The pearl cultivation project hadn’t been requiring my immediate attention, so I had taken the time to make a fresh set of guimauves and had them sent to my sister. I was nervous about whether or not she would eat them. To my surprise, her reply was almost immediate.
With her guimauves, I had also enclosed a letter revealing the details of my life in the old part of town. To be honest, I was feeling apprehensive regarding her reaction. Despite having exchanged numerous letters with her before, this was my first time filled with such anxiety over opening one.
Wibble seemed to sense my nervousness. The noble slime cheered, “You can do it, Fran. Wibble is here for you!”
“Thank you, Wibble.”
I set the letter on the table for a moment and settled my hand on my chest. After taking a few deep breaths, I picked up the paper knife, steeled my resolve, and cut through the seal.
My sister’s letters were always efficient and to the point. She typically stated everything she needed to say within one sheet of paper. However, today’s envelope was unusually thick. The message within it spanned five pages.
Wibble leaned in close to reassure me. Even Alexandrine, who wasn’t one for shows of affection, came to rest by me. I’m not alone. I have companions by my side, I thought as I began to read.
The letter began with a thank-you for the guimauves. My sister had been surprised to find out that they were made with slimes, but when she’d tried them, she’d thought they were delicious. My moment of relief only lasted until the next sentence—apparently, she had shared my guimauves with the crown prince as well. I couldn’t believe that a future emperor had eaten my sweets. Fortunately, he had praised them too.
In addition to the guimauves, I’d also sent her various slime-based products that Gabriel had invented, and she seemed to like them all. I had been confident in those, so I found myself proudly thinking, Of course you do.
After that, she’d written that she was looking forward to visiting Triste. She also wanted to see the field of sweet violets. Since the wedding was in early spring, there was a high chance of rain. I was concerned about the weather, but at the same time, I felt that Triste was beautiful during such showers—it was one of the region’s charms. I hoped my sister would enjoy this land for what it was.
Everything she’d written until this point had been contained within the first sheet of her message. Her efficiency never failed to impress me. The problem was what came next. The remaining four pages were probably her thoughts on my life in that one-story house in the old part of town.
I nervously shuffled the sheets to the next page. The first line read, “Thank you for confiding in me.” I had expected a scolding right off the bat, so this caught me off guard. However, as I’d feared, the next line said, “If that was the case, why didn’t you tell me from the start?!” It was unusual for her to lay her feelings bare like that.
Apparently, if I had said that I wanted to live in the old part of town, she would have fully respected my wish. But if our father had left me there to fend for myself with nothing to eat, that was a different story. She wrote that she would have cast everything aside to help me and that she wished she could have hugged me and praised me for enduring for so long.
The moment I read that, tears spilled from my eyes. I had thought that my sister only saw me as a blood relative—that she didn’t have any feelings for me beyond that basic recognition. I’d had no idea that she loved me enough to write what she had.
My sister admitted that as the future empress, she wasn’t supposed to be willing to abandon her people for me. She hadn’t accepted her marriage to the Empire’s crown prince half-heartedly, but at the same time, she had known that her engagement could be broken again. So when the offer for her hand had been made, she had declared to the crown prince that if anything were to happen to her family, she would rush to their aid, even if it meant giving up her position as crown princess. The aftermath of her broken engagement to Prince Mael must have affected her deeply.
My sister had also written that it pained her that our family had suffered because of her. Reading what I had gone through, she had felt that she should’ve dragged me to the Empire even if I hadn’t wanted to go, but she had also realized that I would’ve been too stubborn to listen to her.
Her letter concluded with the words: “I’m sure the hardships you endured led to the happiness you have now. When I think about how much you suffered, I can’t honestly say that it was for the best, but I’m proud of you for persevering and continuing to work hard without envying or resenting others.”
My heart was filled with a sudden surge of emotion, and I found myself sobbing. I’d never dreamed that my sister would recognize my efforts. All of the awkwardness and negative thoughts that had been rooted in my mind dissipated.
I was crying so much that Wibble felt the need to wipe my cheeks with a handkerchief.
