Last Chapter: Claus Hafan’s Letter

Dear Erika Aurelia,

A month has passed since we returned to Silverbough Castle in Hafan. I still remember the events of the Spring Palace like they happened yesterday. While it has been quite some time, I believe I have finally managed to collect my thoughts satisfactorily enough to send you a letter.

Truth be told, I initially did not think kindly of our visit to Aurelia. Do you remember the talks between my father and Duke Aurelia? Publicly, they were in regards to mine development and forest resources. You may not have noticed, but I heard they were underlaid by a secret discussion about an engagement between you and me.

We would both be forced down the tracks of a political marriage decided by our parents. The way things were going, I was certain I would end up in a depressing, loveless relationship. The daughter of Duke Aurelia would surely be spoiled rotten and intolerable. I was sure of it. Why did I have to take a gaudy, ill-natured woman as my wife? I came with my mind full of such prejudice.

But that could not have been further from the truth. You were far, far stronger than me. No, you cannot even be measured on a scale of strength. Compared to you, I am... what is it, I wonder? I have a hard time putting it into words. The one thing I can say is that this is the first time I have ever met a woman like you.

Getting back on track. Back then, at the dreary depths of the earth, I was not able to do a thing. I was helpless when I was at a standstill from the labyrinth’s traps and again when an incomprehensible monster was about to kill my sister.

You were always the one who came to the rescue.

You wholeheartedly thanked me, but you must be mistaken. It is the other way around; I should be the one thanking you.

Thank you for protecting my sister, Anne. If you had not made it in time, I would not have forgiven myself for the rest of my life.

I think I want to become a person who can be your equal. I am far too weak as I am now. So one day, when I have enough strength to look you in the eye, I want to propose to you. For real this time.

Naturally, if you are against it, we can pretend this never happened. But please remember this: you don’t have to be mine, but know that I will be yours. If something happens to you, I will rush to your side faster than anyone else. I will protect you, even if it costs me my life.

Your Eternal Shield,

Claus Hafan

☆

“Anne! Wh-Why are you reading someone else’s letter?! Who taught you to do that?! Give it back!”

“This is atrocious, Claus! Absolutely no good at all!”

Anne had snatched away the letter Claus had just finished writing in secret. While Claus panicked to reclaim it, Anne had already read it in its entirety. She stopped him right in his tracks before he could flee.

The girl was three years younger than Claus, and he was terrible at dealing with her.

“Claus. Why are you writing such a gauche, stilted letter? I take my eyes off of you for one minute, and you’re already off wasting all your effort.”

“What part of it is stilted?!”

“Okay, we’ll take it one section at a time. Why are you declaring such excessive attachment? Erika will just be creeped out if she receives something like that!”

“Wha... What?!”

“Your feelings are too heavy!”

“So what are you saying I did wrong?!”

Claus hadn’t the slightest idea what part of it needed work, but it was clear enough that there was a serious mistake somewhere in the letter. His only lead came in the indignant words of his sister, and he would have to listen well.

Anne was one of his few sources of information about the daughter of Duke Aurelia, after all.

“This came up when I was having a girl talk with Erika...”

“Girl talk? And?”

Claus didn’t quite understand what that meant, but he ignored it. Thanks to Erika’s influence, Anne had started picking up some peculiar terms, and currently, she was the only one with an actual grasp on their meaning.

When it came to these matters, obeying his sister was a bridge he had to cross.

“I asked what manner of gentleman she preferred. According to her, while she doesn’t pine for any specific traits, there are traits she would much rather avoid.”

“Hm. In which case, we can use the process of elimination to infer her actual preferences.”

“Precisely.”

“That’s important information. Please continue.”

“Erika dislikes men who arbitrarily shove their emotions onto her. Additionally, she said she was no good with gentlemen who seem favorable at first glance, but who have absolutely no intent to properly communicate.”

“Certainly, I can understand her distaste.”

“It’s not just distaste; she says she doesn’t want to breathe the same air as them.”

