Side Story: Nicky’s Letters
TO my beloved soldier,
Are you well? How is everyone in Tazylia doing?
Since Mother and Father have also written letters, I more or less know how things are back home. Still, I wanted to hear your perspective too. You’re the man protecting everyone, after all.
Is everything the same? I hope you miss me. Oh, and just try cheating on me while I’m in the capital. I’ll find plenty of ways to make you regret it.
I’m only half joking, by the way.
Honestly, the atmosphere inside the castle is much worse than the actual work. I’d like to return home as soon as possible. The cityscape is a wonder to behold, and the capital is filled with things I’ve never seen before. All that is fun enough, but the actual situation inside the castle… Oops, if I write anything more, the people inspecting the letters will give me an earful. In any case, as the daughter of a provincial count, I—Nicky Tazylia—long for my life back home more than this one.
By the way, I made a new friend. Her name is Mary Edigma, and she’s the daughter of a baron. Have you ever heard of the Edigma region? I nearly embarrassed myself because I hadn’t. According to Mary, that’s to be expected, since they’re a small village with nothing of note. Perhaps you’ve heard of the region, though. Apparently, the village is a bit of a distance from Tazylia.
Like me, Mary came to the capital to work as a handmaid and as a potential candidate to be the crown prince’s fiancée. While all the other girls were neglecting their duties and fighting to meet the prince, she was working her little tail off. Neither of us were interested in the prince, so I approached her without much thought. When I asked if she had a boyfriend, she said no. Maybe she’s just not interested in living in the capital? But anyway, I quite like her, and we work together all the time.
Speaking of which, we transferred from working at the palace to working for the chivalric order. Why, you ask? To help Mary find love, of course! She seems to have a crush on Sir Albert McClain, the high commander. She denies it, but she’s always staring at him with a look of concern. I just want to support my friend, you know?
Would hearing that I also made this transfer out of self-interest surprise you? If my father objects to our engagement, we could elope in the capital. Then I could introduce you to him as a knight. Of course, I’m still hoping for the best. Unfortunately, my father is a stubborn man, and I would hate it if he opposed our relationship on the basis of status. We’re a count’s family in name only. It’s about time I parted from this station. My older brother can inherit Father’s title, and my older sister has already married into another noble house. Everyone in our family other than Father has told my younger brother and me to do whatever we please.
Sorry for complaining to you about my family. I thought about tearing this letter up and throwing it away, but…I’ll leave it as is.
Anyway, I’ve gotten off track. I was talking about my new friend, right? Mary is so adorable. Not only is her face always bright and cheery, but just being with her is a blast. Oh, and plenty of fascinating things happen when we’re together. Ever since we became handmaids for the chivalric order, I’ve been trying to force Mary and Sir Albert together as much as possible.
(You’re probably thinking that I should mind my own business, right?)
But actually, Sir Albert seems quite pleased as well! The way he looks at Mary is different from the way he looks at other women. It’s a tender gaze. If this romance blossoms, you might as well call me the angel of love. That would be awesome, right? Right now I’m keeping my mouth shut and watching over them, but I look forward to seeing how things progress! There might even be new developments by the time I send you my next letter.
That aside, please take care of your health. The harvest season is almost here, right? It’s a shame I won’t be able to help out this year.
I’ll be waiting for your reply. Yeah, I know my writing isn’t great, but letters will help distract from the loneliness of being apart.
Until next time,
Nicky Tazylia
✦ ✦ ✦
Sometime later.
To my beloved soldier,
Thank you for writing back! I could just imagine your voice reading it. It made me homesick. More importantly, what a surprise! Lys and Kevin got married? Gah, I want to celebrate right now! Missing out is so frustrating. I sent Lys a letter, but once I’m back home, let’s bring them a gift and celebrate!
Speaking of your last letter, I had no idea that you dreamed of being a knight. Perhaps we should live in the capital in the future, regardless of whether we elope.
I’ve actually become acquainted with Sir Phil Eva, the second commander. He’s extremely friendly and easy to talk to. What’s that? Are you jealous? Oh, don’t worry. Everyone knows how much he loves his wife.
Sir Phil was paying close attention to Mary and Sir Albert as well. You remember Mary, right? She’s the friend I wrote about in my last letter. Right now, she’s actually serving as a handmaid for the Rose duchy, not for the chivalric order. It caught me way off guard when I heard that. I had no idea.
You know of Duke Reynaldo Rose, right? He’s so cold that people refer to him as the Ice Duke, but apparently, he’s an exemplary politician. From what I’ve heard, Duke Rose and Crown Prince Rizel are good friends as well.
Since I became a handmaid for the chivalric order, the gossip hasn’t stopped pouring in, and I never get tired of it. Currently, there are two hot topics. First, Crown Prince Rizel might be in love. Second, Duke Rose personally brought a single handmaid back to his manor.
And Mary is the star of both of these rumors.
My friend sure is amazing, isn’t she? Sadly, she always seemed pretty troubled. She never got as excited about gossip as the other girls, either. Oh, and she always wore this wise, world-weary expression. Whenever I asked her what was wrong, she would dodge the issue, but if I had to guess, it was probably boy troubles.
Just when I thought Mary and Sir Albert were hitting it off, Prince Rizel fell for her as well. Next, Duke Rose, of all people, drags her back to his duchy! What is this, some kind of fairy tale? Still, I’m worried about Sir Albert. He’s seemed down in the dumps since Mary left.
Either way, I’m watching things unfold with pulse-pounding excitement! As my boyfriend, you understand how I must feel, right? Yes, I know that’s unbecoming of me, even without you getting on my case. Even so, I want Mary to nab a wonderful boyfriend and find happiness. Just like us.
Mary is the daughter of a baron, and according to her, she doesn’t know of any suitable houses to marry into. I hope that even a small part of the future she desires comes true.
Speaking of which, I’d like for you and Mary to meet someday. She’s my wonderful and adorable friend, after all. Though it’s still a ways off, I’d also like to invite her to our wedding ceremony. Does that make you laugh?
I thought sending letters to each other would help distract me from the loneliness, but I miss you even more now. But at the same time, perhaps I would feel even lonelier without your letters. I reread the one you already sent me every day with great care. And so, I await your next correspondence.
Best regards to my beloved soldier,
Nicky Tazylia