“Thank you, Wibble. This is embarrassing.”
“It’s good to cry once in a while.”
I giggled. “You’re right.”
Alexandrine plunked herself onto my lap and held out her head as if to say, “You can pet me if you want.” Thanks to her and Wibble, I was able to stop crying immediately.
That night, I told Gabriel that I had received a reply from my sister. “There’s no need to worry anymore. Adele understands my past situation now.”
“That’s great to hear,” Gabriel said, looking relieved. He had been worried about her response too.
It would’ve been nice to end the conversation on that high note, but it turned out that Gabriel had also received a letter from the Empire that day.
“It said something that I frankly cannot believe,” he said.
“What was it?”
“The Empire is requesting to send a group of diplomats to Triste at the same time as your sister’s visit.”
“Oh my!”
There wasn’t much in the way of diplomatic relations between our country and the Empire. We received some minor preferential treatment since my mother had formerly been an imperial princess, but our nations weren’t exactly allies. The last instance of diplomatic negotiations had been a few years ago, but even then, it hadn’t particularly brought our countries closer together.
“Is this because Adele is attending our wedding?” I asked.
“I imagine so.”
Naturally, it wasn’t that the Empire wished to speak with Gabriel himself—they were proposing a meeting at the country level.
“That’s amazing,” I said.
“It’s all thanks to you, Fran.”
“I didn’t do anything at all.”
“No, this wouldn’t have happened without you.” Gabriel explained that there was probably going to be an international conference held in Triste, with our country’s diplomats in attendance as well. “To be honest, it feels too grand for this region, so I’m tempted to suggest holding it in the capital instead. However, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make people take note of our presence.”
If Triste became a venue for an international conference, it would surely improve our standing within the country. Gabriel wasn’t skilled at hosting such events, but he seemed to be prepared to try his best for the sake of developing his territory.
“Will you help me, Fran?” he asked.
“Of course!” I squeezed his hand and nodded.
He smiled softly, the tension fading from his features.
“It’s probably going to be difficult, since we also have to prepare for the wedding and reception,” I mused.
“There’s the Fowl Knight Festival too.”
“Right.”
The Lakeside Duck Bakery was going to have a stall at the festival too, with the main attraction being the special guimauves I had come up with for my sister. This time, they would be made with sweet-violet extract. When one ate this version of my guimauves, the flowers’ elegant fragrance pleasantly permeated one’s nose. The product had been a big hit at a tasting event we’d held for tourists. And the standard berry flavor would be available too, of course. The guimauves would all be made with slime gelatin, just like in my original recipe. We planned to sell them in baskets woven from tree bark.
Other merchants were also permitted to set up stalls as long as their documents were in order and no issues were found with the items they were selling.
The Fowl Knight Festival was on track to become the largest festival in Triste, spanning five days. We’d decided to make it longer in order to spread out the anticipated influx of tourists. We were already expecting a flood of attendees, with lodging and wyvern flights fully booked for the length of the event.
“With the international conference a week before the wedding as well, turnout will be huge,” said Gabriel.
“Indeed.” An unprecedented number of people would be coming to Triste. There was bound to be trouble. “I don’t know if the security guards will be enough to handle the crowds.”
“I consulted with Prince Axel and asked him to dispatch a team of knights,” said Gabriel. “You don’t need to worry about a thing, Fran. It’s our wedding, so it will absolutely go off without a hitch.”
“You’re right. I have no doubt that it will.”
It was rare for Gabriel to be so optimistic. I’d never imagined the day would come when he would be the one reassuring me instead of the other way around.
“Is something the matter, Fran?” he asked.
“No, I was just thinking that this is the opposite of the usual. I’m the pessimistic one, and you’re the optimistic one.”
“It’s thanks to you. Your daily positivity and proactiveness has rubbed off on me. On the other hand, perhaps your pessimism today is the result of my bad influence.”
“That’s not true.”
As we talked, I felt my worries fade away. The pearl cultivation had been a success, and I had repaired my relationship with my sister. It was all thanks to Gabriel. I couldn’t help but think that as long as I was with him, I could overcome anything.