“Are you kidding me?!”

“It’s pretty serious.”

“I see...”

Claus secretly recorded the info in a corner of his heart as an item of the utmost importance. Surely Erika had some profound reason for it. There was a possibility she would unequivocally reject him if he carelessly did anything of the sort. Despite his cluelessness on the matter, Claus mulled it over in earnest.

“Also, she wants nothing to do with men who might suddenly bludgeon or stab her from behind...”

“Well, isn’t that obvious?”

Claus was perplexed. His fiancée candidate was only eight; what could she possibly have experienced?

Assassination, maybe? Does that mean someone nearly killed her before? Is that why she sometimes has that dark look in her eyes?

“The world is filled with so many things I know nothing about,” he murmured as his will to protect her grew stronger.

“Our dear Erika looks like she’s kind to everyone, but she’s actually quite the misandrist. In fact, she might even be a misanthropist.”

“What?”

“Ah, I knew it. You’re dense, so you never noticed. It’s because of that smile of hers. It completely masks her true intentions.”

Claus was even more confused than before. He thought back to his time with Erika at the Spring Palace. He wouldn’t say she particularly liked him, but he’d never even considered she might hate him.

The reason being, in most cases, Erika would direct a gentle and reserved smile his way. Was that smile a lie? He shook his head to deny it.

“That’s a smile that will graciously accept anyone, or perhaps she’s showing special courtesy to me and no one else—you couldn’t possibly have thought that, could you?” Anne sharply catechized him.

“Ngh...”

“That’s the sort of smile that won’t let anyone shrink the distance beyond a certain point.”

“Are you serious...?”

“Even when she seems to be having fun surrounded by loads of people, did you notice how she secretly sends a lonely look into the distance?”

“Yeah. I picked up on that much, at least.”

“Wonderful! You just barely passed, Claus!”

Rather than lonely, it felt more like she was zoning out. That’s how Claus saw it, anyway, but he wouldn’t dare say that aloud. At times like these, it was flat-out impossible to beat his sister with words.

As he was thinking over such things, Anne closed in with a serious look in her eyes. Indeed, her stare was so stern that it made her brother retreat ever so slightly.

“As your little sister, I will be overjoyed if Erika becomes my sister-in-law.”

“Uh-huh...”

“So how about you work a bit harder, Claus? You haven’t gotten serious about this yet, have you?”

“Right...”

“I guess I’ll permit your spinelessness for now.”

“Well, good thing I have your permission.”

Not that I need it! he screamed in his head, trembling at the unfairness of the world.

“Yes, your being a scaredy-cat is still okay for now. You still have the advantage of time.”

“What are we fighting against?”

“What do you mean, ‘we’?! You’re the one who should be taking the initiative in this battle!”

“Right...”

Claus cowered just a bit in the face of Anne’s threatening aura. Looks like I’m just generally bad with women.

“So, uh, can you tell me what you mean?”

“Our dear Erika is extremely beautiful.”

“Mgh... Well, you’re not wrong. She’s... decently pretty, I guess.”

“Huh?! Look me in the eye, and say that again.”

“Why do I have to?”

Losing his nerve, Claus finally averted his eyes from his sister. Anne gave a mischievous smirk the moment her bothersome brother wasn’t looking.

“Give her a few years, and Erika will be gorgeous and downright bewitching, like a large rose in bloom. By then, you’ll be too late with your half-baked attitude. Do you really understand, Claus?”

“What will be too late?”

“When Erika reaches adulthood, she will inherit the vast tracts of land left by her late mother. She’ll inherit a number of Aurelia’s plentiful silver veins. Add that to her extraordinary beauty, and what do you think will happen?”

“Please, do tell.”

He would do anything in his power to marry her, even if she were an illiterate peasant. What did her status matter? At least, those were the intentions Claus wanted to get across, but Anne’s reaction betrayed his expectations.

“The girl’s prime real estate! She’ll be in great demand! You’ll have rivals all over the continent!”

