To Sio Lieselotte, who pesters me even from Kasinov,

I’ll finally admit it. Sio Lieselotte. I really can’t stand you. How on earth did you manage to make every woman in my household so fond of you? Danyu asked me several times to write down the story of our outing and send it to you, and that’s the only reason I’m sitting at this desk right now. Watching that, Rene has started writing you a letter of her own. Well, it’s closer to scribbling than a letter, if we’re being honest. Still, she’s been practicing her handwriting lately with the goal of sending you letters, so it should be considerably more legible than the last one you received. Though I’m sure it’ll still be nearly impossible to read.

Anyway, since I’ve picked up the pen to write, I’ll pass along one piece of news from the capital while you’ve been away. Danyu would certainly have spent her entire letter talking about herself and left out everything else. The fact that she’s been nagging me several times about not having written the outing story makes me fairly certain of that, but if I’m wrong and she’s already told you this news, feel free to skip ahead to the next page.

A great deal has happened while you’ve been away, but the piece of news you’d find most interesting is surely about Manuel, [1] the director of the orphanage where you grew up. There had long been strange rumors about him, as you know. The rumor that he’d place children for adoption without properly vetting the conditions, as long as the money was right. This time, those rumors turned out to be true. He took money to place several children with an unmarried doctor, and it seems that doctor had taken them for drug clinical trials. [2] As you know, drug experimentation on human subjects is prohibited by law. The investigation into that brought Manuel’s dealings to light as well. He’ll likely face severe punishment as an accomplice in the trials. He’s been trying to wash his hands of it and claim he knew nothing, but since accepting money to place children for adoption was already a problem in itself, there’s almost no chance he’ll escape. He’ll probably spend the rest of his life in prison.

Would you believe that the person who did the most to corner Manuel was my mother-in-law? [3] She hadn’t taken much interest in the case originally, but the moment she heard Manuel was involved, her attitude changed entirely. She mentioned that Manuel had greatly irritated her over something in the past. I don’t know the details, but Manuel is going to regret the day he got on her bad side. At first, his claim that he knew nothing was gaining some traction, but she dug up cases showing he had sold children for money before, and public opinion reversed in an instant.

With the director arrested and the orphanage facing closure, Charlotte [4] has decided to take it over. She says she’s always had an interest in this kind of welfare work, but since when has she ever been the type to care about welfare work? The real reason for the takeover is almost certainly that it’s the orphanage where you grew up. Though I’m sure her good-natured husband had a hand in it as well. You know Charlotte is completely head over heels for her husband, don’t you? She always said marriage was just a part of business, but it seems the man her family introduced her to wasn’t so bad after all. She meets with Danyu from time to time and talks about him, and it’s nothing but praise.

Watching Charlotte like that makes me think a good match will find you someday too. The blind date Lady Astrid arranged for you ended with the other party throwing water at you, but that was because you brought Alex along. I still don’t understand it. Why on earth did you bring Alex to a blind date? If we’d known you had a blind date that day, Danyu and I would have found someone else to watch Alex. I thought it was odd when you so readily agreed to look after him, but I never imagined you’d actually bring a child to a blind date.

Anyway, I suppose those many women who were your companions [5] simply weren’t meant for you. Or perhaps you’re just not ready to be with someone yet. Though at this age, if you’re still not ready, I do wonder when you ever will be.

Oh. Speaking of marriage, what is Rene going on about? According to Rene, you promised to marry her. She came and asked me whether she could marry you in twenty years. She wanted to know whether twenty years was longer than a hundred days, and how many sleeps she’d have to wait before she could marry you. I told her it would be far longer than a hundred days, and she sulked and barely touched her food for a while after that. A hundred is the biggest number Rene knows.

Not long ago I asked Rene, “Who do you like better, Papa or Uncle?” and without a moment’s hesitation she said your name. Alex piped up beside her with “I like Papa more than Uncle!” but it was no comfort whatsoever. Danyu told me off, saying I shouldn’t be jealous that my daughter has someone she likes at her age, but it would have been less of a shock if it were a boy her own age. There’s Charlotte’s son Luca, [6] or Peter’s [7] son Mihael. [8]

Hmm, now that I think about it, that would be its own kind of shock. Honestly, no one would be good enough for our Rene. My point is, of all the people in the world, why does it have to be you? First you were my wife’s first love, and now my daughter too. I’ll say it again: I really can’t stand you, Sio Lieselotte.

By the way, how long are you planning to stay in Kasinov? You went as a visiting professor, but you’ve never stayed anywhere for long. I expected you to come back to the capital before the year was out, same as always. But you’ve been in Kasinov longer than I anticipated, so I suppose you’ve taken quite a liking to the place?

If it looks like you’ll be staying longer, let me know in advance. Danyu seems to want you there for the baptism, since you’ll be the godfather. If you’ll still be there as a professor when the time comes, holding the baptism at the great cathedral in Kasinov might not be a bad idea. A baptism at a cathedral overlooking the sea. It would make a wonderful memory not just for the baby, but for all the family in attendance.

I’ll wrap up today’s letter here for now. A maid just rushed in to tell me Danyu’s morning sickness has been bad and she’s been sick again. I was sure this third one was a girl, but watching the trouble the baby is putting its mother through, I’m starting to think it might be a boy. The morning sickness was this bad with Alex too. That’s why I still hold a grudge against that kid to this day. Putting his mother through all that and then hoarding all her love for himself.

Anyway, I should go to Danyu. We’ll save more for the next letter. Or we can talk in person when you’re back. I wish you safe and well until we’re in touch again.

