Love Letter From The Future

Chapter 371: Bread and Dagger (69)

Cien wandered through the freezing night.

The northern moon cast an exceptionally sorrowful glow. Whenever that icy silver light pierced her eyes, it sent a shudder through her body.

The night wind cut like a whip.

Each gust of the northern wind made her delicate skin feel as though it were being torn apart. Her flushed cheeks burned with pain.

It wasn’t weather suited for a walk.

And yet, the princess couldn’t stop frantically pacing. Neither the cold nor the pain was enough to snap her out of it.

It’s my fault.

Those words of self-blame embedded themselves in her mind like shards of glass. As the dry, icy wind brushed her skin, an unrelenting sense of remorse tore at the princess’s tender heart.

Everything... is my fault.

“Huuuh, kkuh...”

Her breathing had suddenly grown ragged.

Unable to endure it any longer, her body collapsed under a nearby wall,her pale gray eyes trembling incessantly.

Scenes flashed before the princess’s eyes as she clasped her ears tightly shut.

Their first meeting, when he had drenched her with water.

The reassuring sight of his back as he protected her from the Dark Priest.

Even after all that, Ian had never once blamed her. He always treated her with a gentle smile.

And so, without realizing it, the princess let herself entertain an overreaching thought.

A feeble hope that perhaps she could be forgiven.

It had been a foolish idea.

Once again, the princess had made a grave mistake.

Her mind had been unstable after her first real battle. On top of that, it was the first time she’d ever harmed another being. Never before had her hands trembled so hard that she wasn’t able to even cast a proper spell.

The price of her failure was devastating.

When Ian had faced the Snow leopard demonic human, if the princess had acted even a little faster—

Then Ian wouldn’t have gone missing. He wouldn’t have forgotten who he was, nor turned against humanity, becoming the princess’s enemy.

It was a cruel tragedy.

The princess was already indebted to Ian.

And before she could repay it, she’d made yet another pathetic mistake.

She’d spent days furiously tearing at her hair in self-blame.

But no matter what she did, she didn’t feel any less guilty. Instead, the sense of loss from having lost humanity’s hero—the gallant knight she so deeply admired—only grew stronger.

Especially when she felt personally responsible, there was little need to say how that weighed on her.

“Huh. Haah... huuhk, kkuh, AAAAAHHHCK!”

Thud—her head struck the wall behind her.

Her thoughts felt polluted, as if viscous mud was bubbling up and tainting her mind. Each time this happened, Cien would lash out by harming her own body.

It was the only way she could briefly clear her thoughts.

But regret always came too late.

The milk was already spilled, and finding a way to save Ian was the only thing she could do now.

But how the hell am I supposed to do that?

The question bore into her brain as her thoughts became chaotic once more.

Thud—once more, the princess’s head hit the wall.

The sharp pain cleared her vision momentarily. Biting her nails with a grinding sound, the princess fell deep into thought, her body quivering all over.

Think. Come up with something.

What about a hostage exchange?

Wouldn’t the Imperial Princess be a more valuable hostage than Ian? If she could sacrifice herself to save him, the princess was willing to even stake her own life.

“Haa, ugh...”

It wasn’t a plan she had seriously come up with.

But the trauma of her first kill, combined with the despair of losing the man she loved, had long since shattered her mind. A burning desire to atone for her sins consumed her entirely.

The more she thought about it, the more reasonable she thought the idea was.

Cien would go to the elves, and Ian would return to humanity.

And the amnesia?

Perhaps talking to him enough might bring his memories back. At the very least, it was infinitely better than Ian siding with the elves and being branded a traitor to humanity.

Of course in return, Cien would have to face endless humiliation at the elves’ hands.

She was a girl raised as the cherished jewel of the Imperial family. She knew well that in the resource-scarce coniferous forest, she couldn’t expect to be treated like royalty.

She was both terrified and afraid.

But for the girl whose life had already become a living hell, this was her only path to redemption. Besides, didn’t they say that a rescue team, led by Delphine and Elsie, was being dispatched?

If she could convince them properly, it wouldn’t be impossible.

Cien brushed away the unpleasant scenarios and, with a dazed look in her eyes, started envisioning what might come afterward.

Ian would return.

Meanwhile, she would be dragged away by the elves, subjected to who-knows-what. While she endlessly suffered, Ian would inevitably end up in the arms of that other woman again.

Delphine Yurdina.

He might seek out that vixen’s body again. Though at a certain point in time, the thought had filled her with a fierce sense of inferiority, it didn’t matter now.

Once Ian regained his memory, he would think of the princess every night.

It was the logical conclusion based on her observations of his character. Whether it was when he slept, ate, or even when holding another woman.

Ian would never be able to erase her from his mind.

She had long since given up on expecting any sort of love.

The princess had committed far too many sins. She could never shamelessly say she wanted to be held in Ian’s arms.

If that was the case, what was wrong with becoming a scar on his heart instead?

Perhaps someday, Ian would come rescue her.

Would I be able to beg for his forgiveness then?

Punishment was, after all, the oldest way of atoning for sin. If suffering for years meant that Ian would forgive her, Cien was prepared to go through with it.

And maybe, someday...

A flush of heat rose in Cien’s mind. Like steam, the memories swirled up, reflecting a scene from one particular night.

