he called him a child. By the time the emotional reunion ended, we had arrived at Arles.
The boy knew nothing of court etiquette, not even the basic greetings that any lower noble would know. His strange way of greeting me was more amusing than anything else.
Apparently, he felt dizzy from the bumpy carriage ride, so he wanted to ride a horse. However, he admitted he had never ridden a horse before, so it fell to me to let him ride behind me.
Holding onto my back tightly, he asked, “Prince Archie, you’re Prince Archie, right?” His voice sounded very innocent.
At that moment, I understood why the former king Alfred had been so easily taken in by the boy’s face.
Curious Coco,
You must be most curious about how much the boy resembles Princess Edwina, right?
Let me explain by telling you Her Majesty’s reaction when she first saw Florian. As soon as she saw him, she said,
“Edwina…?”
Then I realized that the former king’s instant belief in the boy wasn’t because he was a great swindler or had completely charmed the former king with his innocent face.
I had never seen Princess Edwina in person, so I couldn’t know how much they resembled each other.
But still, I remain suspicious of Florian.
There is definitely something odd about him.
-Your suspicious friend, Archie.
———= Author’s Note ———=
To the readers.
Archie isn’t called the Prince of Leaving Messages Unread for nothing. Cordelia couldn’t respond for three days…
This karma will come back under the keyword #RegretfulMan… But I love writing #KindMan.ㅠㅠ
One more chapter is left. Please recommend and move on to the next story!
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(Continuous Update 9/9)
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