Chapter 38: The Letter (With gratitude to ‘Reader20230609215841659’ for their sponsorship)

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“Dear Louisa, given the complicated situation here...”
Tear—another scrap of paper discarded.
“My classmate, could you come and help me save the local situation...”
Tear—yet another wad of crumpled paper.
“My family has fallen into decline...”
Tear! Still just another scrap. Melina tossed the paper into the wastebasket, clutching her head with both hands, muttering angrily, “I’m just not good at writing letters!”

She had already thrown away fifteen drafts.

As someone who was better at winning people over through actions rather than words, she had tried her best!

Besides, she wasn’t used to this kind of frustration!

In both this life and the last, she was the type of person at school who, whenever a group project was assigned, would be pulled into a group by six or seven classmates who treated her well, invited her out, all just so she could lead these underachievers.

But to write a letter to coax someone over? How could she manage that?

“Not done writing yet? If you finish now, it can be sent to the royal capital by this afternoon!” Sonia urged while exercising.

“I just can’t write it!”

“Come on, Ame,” Maria said with a sunny smile that hid a chill beneath, “a professional liar must have the professional skill to pretend a relative died just recently even if it was years ago. I don’t expect you to learn from Soso, but at least show some professionalism.”

“Hey!” Sonia grumbled in displeasure.

“How about this: if you do something, I’ll try to teach you a method?” Maria proposed.

“Go ahead.”

Melina was on the verge of collapse after fifteen failed openings; if someone offered her a method now, she would be willing to try.

“Comb your hair back.”

“Close your left eye.”

“Put on a cold, indifferent expression. Yes, exactly that look.”

The senior nearby let out a bubbling laugh like boiling water, exclaiming, “So this is the game you want to play!”

What game did Senior Maria want to play?

Melina was full of confusion and about to ask, but Maria made a ‘stop’ gesture and cleared her throat:

“Now say a sentence. Repeat after me.”

“King of the Mad Flames, I will come to your side to deliver—destined death.”

“Speak slowly, your voice must be cold but with a hint of madness.”

Melina’s skin crawled, but she controlled the shivers and expression, reciting slowly:

“King of the Mad Flames...”

What was this?

“I will come to your side...”

Wasn’t this flirting?

“To deliver—”

So cheesy. These two never stopped? Melina watched their excited, panting faces in front of her and almost couldn’t keep a straight face. Her final words carried a trace of irritation:

“Destined death.”

The two burst out cheering simultaneously!

Sonia clutched her chest, “That’s it! That’s exactly it! That disdainful look is what I wanted to see, ahhh!”

Maria propped one hand on her forehead, wearing a ‘I’m a genius’ smile. “This expression where you maintain a wooden face but are already breaking inside—I love it, I adore it, it’s perfect!”

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“You two...” Melina’s golden eyes flashed a devilish red.

“I’ll teach you now.” Maria suddenly switched to a serious demeanor, leaving Melina stunned. She nodded slowly.

“If you don’t know how to write such a letter, you can try to think of it like this: you and your friend live in neighboring cities, and she is your close friend...”

Melina’s expression was indifferent.

“...Then, your good friend gradually starts to neglect you because she’s made new friends.”

Melina straightened her back, biting her lip unconsciously.

“And your good friend, who used to live and sleep with you and cared for you deeply, what words would make her suddenly abandon her affairs in the neighboring city and come to find you?”

Got it. So frustrating! Melina pursed her lips, imagining what words would make Louisa come to her, then unexpectedly relaxed, revealing a pure yet alluring smile as she sat back down at the desk.

Maria and Sonia curiously leaned over her shoulder to see what she would write.

The letter was surprisingly brief:

“Dear Louisa, I sleep in a strange land on a strange bed, thinking at night of the one who shares my dream.”

Melina looked at the letter, puckered her lips, pondered a moment, then changed the final period to a question mark.

“Hey.”

Melina happily sat up. “The post office is right across from the station, right?”

“...Yes.” Sonia nodded stiffly.

“Then I’m going out!” Melina hummed a cheerful tune and stepped out with her parasol.

Sonia and Maria exchanged glances.

“It's over; the Louisa sisters will definitely take the bait.”

“Even worse, even if we try to stop her now and write letters, we won’t be able to hold her back.”

Sonia stroked her chin: “Such a scary straight girl, so hard to deal with.”

“Any valuable advice?” Maria folded her arms.

“Louisa is a bit tsundere,” Sonia said with a mischievous grin.

“So?” Maria raised an eyebrow.

“So she’ll probably rush over quickly but won’t admit it. In the end, she’ll stay here, suffer some silent losses helping us build Hamlet Town, and oh, Little Mel will have to keep an eye on her.”