It was an image of the day when those two people tangled together in the throes of pleasure.

“Haah, haah... huuht, ngh...”

Cien’s voice began to mix with ragged breaths.

The princess suppressed her breathing as much as possible, her hand moving unconsciously downward, like a young girl discovering forbidden instincts for the first time.

But her body flinched before freezing after a bit.

She heard movement from somewhere nearby.

Crunch.

The faint sound of footsteps pressing against snow brushed past her ears. The princess, who was in the midst of attempting something secretive, instinctively held her breath even harder.

She was in a spot in Yurdina Castle seldom frequented by anyone.

To begin with, only individuals of verified status were allowed into Yurdina Castle. Aside from the servants, the visitors were usually nobles.

It was highly unlikely that anyone would come to such a secluded area at night.

Unless, like the princess, they had wandered aimlessly and ended up there.

Conveniently, there was a small hole in the stone wall that was just the right size for Cien to peer through.

As her gray pupils suddenly covered the gap, icy moonlight poured into her vision.

Off in the distance, a man’s silhouette came into her view.

Swathed in thick clothing, his features were hard to discern. But his hunched shoulders conveyed the impression of old age.

The princess’s gray eyes instinctively narrowed.

Her vision was hazy, so she couldn’t make out the details, but the atmosphere radiating from the figure was not positive in the slightest.

Anxiety, impatience, despair.

The dark hues of emotion almost made her furrow her brows.

But what truly startled the princess was yet to come.

“......Step out already.”

Is he talking to me?

The princess, startled, almost stood up without thinking. But just before she did, another silhouette appeared behind the man.

Whoever it was, they were incredibly stealthy.

The princess grew increasingly suspicious of the secret meeting and strained her ears to listen.

The radiant moonlight reflected off the scene, illuminating the face of the newly arrived man.

He was a masked figure.

He began speaking in a crackling voice, one that was clearly altered.

“I heard Sir Alex is dead. Is the secret still well-kept?”

“I made sure to warn the messenger—told him there’s some terrifying fellow after his neck...”

The masked man fell silent at that weary reply.

The elderly man turned his weary gaze toward the figure.

“Now then, this is a face I haven’t seen before... I suppose the cult has manpower to spare these days?”

“That is not a matter for you to concern yourself with, Marquis.”

Marquis?

The moment she heard that word, she barely managed to stifle the scream that threatened to escape from her lips.

Clamping her hands tightly over her mouth, she slid down the wall, only managing to catch her breath after reaching the ground.

Marquis, he said...

Isn’t there only one Marquis staying at the Yurdina Castle?

The Marquis Yurdina.

The very master of this castle.

***Ashen remnants billowed over the burnt-down village.

Delphine stood before a grave crafted from snow, her crimson eyes fixed on the mound where a greatsword was planted.

“Alex...”

Her voice was laced with complex emotions.

Why had Alex come here?

Officially, he was said to be handling a missing person’s case alone, but Delphine had never received such a report.

Someone might have tampered with the reporting system again, or perhaps...

Delphine couldn’t bring herself to consider the other possibility.

Alex had been a loyal vassal of the family even before she was born. She didn’t want to tarnish his name with dishonor after his death.

Besides, the truth would eventually come to light anyway.

Delphine’s gaze flicked briefly behind her. There stood a red-haired woman, her face drawn and haggard as she splashed a liquid onto the ground.

Beside her, a petite girl followed closely, exclaiming excitedly.

“Wow, woah! There are footprints! Hey, commoner! How did you do that?”

“I made the potion on the way here.”

Emma’s voice was heavy with exhaustion.

At Emma’s confession, Elsie fell silent with a somewhat awkward expression

The search through the coniferous forest was nothing less than a grueling march.

For someone like Emma, who lacked meaningful physical strength, it must have been an even harsher ordeal. Yet, she had sacrificed her sleep to craft potions along the way.

Elsie couldn’t help but feel momentarily daunted by her determination.

“My life was a lost cause to begin with. Without Ian, I’d be dead... So I just want to help him, even if it’s just a little.”

“I-I see......”

Emma’s pale green eyes, fixed on the ground, carried a resolute determination. Her gaze was heavy, filled with unshakable resolve.

Pfft, Elsie let out a chuckle before sliding up to Emma.

“Not bad, commoner! You’re growing on me... Once we find my master, I’ll make an exception just for you and allow you to become one of his concubines!”

Anyone listening might think she is already the official wife.

Delphine scoffed inwardly, but chose not to provoke Elsie.

After all, that brat couldn’t possibly know anyway

About the breathless whispers they shared that day, and the shiver of pleasure that shot up her spine—

A sense of inexplicable superiority, mingled with forbidden guilt played across Delphine’s lips in a faint smile. Yet, at the same time, her chest tightened painfully.

I need to find you, Master...

As if in response to her desperation, Emma’s frantic shout rang out.

“I found it! Traces of a group moving together!”

Startled, Delphine’s eyes darted toward Emma. Sure enough, a messy series of footprints trailed the ground in that spot.

All of them pointed in the same direction.

Only then was Delphine able to breathe a sigh of relief.

At last, they had a lead.

About where Ian had gone.

They would most likely locate him within a day or two at most.