Afterword

Afterword

 

WE’VE FINALLY REACHED the end of our main story. I can’t believe I was able to write five whole volumes. I’m filled with so many different emotions. Thank you so much to my readers, who stuck with me the whole way. During the course of writing this book, I somehow lost my data. After agonizing over what to do, I decided to trash the story I’d written to that point and start over anew, but then unfortunately, my computer froze.

Once I was able to get it working again, I was able to recover my file from Word…but it only recovered the part of the story I’d decided to trash! It was my fault for not saving often enough. In fact, I’d made this mistake before, but what’s that old proverb? “Danger past and God forgotten.” So for a while, I had a hard time writing.

Anyway, I digress. The hardest thing about writing this story was that Iris is such a workaholic. Before I started writing the series, I had decided on a plot outline, but once I actually began to write and the story unfolded, Iris would say, “Stop!” and rush back into her study. She didn’t want to come out for me to write about the everyday happenings of her life. So honestly, when Tanya tells her, “Why don’t you take a break?” That’s actually my voice coming into the story. Many times, I would sit in front of the computer and hope that Iris would leave her study this time.

It was because of her devotion to her work that I was able to continue writing the story. I admired her for working so hard and risking everything for the ones she loved, and her ability to keep plodding forward. That was why I empathized with the ones who worked for Iris. I cried along with them when she worked too hard, and I admired her just like they did.

I’m so thankful for the characters in this book. Although the main story has concluded, the series continues in the form of a prequel. It features a major character of the fifth volume. Yes, the protagonist of the story going forward will be Merellis, Iris’s mother. I want to describe how she felt when she first picked up a sword and went through training, then went to war.

I hope you’ll continue reading and also pick up the manga. The thoughts and feelings show on the characters’ faces, and they look so alive in the illustrations. Thank you so much to Suki Umemiya for bringing the world of the duke’s daughter alive with your drawings.

I’d like to thank some more people.

To my editors—I apologize for all the trouble I caused! I’m sorry for wanting to change details at the last minute, and for wanting to add to scenes here and there. Thank you so much for your support.

Thank you to the people around me who supported me while I wrote this series.

To Haduki Futaba, thank you so much for your beautiful illustrations. When I first saw the rough draft of the cover for Volume 5, I was overwhelmed by emotion. It reminded me of when I saw the cover for the first volume.

And to all of my readers, the only reason this last volume was published is because of your support and readership throughout this series. Thank you so much.

 

—REIA