The following day, as Leopold watched Siegel depart from the study, he quickly made his way to the tea room at his mother’s summons.

“You’ve come? Take a look at this. Hazel is so clever; she’s already written and sent a letter.”

Without lifting her gaze from her book, she slid a silver tray on the table toward Leopold. He silently picked up the letter, read it, and then set it back down.

“She is indeed intelligent, just as you said, Mother.”

“That’s right. I believe it took you almost half a year to write like this. I can’t help but have high hopes for Hazel.”

His mother, smiling with satisfaction as she turned the pages, seemed to have completely forgotten that Leopold had learned to write as soon as he started speaking. By the time he was properly speaking, he was already crafting perfect sentences.

However, Leopold understood that his mother needed to occasionally remind him of his perceived inferiority, so he refrained from responding. As usual, he felt a quick surge of frustration and was about to excuse himself.

“Take it with you.”

“Pardon?”

He knew better than to ask foolish questions in front of his mother. He froze for a moment, but fortunately, her generous voice broke the brief silence.

“…The letter, I mean.”

Even if he wanted to inquire why, he couldn’t. His mother disliked being asked to repeat herself and detested even more when he used the word ‘why.’

“I’ll take my leave.”

With no other choice, he took the peculiar letter and returned to the study. Later, when he asked Peter, he discovered that his mother hadn’t written a reply either. This left him slightly confused about whether she liked the child or not, but it was clear that she favored Hazel more than her own son.

Leopold didn’t envy the child’s affection from his mother, as he didn’t expect any for himself. It just strangely bothered him. He opened a drawer beneath the study table, shoved the letter inside, and soon forgot about it.

Time passed once more.

By April, when flowers were already in full bloom in the capital, new buds were just beginning to sprout at the Lawrence estate.

Returning to the mansion after an early morning patrol of the estate with his mother, he noticed she seemed in a better mood than usual. He gathered the courage to ask if he could disembark first, eager to escape the stifling carriage.

She regarded him with vacant eyes but then gave a barely perceptible nod. It seemed his excuse about glimpsing a beggar outside the window had worked.

By her standards, the presence of such unfortunate people in the estate she had to manage in her husband’s stead was unacceptable. Leopold had indeed seen someone shabby beyond the window, so he wasn’t entirely lying.

Feeling as free as if released from prison, he stepped out of the carriage. A few knights accompanied him, but as long as he was out of his mother’s sight, anything was fine.

Having already passed the village center, there were hardly any people around. Without any particular plan, he turned back to where he thought he had seen the beggar.

The person he assumed was a beggar turned out to be a poorly dressed adult male. He was sitting under a tree by the roadside, his head bowed low. As Leopold approached, he recognized a familiar emblem.

“…Siegel?”

The man slowly lifted his head and then grabbed Leopold’s hands with an overwhelmingly delighted expression.

“Your Grace!”

“Why are you in this state?”

“Ah, it’s a long story… Could I perhaps get something to eat? I haven’t eaten since yesterday morning.”

“…Of course.”

They headed to the nearest restaurant. The owner, recognizing Leopold, was startled and warmly welcomed the group.

Siegel had a hearty appetite. He ordered nearly three different kinds of food and even drank heavily before finally expressing his gratitude and sharing his story.

“After seeing my condition last time, the Dean lent me a horse for this trip. Back then, I hitched a ride on a freight wagon, and you know how cramped and dirty those can be… Despite practicing hard, riding a horse for such a long journey was a whole different challenge. I struggled to get this far, and then bandits appeared. They took my horse and my bag in an instant… I was lucky to have kept the letter separate, or it would have been taken too.”

Siegel retrieved a letter from his pocket that looked exactly like the previous one and handed it over. Although it was crumpled in places, the name Hazel was still legible.

“They’re probably people who have drifted in from the border area. Sometimes they’re criminals on the run,” one of the knights, apparently familiar with the rumors, interjected.

“We’ll take care of it soon,” another knight assured.

“Yes, Your Grace!” they responded.

