To Archibald Albert William, who suddenly found himself in a world where he knew no one, Edwina was like the owner who picked up a stray kitten that had lost its mother.
However, that kind owner soon left Archie. Still, perhaps worried about leaving him alone, she left him a few letters.
Letters.
Well, should those even be called letters?
They were probably closer to an instruction manual or a checklist than letters.
1. Complete the manuscript for the sequel to *The Princess and the Knight* by June, seven years from now.
2. Leave the management of the trust fund to the lawyer and meet with him once a month to discuss it.
3. For the entrance fee to the boarding school and other financial matters, refer to the documents inside the desk drawer.
4. Regarding bathroom usage – refer to the second shelf.
5. Regarding shop management – find and read the yellow book in the second kitchen drawer with Remi’s contact information and keys.
…
There were no emotional words like “Live well on your own. It will be tough, but always stay strong.” It was filled with only practical instructions, but even so, Archie felt oddly strengthened every time he read the paper.
By around the 18th line, there were detailed instructions on how to fill the bathtub with warm water, and by the 20th line, there were even notes on the market prices at the vegetable shop. How could one not feel something while reading such a letter?
From the sharp advice not to waste money by buying overpriced fruits, to the world’s signal systems, to how to casually reply when people talked about the weather, to how to order and pay in pubs—this paper had 206 numbered entries. Archibald Albert William cherished this as much as Cordelia’s letters.
However, whenever he read the very last clause, his chest tightened for some reason.
…206. Do not, under any circumstances, seek out my daughter until she comes to the green-signed antique shop at Portobello on June 5th, seven years from now. Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not.
What was with repeating “absolutely” three times?
Archie sighed deeply.
He could understand the sentiment. If he went looking for Cordelia and happened to run into her, who knew how things could go wrong? What if he, captivated by her round, cute face, unintentionally spoke to her and everything went awry?
So, Edwina’s worries and the threat in Clause 206 were justified. Archie had lived the past three years thinking that way.
It wasn’t a bad life, all things considered.
In the first year, Archie was busy adjusting to this world after Edwina left. Cordelia’s world was completely different from the one Archie had lived in, and at times, it seemed fascinating, and at other times, utterly strange.
But then again, Archie’s greatest strength was his ability to adapt anywhere, so the new experiences of the first year weren’t too challenging.
By the second year, Archie thought it was fortunate that he was born a laid-back person who enjoyed doing nothing.
The balance Edwina left behind was more than sufficient, and the royalties from *The Princess and the Knight* as well as the profits from the antique shop were quite substantial. Most importantly, Archie wasn’t someone who spent much, even when he had lived as a prince.
He began to find enjoyment in running the antique shop, and occasionally exploring the books Edwina used to read provided some intellectual stimulation. Focusing on the authors Cordelia had introduced, Archie compiled a thick reading list and completed every book on it by the end of the year.
During this time, Archie had so much time that he found himself reminiscing over the letters he had exchanged with Cordelia and reflecting on the many events of his youth. Among those memories, the one he recalled most often was what the fortune-teller had said to him at a royal ball in his childhood.
“You were born under a lucky star, Your Highness. Wherever you go in life, you won’t suffer. No matter what adversity you face, someone of noble status will save you and ensure you’re well-fed.”
For two leisurely years, Archie thought, Maybe that’s true, and continued his easygoing life.
Then came the third year. Archie’s life had become boring. He had mastered 205 of the clauses, and he was diligently adhering to the 206th as well. Reading books had become dull, and working in the shop was somehow less fun.
Taking casual strolls in the park or cooking dishes from Anne’s recipe book, which Cordelia had given him before, also felt less exciting.
One day, Archibald Albert William thought:
“Maybe it’s time I started living more diligently? Maybe even fiercely?”
Archie was shocked by his own words. How could he, after 20 years of holding fast to his life philosophy, suddenly think this way? He hurried to check himself in the mirror.
The face reflected was still beautiful, but for some reason, his complexion didn’t look quite right.
