“There’s a guest in the drawing room!”

“And?”

“I didn’t catch all the details, but they said they came from the north to see Your Highness! Could it be… this person?”

Robellia’s eyes widened. Could it really be Akan?

It couldn’t be, she thought, but she couldn’t think of anyone else from the North who would have come specifically to see her. Her heart began to race. Robellia stammered as she spoke.

“No… it can’t be. I haven’t heard anything about that…”

“Still, there’s definitely a guest here! You should get ready.”

Robellia nodded and quickly hid the envelope with the letter, then called the maids.

Don’t get your hopes up, she told herself. I don’t want to be disappointed. But once a hopeful thought had taken root, it was hard to suppress.

While she did her best not to show her anticipation and allowed the maids to adjust her clothes, Madam Suther soon entered the room.

“Your Highness.”

“Oh… oh.”

Robellia replied awkwardly. Madam Suther, narrowing her eyes as if something was troubling her, spoke again.

“There is a guest here wanted to see you.”

“Who…?” 

The princess’s voice, brimming with expectation and so different from her usual tone, made Madam Suther sigh audibly, as if to make sure Robellia heard her disapproval. 

“Someone from the Roxas household… a retainer, apparently. I have informed them that it would be inappropriate for them to meet with Your Highness without proper cause, but…” 

“I will meet them!” 

Without a moment’s hesitation, Robellia agreed, causing Madam Suther’s expression to harden even further. 

No matter how much she cared for Robellia like a daughter, Madam Suther was, at the end of the day, just the head maid. If the Princess wanted to meet someone, she had no authority to object. 

Still, she couldn’t help but be annoyed. A knight of a provincial lord didn’t even have a proper title. For such a person to set foot in the Imperial Palace, let alone request an audience with the Princess, was absurd. 

But none of that mattered to Robellia. The only thing that mattered was where he came from, who sent him, and what message he brought.

Robellia, brimming with excitement, headed straight for the drawing room. Even though the guest wasn’t Akan, the mere thought of hearing news of him made her heart flutter with anticipation.

The man waiting to greet the princess was young and handsome, probably in his mid-twenties. Robellia’s face stiffened slightly, having expected a gruff, older knight instead.

“I greet Your Highness, the Princess.”

His refined features were paired with a polite demeanour, and though he was neatly dressed, the dust on his cloak suggested he had come straight to the palace upon arriving in the capital. 

When Robellia gave an awkward nod in response, a small smile appeared on the knight’s lips. 

“As I’ve heard, Your Highness is truly beautiful.” 

“Thank you. Tea, please…”

Robellia tried to speak with the elegant authority befitting her position, but her cheeks were already blushing. She knew it was merely a polite compliment, but the thought of who this young knight might have heard about her from set her imagination racing.

The knight introduced himself, but Robellia quickly forgot his name. When a maid brought tea, the princess and the knight sat facing each other on the sofa. Although he seemed an honourable man, he was still an unrelated male, so Madam Suther stayed in the room to keep watch.

The knight did not touch the teacup. Instead, he lifted a wooden box from the floor and placed it on the table. The rough, shabby box made Madam Suther grimace, but Robellia ignored it.

“I apologise for the impropriety, but I was instructed to deliver this to Your Highness.”

It was undoubtedly Akan. The loud beating of Robellia’s heart, already racing, now pounded as if it would burst.

“What… is this?”

The knight opened the box instead of answering. Inside was a small potted plant with a green shoot no longer than two finger joints, and a leather envelope – the kind couriers usually used for letters. Robellia swallowed hard.

The mere fact that Akan had sent another letter, even though she hadn’t yet replied to the last one, made her heart swell with excitement. But why had he sent a knight instead of a messenger?

The knight, noticing Robellia’s puzzled look, spoke with a slightly embarrassed expression. 

“He was worried that you might be unwell, so I was sent to check on you. Fortunately, Your Highness doesn’t seem to be, which is a relief.” 

Unconsciously, Robellia clutched her skirt tightly. He had sent someone because she hadn’t replied? That could only mean that Akan had been eagerly awaiting her letter. 

As if his duty had been done, the knight began to gather his cloak, prepare to leave and continue speaking. 

“I intend to stay in the capital until I receive your answer, but if Your Highness does not intend to send one, I…” 

“No! Tomorrow, come back tomorrow! Please!”

Robellia hastily denied it, her mind racing. If she sent the knight back like this, he might misinterpret her intentions and send the wrong message to Akan. She didn’t have the luxury of worrying about etiquette or propriety at the moment.

The knight’s puzzled expression caused Madam Suther to sigh deeply. Just when she thought the princess was showing a rare moment of maturity, it was clear that Robellia was as youthful and impulsive as ever.

“Ah, no need to rush, Your Highness. An answer in three days would be perfectly fine.”

“T-Then, let me know where you’ll be staying, and I’ll send someone within three days.”

Satisfied with her answer, the knight rose from his seat without hesitation. Robellia, meanwhile, did her best to maintain a graceful posture until he left the drawing room, silently hoping that he would only speak kindly of her to Akan.

* * * 

[To my beloved Princess Robellia…]

[I am writing to you out of anxiety, which I hope is only unnecessary anxiety. I fear something may have happened to Your Highness.

I can only hope that my inadequate apology for the delay in my last letter has not caused you any distress. Furthermore, if I have spoken too presumptuously in my previous letters, I humbly ask for your generous forgiveness.]

Robellia read and reread the beginning of the letter. Though the tone was as polite as ever, the fact that Akan seemed as anxious for her reply as she was for his filled her with joy.

And the words To my beloved Robellia – she couldn’t be happier with the way he addressed her.

The potted plant Akan had sent was a flowering herb. With proper care, it would bloom with small yellow flowers on summer nights. Robellia placed it by her bedroom window and cherished it as if it were a piece of Akan himself.

The deadline she had promised the knight was tomorrow. Robellia carefully checked the letter she had already written. It wasn’t lacking in content; if anything, her excitement had made it embarrassingly long.

[To my beloved Akan…]

Robellia stuffed the thick stack of letter paper into the envelope and sealed it.

Even though she had only written a letter, her heart was beating so fast that she couldn’t sleep. She gazed out the window at the dark night sky, wondering if Akan was thinking of her right now.

The next day, Robellia entrusted the letter to Laren, who took it and left the palace. The loyal maid made sure to repeat the princess’s instructions several times when she met the knight.

“Well, you see, on the day you visited, Her Highness was just a little puffy from a cold. She’s actually much slimmer than that, you see?”

The knight, sensing the young princess’s obvious intentions, laughed heartily and replied.”Yes. I will be sure to tell them that Princess Robellia is a most beautiful lady.”

The maid, eager to please the princess, relayed the conversation in detail, and Robellia’s face turned bright red, as if it might burst.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, glistening on the dewdrops on the leaves of the potted plant.