For someone who had just learned how to apply strength to the tip of a sword, dealing with mere bandits posed no problem for him. What intrigued him more was the content of the letter before him.

The sealing wax was cracked and barely holding. He assumed opening it wouldn’t arouse his mother’s suspicion, especially given Siegel’s condition.

As if entranced, he unfolded the letter.

“Dear Mrs. Lawrence,

Hello, Mrs. Lawrence. How are you doing? This is Hazel. I am doing well. Is His Grace doing well too? I am studying hard. I’ve learned a lot about writing now. I’m also reading books diligently. I will study even harder. Thank you. See you again.

Sincerely, Hazel.”

The content was dull, short, and awkward. At least the handwriting no longer resembled a drawing, and the spelling was correct, so it didn’t read like a cipher—but that was about it. Unaware of its trivial content, Siegel must have endured quite an ordeal to deliver it, which made Leopold feel a bit sorry for him.

“Do you know this child?” Leopold asked.

“Of course. It’s not an exaggeration to say everyone at school knows Hazel,” Siegel replied.

“Everyone… knows her?” Leopold repeated, suddenly troubled by a few facts. The hair and eye color symbolizing power, her status as an orphan, and the Lawrence family’s sponsorship—it was a situation that could easily attract attention. The academy had many nobles, so she might be subtly bullied because of her status.

Leopold frowned and asked again, “Why is that?”

Siegel, after emptying another glass of wine, laughed heartily, seemingly in a good mood. Perhaps due to the alcohol, he didn’t seem to care much about maintaining formality.

“She’s so kind and lovable that I want to adopt her as my daughter. And I already have three daughters! Hahaha!” Siegel exclaimed.

Leopold stared at him in surprise. Unfazed, Siegel continued to boast about Hazel endlessly.

“I’ve never seen a child so diligent in greeting others. She makes friends with everyone. She’s so spirited! The teachers seem to like her because she’s smart, but what would a mere staff member like me know about that?” Siegel continued.

The more Leopold listened, the less he knew how to respond.

“Besides, she always has kids gathered around her, so it seems she’s popular with her peers too. The child is so adorable that it’s impossible not to like her,” Siegel added, laughing loudly once more. The knights frowned and tried to restrain him, but Leopold gestured for them to leave him be. It wasn’t as if Siegel intended to stop talking anyway.

“My cleaning area in the morning overlaps with her classroom, so I see her often. She greets me brightly, saying, ‘Hello, sir! Good morning. Have a day as bright and fresh as the sunshine!’ I’ve never heard such a greeting in my life!” Siegel recounted.

While she knew how to exchange such warm greetings, why was the letter’s content so stiff? Something about that thought seemed odd, so Leopold tried to focus on the conversation again. However, Siegel was already dozing off, his face buried in the table. In the end, they had to call for a carriage, and the knights lifted Siegel with grim expressions.

Returning with a drunken man reeking of alcohol would likely shock his mother. At least having the letter was fortunate.

Leopold took out the letter he had carefully tucked inside his coat pocket. He pressed down on the creases, knowing they wouldn’t smooth out, but he couldn’t help himself. He was curious about the mindset when writing such a letter. How earnest it was.

Well, even if he was curious, it wasn’t something he would ever know.

Siegel didn’t regain consciousness until they reached the mansion. Leopold had no choice but to explain the situation to his mother and hand over the letter. She read it silently and then returned it to Leopold, just as she had done last time. He accepted it without a word.

After that, Siegel was provided with a sturdy carriage and an escort knight. It seemed excessive for just a child’s letter, something a courier could have handled, but it was his mother’s directive, and he had no choice but to comply.

That year, five more letters with similar content arrived. How are you? I’m doing well. I’ve learned something. I’ll write again…

He didn’t send a reply because he didn’t know what to say, and there wasn’t much to say anyway. Besides, the recipient wasn’t even supposed to be him. Leopold had a very reasonable excuse not to respond.

However, not long after, a letter addressed to “Duke Leopold Lawrence” arrived.