“That’s mean.” Maria tried to suppress a laugh.

“If tsundere doesn’t retreat, it means the environment has a problem. You know what I mean?”

...

What kind of girl was Louisa?

Melina pondered as she made her way to the post office. Recalling life at the academy, her world there was entirely in shades of gray — the library was her prison, the dormitory her only place to breathe. She thirsted for knowledge, searching for a true path into this world—the path of the Explorer. Amidst this fervent, chaotic, passionate grayscale journey, there was a streak of color.

That was Louisa.

She was vibrant, with a sweet, girlish voice that Melina lacked, full of passion Melina did not have.

She always appeared elegant yet playful.

This streak of color brought life to Melina’s dull portrait.

They often debated and discussed obscure mystical rituals, engaging in astonishing arguments and discoveries. Because the dorm lacked heating, they once shared a bed and had the same dream—a kindred spirit.

Before departing for Hamlet Town, Louisa had tried to persuade Melina to stay, and Melina had invited her along.

Both failed.

Melina did not stay for Louisa, nor did Louisa stay for her.

Now, with this chance, would she come?

Would she come because of me?

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Melina’s face warmed slightly. She was confident the other might come because of her, yet shy at the thought.

This debt felt like lemon honey—rich and intense lemon honey, oh so sour it made her heart waver, and so sweet it was cloying.

With a heart steeped in lemon honey, Melina sent off the letter.

...

In the royal capital, an apartment building.

Inside, someone heard the cheers and hubbub outside and impatiently put down a newspaper.

She was a very cute young lady, with a slightly chubby baby-faced complexion, fair skin that was charming, and large blue eyes clear as a lake. One hand held the newspaper; the other held a curling iron, tending to her chestnut hair.

“My dear, dear companion, would you be so kind as to make room for your friend and see what trouble the drunkards, farmers, craftsmen, and gatherers below are causing this time?”

She called toward the window.

Outside the window lay a lazy orange mechanical cat, curled in its bed, yawning. Hearing the young lady’s call, it lazily stretched a paw, briefly overcoming gravity to press against the glass.

“Meow...”

It considered the sound from its throat, then tapped the glass with its paw:

“A hunting party has returned, meow. A huge dragon—they hunted a gigantic yellow dragon, meow. This should be a rare victory. Are you sure you don’t want to take a look, Louisa?”

“Dragon? Ha!”

Louisa scoffed. “Yellow dragon!”

In a cute voice, she said, “What a pathetic hunting party would parade a yellow dragon as a trophy? It should be at least a red dragon.”

“Meow, there are many high-level varieties of yellow dragons. From my point of view, you’re just moody from reading Hamlet Town’s paper and want someone to take it out on. Ha, I always knew you were this kind of person. If you miss her so much, go find her.”

“You!” Louisa snapped, but then felt sorry for herself.

Since that woman (she absolutely refused to utter the name of the woman who hurt her so deeply!) left, even arguing with her own cat was no longer possible! This cat, this cat! It seemed to have found a fatal weakness and kept striking it, silencing Louisa every time.

The mechanical orange cat, proud of having subdued Louisa, floated downstairs, meowing as it carried hot milk, newspapers, and letters back upstairs.

The young lady nestled in the sofa, her magical energy exuding a sense of decay.

The weapons on the maintenance rack had lost their luster, dulled by their owner’s weakening magical power.

The mechanical cat used its paw to open the letter, suddenly meowing:

“Meow? There’s a letter for you!”

“...” Louisa remained withdrawn, muttering, “Whatever, it’s probably another letter asking for medical advice, while suddenly whining ‘Doctor, doctor, why isn’t your medicine working? Ah, it’s too expensive, so I split my dose in two. Doctor, doctor, how can it not work?’ Ugh, so annoying.”

“Meow? You really won’t read it?”

“No.”

“Meow, then I guess I’ll have to give this letter from Miss Melina to you myself...”

Swoosh!

The mechanical orange cat, having accompanied her companion for many years and witnessed countless miraculous cures with magical drugs, now witnessed another medical miracle.

Louisa, downtrodden and gaunt like a withered bone from the grave, after reading the letter, straightened her back, her expression elegant and composed. Suddenly, she said, “Hmph, that little witch still can’t forget me...” She glanced at the mechanical cat disdainfully. “She’s got me in her heart.” She narrowed her eyes smugly and flicked her hand, “Does she think I’m someone who comes when called and leaves when dismissed?”

The mechanical cat quietly began packing up at home.

As expected.

They boarded the first bus to Hamlet Town in the early morning!