“Say what?”

“For example, Margrave Harlan of Urs will definitely be after her.”

“For real?! He’s twenty-six years older than she is!”

Going on thirty-five, Lucanlandt’s Margrave of Urs was the topic of numerous bloody, unsavory rumors. Allegedly, he abducted women of his fief, even wives with husbands, and slaughtered them. To top it all off, he deliberately surrounded himself with the young daughters of the subordinates and citizens he had murdered. One live-in maid had been tormented so mercilessly that she’d cast her body into the sea in less than two months.

This thorny gossip was all that was said of him.

In desolate regions that lay in the gray area between rule of law and rule of man, barbarous acts like the abduction of women by nobles weren’t all that rare. That being said, Harlan had simply killed too many, too often.

“Apart from him, there’s also His Highness, Crown Prince August of Ignitia. He’s ten, same as you. He might be your biggest rival.”

“What?! That blasted August?! I won’t allow it!”

Ignitia’s Prince August was yet another source of terrible rumors.

He was born of the queen’s infidelity and raised without love. Without pure royal blood running through his veins, he could neither ride nor receive the blessings of Ignitia’s guardian dragons. Prince August was so selfish and foolish that even his closest attendants had completely given up on him. The bishops all foretold that should he ever take a throne, an era of darkness would descend upon the world.

However, Anne had never heard of any clear, distinct victims of August’s tyranny. It was her personal philosophy not to be too negative toward him on rumor alone.

Her views on this matter were largely influenced by her experience with Erika. Rumor had it that Erika would grow up to be an arrogant, vile woman like the late duchess, but after meeting her in person, Anne thought she seemed perfectly harmless.

Not that any of this mattered, as she was simply using August as tinder to kindle her brother’s flames.

I know they’re uncertain, but I’ll just use the rumors to the fullest, she smirked.

There were many nobles out there she personally didn’t want to marry, but few that Claus would know of.

“With Prince August, even if she becomes queen, she won’t find any happiness.”

“Right. I would reluctantly give my blessing as long as she would be happy, but... if he only brings her sorrow, that’s another story.”

“That being the case, Prince August may one day become the ruler of our united kingdoms. On the off chance he is engaged to Erika, and you try to steal her back, there’s no telling what will happen to us.”

Claus scowled. That would make for civil war. It was something he had to avoid. Otherwise, for what reason had their old monarchy endured the disgrace of submitting to Ignitia and becoming its retainers?

“But why are you so knowledgeable about nobles outside of Hafan?”

“Because it directly concerns me.”

“Oh? What do you mean?”

“If Hafan’s political standing gets worse, I might be forced to marry the margrave or the prince.”

“I won’t allow it.”

“Your will has nothing to do with it.”

“No matter what happens, I won’t allow it. In the first place, you’re always prattling on about your ideal man or—”

“Enough about me!”

Incidentally, while Anne was so harsh on him, her ideal man was none other than her unsociable brother. He had no courtesy, was a poor speaker, and could never be honest with himself, but Anne knew his awkward kindness better than anyone. She understood that he grew so indignant when she brought up these unsavory marriage candidates because he sincerely wished for his sister’s happiness.

Truth be told, the one with the greatest antipathy toward Claus’ engagement had been Anne herself—though she was also the first one Erika Aurelia had managed to win over. The clincher was when she was first being shown around the garden. Erika’s face hadn’t betrayed the slightest bit of reluctance at Anne’s intentionally childish act. On top of that, Erika never forgot to display modest consideration. By that point, Anne had already appraised Erika to be a tolerant, virtuous woman and thought she might be able to leave her brother Claus to someone like her.

Her conjecture turned to conviction during the events in the depths of the Seafarer’s Ruins, which hardly required explanation.

“If the relationship between Hafan and Aurelia strengthens, I will have some more freedom with my own marriage.”

“You’re right. It does directly concern you.”

“So you need to establish normal communication! Not too clingy, not too shallow; just the right level! Get your goodwill across!”