I now understand why Remi suddenly asked me, “Are you okay, Prince?” while looking at me yesterday.
Come to think of it, it seemed like it had been ages since I had slept deeply through the night without waking up.
Recently, I hadn’t been able to swallow food easily, skipping several meals.
Even so, I hadn’t felt hunger. My appetite had been gone for a long time.
As I pondered all these things, Archie Albert William muttered to himself.
“Am I sick?”
He pinched himself here and there. It hurt a little, perhaps because he pinched too hard, but there didn’t seem to be any part of him that wasn’t sturdy.
He placed his hand on his forehead, wondering if he had a fever. Surprisingly, he was perfectly fine.
After checking his body like a malfunctioning machine, Archie Albert William realized that there was only one place that hurt.
A corner of his heart ached.
The moment he placed his hand there, an overwhelming sense of emptiness and longing filled him.
“That’s absurd…”
He muttered softly.
Was it because he missed Queen Adelaide or Cecilia?
Sadly, it wasn’t. Archie sighed, blaming his own indifference for not being particularly affectionate with his family or feeling sentimental toward his mother.
Was it because he missed Bedder or Noel?
That was somewhat true. He sometimes missed the monastery people or the serene landscape there. However, even while he was in Arles, there were times when he didn’t hear from them for a year or two. Now, it was unlikely that he would miss them so much that he would stop eating.
Then what was it?
Why did he feel like he was going to die from this emptiness?
Archie wandered around the store Edwina had left behind, lost in thought. After reading the *Princess and Knight* book he had secretly taken from her belongings and repeatedly stroking the book storage box she had told him to take care of, Archie finally came to terms with his feelings.
This was lovesickness.
The desire to see Cordelia again.
The longing for the happy times when he listened to her chatter all night long.
After three years of barely managing to suppress these feelings, Archie Albert William finally had to admit that he had reached his breaking point.
In the silent room, Archie burst into laughter.
“My goodness, to think I would miss her this much.”
Still, like rain in a drought, wasn’t there at least the occasional letter from young Cordelia? Archie glanced at the calendar on the wall, thinking it was about time for a letter to arrive. It was already August.
In this third summer, Cordelia would now be spending her summer vacation as a newly eighteen-year-old. There were only a few more letters left that Archie could send, pretending to be Edwina. Before the end of this vacation, she would visit the old neighborhood and meet the lady next door. There, she would hear the news that Edwina had passed away and would discover the truth behind the fake letters.
The thought of that day brought another pang to his heart. Although he regretted that this charade of sending fake letters was coming to an end, what pained him more was knowing that it would be an incredibly difficult day for Cordelia.
Once he became aware of the pain, it was unbearable. To ease his suffocating heart, Archie left the house for the first time in a while.
Following Edwina’s instructions from the 103rd to the 105th points in her letter, he went down to the subway station, bought a ticket, and boarded the Tube.
Cordelia had once said that when she felt sad, she would ride in this gray box. She explained that since there were only people who were about to get off and those who had just boarded, you could sit there and sob without anyone bothering you.
Maybe that was why Archie had always been reluctant to ride the Tube. Though it had been three years, this was the first time he had ever thought of getting on. The gray box was much narrower and more barren than he had imagined, and because of that, everyone riding it seemed gloomy.
Perhaps the Tube was a place filled with people like Cordelia, who just wanted to cry. As if to confirm that suspicion, he heard the faint sound of someone sobbing in a corner.
“Sad people find each other…”
Archie muttered the phrase from the book he had read yesterday, turning his gaze toward the direction of the sobbing. His heart almost stopped.
Cordelia was there.
Wearing light summer clothes, with her long, wavy molasses-colored hair carelessly undone, she looked slightly younger than when they had first met. Her face was flushed, and she was crying openly, not even bothering to hide her tears.
Half the people in the Tube glanced at Cordelia the way Archie did, but no one stared for long.
In that indifferent courtesy, a younger and smaller Cordelia Gray, who was even smaller in his memory, was sobbing to her heart’s content. Archie wanted to rush over and wipe her tears away. He wanted to give her one of Edwina’s real letters.