From Astaire, who is doing his best to resist the axis of evil that is Sio Lieselotte.

P.S. I’m saying this just in case, but Rene is off the table. Not simply because she’s my daughter, but because marrying a girl with that much of an age gap isn’t just theft, it’s high treason. Coming from me, a grand thief who married Danyu, I know that’s rich, but Rene is still off the table. Even as a joke. That said, I’m enclosing Rene’s letter with this one. If she finds out I didn’t send it, she’ll be heartbroken. As I said, it’ll be nearly impossible to read. When I asked her what she wrote, she said it was about being sad she couldn’t get married sooner.

Another P.S. Actually, you know what, I’ve changed my mind. I’m not sending Rene’s letter. It’s annoying. You can see it when you get back to the capital. Whether it’ll still be around by then, I can’t say. And just so there’s no misunderstanding: this isn’t jealousy over Rene liking you more. I’m simply looking out for a dear friend so he doesn’t become a traitor to the crown.

A P.S. just in case. If you’re reading over my shoulder, Danyu, I didn’t say a single complimentary thing about the young and pretty student, so you can stop keeping watch. I don’t even see what’s so pretty about her, so I don’t know why you’re so worked up. All her features are just big. She looks like a frog. And for the record, I have never once gone to that lesson grinning from ear to ear. I may have laughed a little because jealous Danyu is cute, but that’s all.

P.S. Oh my goodness, Astaire. Did you read the letter I sent to Sio? Don’t get the wrong idea. I looked at it to check whether you’d properly written about the outing, not to spy on whether you mentioned that woman. See? You didn’t write about the outing at all, did you? And not sending Rene’s letter is just petty jealousy. You really are small-minded, Astaire. When Rene finds out, she’s going to cry and make a scene. And when that happens, I won’t be on your side. I’ll be on Rene’s.

* * *

Endnotes

[1] Manuel │ Manuel Sauer. He ran the largest orphanage in the capital at the time. It was said that every orphan in the capital passed through his orphanage at some point. Sio Lieselotte also grew up there, and he described Manuel as the bane of his life. Manuel was once respected and called the father of charitable work, but he was arrested following the clinical trials incident. Even in prison his conduct was poor, and he caused several disturbances that kept adding to his sentence, until he ultimately died at the gallows. With no one to claim his remains, his body was cremated and disposed of within the prison.

[2] Clinical trials │ Among nearly five hundred years of records, this was the incident that shocked the people of the capital most profoundly. Children living in the orphanage were purchased for use in drug experiments, and the outrage among citizens was immense. The incident came to light when the bodies of children who had died in the experiments surfaced in the river. Severe punishment was handed down to both the orphanage director and the doctor involved, and the event prompted sustained public demand for the enactment of human rights legislation.

[3] Mother-in-law │ Madame Astrid. She discovered and supported many musicians, including Sio Lieselotte. She sent marriage proposals three times in her effort to take Astaire as a live-in son-in-law, astonishing the social circles of the day. Even after the wedding, she was so fond of her son-in-law Astaire that her own daughter Danyu was said to grow jealous. In her later years she handed all her business affairs over to her daughter and son-in-law and spent her retirement traveling the continent with her husband.

[4] Charlotte │ Charlotte Ilse. Businesswoman and women’s rights activist. She was a university classmate of Sio Lieselotte and Astaire Astrid, though in the modern day she is better known as a devoted admirer of Danyu Astrid. She was also cited as a role model by Rene Astrid, the first female minister. After hearing Danyu perform at the Jubilion, she was captivated by her musicality and spared no effort in supporting her. She is particularly remembered for taking several newspapers to court over negative coverage of Danyu’s activities following her marriage, and winning substantial damages from them.

[5] The many women who were his companions │ Sio Lieselotte’s romantic history was as famous as his music. Listing the names of those who claimed to be his lovers would fill most of this book. Politicians’ daughters, famous actresses, fellow musicians. Many women spent time at his side, but none for long. For that reason, debate continues to this day over who the clearly identifiable muse within his musical world truly was. A book exploring this question has been published under the title “The Secret Muse.”

[6] Luca │ Luca Ilse. Charlotte Ilse’s only son and Rene Astrid’s husband. Overshadowed by the fame of his mother and his wife, he never quite stepped into the spotlight himself, yet he was a distinguished cellist in his own right. What made him most famous, however, was undoubtedly his love story with Rene. He and the composer Mihael Klose engaged in a much-talked-about rivalry for Rene Astrid’s affections, and he won her heart with a passionate declaration on the concert stage. Even after that, it took three years of effort to win the approval of her doting father before he could finally marry her.

[7] Peter │ Peter Klose. A student of Sio Lieselotte. Though Sio taught many students, Peter Klose was the only one he taught composition rather than piano. Unlike Sio, who blazed entirely new paths, Peter preferred to reinterpret existing forms. His approach to composition brought him into frequent conflict with his teacher, but he stayed by Sio’s side until the end and remained his final student. It was also Peter who gathered Sio Lieselotte’s letters after his death and delivered them to the Astrid family.

[8] Mihael │ Mihael Klose. Peter Klose’s eldest son. He followed in his father’s footsteps and achieved great success as a composer. He showed talent from an early age and threw himself into composition young, and because he favored Sio’s compositional style over his own father’s, Sio remarked that he was “better than his father.” Music history scholars indeed tend to name Mihael Klose as Sio Lieselotte’s true successor. True to his role as the central figure in the love triangle that set the capital buzzing, he took Rene Astrid as his lifelong muse and left behind many compositions inspired by her. The short piece “Farewell,” composed after her marriage was decided, has received particular enduring affection.