She was already fourteen, an age when it wasn’t unusual to have a fiancé. But Akan was still a boy of twelve. If she were to openly confess her feelings – her admiration, her affection – he might be overwhelmed or even frightened.

Besides, Robellia couldn’t even be sure how much of Akan’s letters were real. Was he only replying because it was a princess writing to him and he had little choice?

This fragile bond between them felt so precarious, as if it would break the moment one of them stopped writing. The thought made Robellia feel inexplicably melancholy.

If Akan felt the same way about her, Robellia could wait, no matter how long it took. Even if her father and brother were against it, she was prepared to go as far as fasting if necessary. But if that wasn’t the truth…

Robellia couldn’t immediately bring herself to move her quill to write. Instead, she put it down and took a card from the box. Its corners were creased and the colours of the illustration on it had faded noticeably. This was the card that had gone missing the day Akan had visited the Imperial Palace.

It was two days after Robellia had sent her first letter to the Roxas household that Akan’s reply arrived, accompanied by this card.

She had been told it would take four days, but her younger self was delighted that the answer had come sooner than expected and eagerly tore the letter open. It turned out to be a letter Akan had left in the capital before he left.

A farewell note saying he was leaving.

Robellia held the card for a long time before picking up her quill again.

[It is such good news that spring has come to the North. Thank you for the flowers you sent. The garden here is also full of colourful spring flowers. But I don’t know any of their names.]

Reading her words again, she realised that they were nothing but silly and utterly unattractive sentences. Akan’s handwriting was refined enough to copy legal texts flawlessly, but compared to his, hers looked hopelessly messy and crooked.

Robellia’s feelings for Akan undoubtedly had their roots in their first meeting. But the branches grew and blossomed with every letter that came. She couldn’t help but wonder if her letters had a similar effect on Akan. Robellia did not trust the answer.

The heart of a girl in love was like a small boat floating in the vast ocean. It would rise endlessly, enchanted by the beauty of the water’s surface, only to be tossed helplessly by the smallest of waves.

In the end, Robellia spent the whole night writing letters, only to crumple them up and throw them away.

* * *

Before she knew it, ten days had passed. In that time, Robellia had written and discarded countless letters.

As before, Akan’s letters occasionally arrived late, but this was the first time that Robellia had delayed sending her reply. Usually she wrote back the day after she received a letter, anxious to get a new one as soon as possible.

Robellia feared that Akan might find it strange that she hadn’t replied yet, although another part of her thought that he probably wouldn’t wait too eagerly. With these conflicting feelings weighing on her, she absentmindedly mashed a strawberry cake with her fork.

With the Princess in such a foul mood, the maids didn’t dare make a sound and were busy watching for her reactions. Just then, Baroness Karen entered the room.

“Your Highness.”

“Oh…”

Robellia replied in a lifeless tone. Whatever news the Baroness brought, Robellia doubted it would excite her. After all, there was no letter to look forward to, since she hadn’t sent her reply yet.

“A guest has arrived at the palace. Would you like to meet them?”

“Who?”

“The young master of the Count of Banor’s household.”

“No, thank you.”

Robellia waved her hand dismissively, her tone devoid of any interest.

As had been the case two years ago, the princess’s palace received frequent visitors – usually the children of nobles who came to pay their respects to the Emperor. However, most of them left without so much as a glimpse of Robellia, and even on the rare occasions when she capriciously agreed to meet someone, no one managed to make much of an impression on her.

Robellia paid no attention to the rumours of her cold treatment of guests. Still, it was disheartening to see her without close friends, just waiting for a letter that might never arrive. However, Baroness Karen did not give up and tried again to make a suggestion.

“Perhaps having a close friend nearby would be…”

“No.”

As expected, Robellia’s firm refusal left Baroness Karen with no choice but to give up and raise both hands in defeat.

Baroness Karen had been away from the palace for two years and had never seen Akan Roxas. How on earth had this young boy managed to completely captivate the princess in just half a day? She’d heard that the Duke of Roxas was a strikingly handsome man – was that the reason?

In any case, as someone who served the princess, Karen found Akan Roxas far from pleasant. How dare someone like him make the princess wait and yearn?

“Should I go to the Roxas household myself?”

“What?”

“Isn’t that outrageous? How can the Duke of Roxas, a loyal subject of His Majesty, not set foot in the Imperial Palace even once in two years?”

Baroness Karen shouted, clenching her fists with such fervour that it seemed she might dash north at any moment. Robellia was startled by her sudden burst of energy. Although Karen’s husband served closely under the Emperor, Roxas was still a ducal household. Could she really act so recklessly?

And what if such an act made Akan dislike her? That would be even worse than sending him a portrait of herself looking chubby. In a panic, Robellia hurriedly stopped Baroness Karen.

“Don’t. Akan is just… studying hard to become a lord.”

Robellia said, defending him and coming to her senses. Akan hadn’t done anything wrong. The fluttering excitement, followed by feelings of dejection, and the emotional rollercoaster she was experiencing – it was all because she was entering adolescence.

Akan was just a boy. If the princess, acting prematurely, showed too much affection, it would only make him feel burdened and want to run away.

Nevertheless, Akan continued to send her sincere and thoughtful letters. Robellia realised that if she wanted to maintain their current good relationship, she would have to hold back her feelings. Whether towards Akan or anyone else, it was better to keep them to herself.

Robellia continued in a subdued tone.

“Show Banor to the drawing room. I’ll be there soon, so prepare some tea as well.”

Baroness Karen, having unwittingly achieved her goal, widened her eyes in surprise. However, she quickly recovered her composure and bowed gracefully as if nothing had happened.

Robellia rose to prepare, but suddenly found everything unbearably tedious. The burden of being a princess, tied to the Imperial Palace, weighed heavily on her. She longed to escape the capital and see with her own eyes the sheep-filled hills that Akan often wrote about in his letters.

And so another day passed without her writing a letter.

* * *

Five more days passed before Robellia finally managed to finish a letter to Akan. Although it had taken her half a month to write it, the content was no different from the usual. She wrote about how delicious a certain local fruit was, or how beautiful a poem she had read in her spare time – just the small, ordinary details of her life.

As usual, she called for a messenger and sent Laren to deliver it. But then…

“Your Highness!”

Laren hadn’t been gone long when she came rushing back, flustered, still holding the leather envelope Robellia had entrusted to her.

“What’s the matter? Hasn’t the messenger arrived?”

“No, no! I sent him back.”

“Why?”

Laren tried to catch her breath, panting heavily. The princess frowned, but the maid had her reasons.

On her way to the back garden, Laren happened to see Madam Suddal receiving a guest in the drawing room. Curious, she lingered nearby and overheard something shocking.

She quickly sent a maid to the garden in her place and hurried straight to the princess’s chambers. Taking a deep breath, Laren finally managed to speak.