If all of that was forbidden, then at least he wanted to tell her not to cry. He wanted to hand her a handkerchief and ask her to cover her face.
But he couldn’t. She was crying alone because she didn’t want any of that.
Yes, today was the day.
The day Cordelia, during her summer vacation, visited the old neighborhood, met Juliet’s mother, and heard the story that Edwina had passed away long ago.
Archie could only lower his head, unable to properly look at Cordelia’s face, sitting still.
He couldn’t risk staring at her, afraid she might notice him, afraid that meeting her eyes would distort everything. So, Archie simply stared at her small, worn shoes. He stared long enough to notice that the left side was more worn than the right.
After a long time, Cordelia got off the Tube. Although continuing on his way would have been the right thing to do, Arch’s feet moved automatically, following her.
After they left the station and walked for a while, the Thames River came into view.
“She’s not going to jump, is she?”
Although he thought that, there was a vague sense of unease. Who could know how the world changes? Moreover, Cordelia had been standing by the river, looking down at the water for nearly ten minutes now. Even in summer, the night breeze felt cold, and then, she suddenly started walking.
Yes, she had said that after riding the Tube for a long time, she would get off and wander aimlessly for a while.
Recalling those passages from the letters he had read long ago, Archie continued to follow her. For a long time, until the sky over the river turned red.
Cordelia walked for what seemed like an eternity and then suddenly stopped, glancing around. She pulled out her phone, as if to check the time, but after looking at it, she simply said,
“It’s dead.”
That small murmur pained Archie.
Why did her phone have to die at a moment like this?
If her phone had been working, she could have called Juliet, or at least one of her dormitory friends, to share her feelings and get some comfort.
It was at that moment that Archie decided, ignoring all the complicated instructions written in points 111 through 115 about the convenience and usage of mobile phones, that he would never buy one.
A useless thing that would die just when Cordelia needed it most—he never wanted to deal with such a device.
Regardless of Archie’s pointless determination, Cordelia continued walking along the riverside. She walked peacefully, as if nothing had happened, then suddenly ran like a madwoman.
She ran until she was out of breath, then, when she saw a bookstore, she entered and wandered among the books. After browsing for a while, she bought one, walking out and reading it as if to replace her dead phone. Then she suddenly stopped, cried for a while, looked around, and crossed the street.
“She always checks both ways.”
Even in this moment, Archie found it endearing. If he could, he wanted to write to Edwina and ask, “Isn’t she just precious?”
After crossing the street, Cordelia seemed to get hungry and entered a bakery. She bought three large rolls, each the size of her face, and began munching on them.
At least eating something to fill her stomach, no matter how simple, was a good thing. Archie felt a little relieved as he sat far from her, taking a bite of food for the first time in a long while himself. He found himself wishing the bread were sweeter, even though he didn’t usually like sweets.
By then, the sun had set. Both Cordelia and Archie knew it was time for her to return to the dormitory. Fearless in the dark, Cordelia walked confidently.
It seemed like she was planning to walk all the way back to the dorm. Archie followed her from a distance, walking with her until the dormitory came into view, and he was sure she would make it back safely.
After a long while, the dormitory building appeared in the distance. Archie stopped following her. As soon as Cordelia saw her destination, her pace quickened, full of excitement. Archie stood behind, watching until she shrank into a small dot and finally disappeared from sight.
On his way back, Archie wandered aimlessly for a while, just like Cordelia. Eventually, he stopped at the same bookstore she had visited and browsed through the books. There, he found a beautifully bound copy of *Daddy-Long-Legs* and bought it without hesitation.
When he returned home, there would surely be another polite letter from Cordelia waiting for him. All that remained was to reply to it and send her this book.
Still, the walk home wasn’t as lonely as before. The bread he had shared with Cordelia had filled the emptiness inside him a little. And when the cold winds blew through his heart again, he could, like Cordelia, simply walk and flip through the pages of a book.
It was a risky but comforting habit. And now, another four years lay ahead of him.
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