“Y-Yeah...”

Claus averted his eyes from Anne’s sharp glare. He had always been dull to his own feelings, and he was naturally unsociable. How much would he have to mold and dress up his heart before he could write moderately natural sentences? He hadn’t the slightest idea.

“You’re making a face that says ‘it’s embarrassing, and I don’t want to do it.’”

“Urp.”

“Now you’re making a face that says ‘this is hard, and it’s a pain.’”

“I’m not. I’m definitely not. Rest at ease.”

“Then rewrite it to be a little softer and lighter, but make sure your love gets across without fail!”

“Hold on, now! L-Love?!”

Dense as he was, he didn’t even fully understand his feelings toward Erika. He had essentially fallen in love at first sight, and the emotions fluttering around in his chest were what had caused him to bark at her in irritation when he’d met her for the first time.

Now that a definitive word had finally been given to his hazy emotions, Claus became even more deeply conscious of Erika. Additionally, the fact that it just had to be his sister who’d figured it out caused him to turn defiant.

“Are you saying it isn’t?”

“It’s not! Definitely, definitely not!”

“Ah, for crying out loud! You just don’t know when to give up!”

For some time, the beautiful Silverbough Palace resounded with Anne’s scolds and Claus’ screams.

☆

About a month and a half after the incident, a single letter was delivered to Erika.

It was written on high-quality vellum and addressed from Claus Hafan.

“A letter from the black-haired child?” the voice came from the black dragon Zaratan—now named Tirnanog—who had grown quite accustomed to living with Erika.

Ultimately, even after slipping out of the armor that bound him, Tirnanog did not show any particular aggression. At the moment, he was in the middle of bathing, carefree, in a basin of hot water.

“Yes, that’s right. We got a gift from Anne, too.”

“Oh, an offering. I expect no less from the woman who managed to wound me. She shows promise.”

“Offering...? Is this an offering? Hmm, well, maybe it is.”

“May I open it?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

With Erika’s permission, Tirnanog brought his bathtime to an end and gleefully began ripping away at the packaging.

“A pig’s thigh! Splendid!”

“Wow... it’s a top-quality dry-aged ham. How considerate.”

The ankle of the leg was wrapped with a label bearing the crest of Duke Hafan. It was a rare gem that had been given ample time to cure.

I see, no wonder it was so big and heavy.

Erika vaguely recalled that Hafan was famous for its pigs, which engorged themselves on the plentiful acorns of its forests, and its calves, which were raised on soft white clover.

“May I eat it?”

“Yes, of course. But do leave some for me.”

“Trust in me. I have never left a friend to starve.”

Was it okay for a lady like herself to be so excited about meat? Erika hesitated for a moment, but she quickly chose to ignore her misgivings. Whatever the case, anyone who gave meat as a gift couldn’t be a bad person.

Oblivious to Erika’s inner conflict, Tirnanog took a large, hearty bite of the ham.

“Now let’s look at the letter,” said Erika as she undid the seal.

While she initially lowered her eyes to the page with a laid-back smile, her expression gradually clouded over. Once she was done reading, her gaze wandered through the open air, a meek look on her face.

Tirnanog lifted his head from the haunch once he noticed something was wrong.

“What is the matter?”

After holding her forehead a while as if she were plagued by a headache, she showed the vellum to the dragon.

“‘You are strong. I will become a man who won’t lose to you. Please, wait for me...’”

“What do you think?”

“He is challenging you to combat.”

“I see, so I wasn’t just imagining it.”

“The boy’s a tough one, but I’m sure you can win. I can tell.”

“No, that’s not what I meant...”

The genius magician of the east saw her as a rival. That much Erika could understand. She had absolutely no idea what she had done wrong. Maybe, just maybe, this was a new death flag.

And here I thought we’d become friends.

All this time, Erika had thought Claus was the first real friend of the opposite sex she’d ever made, past life included.

Erika nibbled on her bottom lip. Her distrust of humanity went up by yet another level that day.