Chapter 40 – Spontaneous Visit

“Here you are, ma’am.” Alfred handed her some letter papers when she told him she wanted to write a letter to Alexandra.

“Thank you.” She looked down at the rolled-up papers from when the two women exchanged letters, as far as two years ago, and carefully took one out.

It was a simple white sheet of paper adorned with tiny birds of light green, reminiscent of Alexandra’s green orbs. Alfred seemed to have prepared it to fit the image of the princess, whose name best suited her as well.

Lifting the pen and dipping it in ink, Tiana gripped it to begin writing the first line. Her grip was tight enough, but the act of writing was still new to her. Thinking about it now, it was her first time to write since she woke up after the accident; though she could remember the alphabet, thankfully. She could write, but her brain seems to not know how to start. Should she go straight to the main topic without saying a friendly salutation first? Wouldn’t it be a bit unconventional to just write her a letter after stopping to do so for two years? Alexandra would know about Tiana’s accident, so she would also know that she lost her memory. If so, would it be okay to start with ‘It’s a great pleasure’?

“Um…”

Tiana didn’t think writing a letter would be this difficult. It was already hard enough that the receiver was Lucius’ sister. As she was staring at the letter paper for a long time, Lucius, who was watching from the side, asked, “Is writing difficult?”

Tianna nodded softly. “No matter what I do, I’m not sure how to start,” she admitted.

“Don’t make it difficult; just write what’s on your mind.”

“Can I do that? I don’t remember a thing about her… I don’t even know if I can write since I lost my memory. If we were in fact close friends, wouldn’t she be disappointed at me for not knowing anything about her?”

“She already knows what happened to you, so it’ll be fine. Also, honestly, it would be nice if you would start the letter about your situation. For sure, she has been waiting to hear from you, more than anybody else.”

“Okay.”

‘Would it be more effective to write whatever I want and convey my sincerity than to be uselessly formal?’ The more she thought about it, the more doubts began to overwhelm herself. ‘Forget it. I’ll just write.’

Just like Lucius suggested, it felt much more comfortable when she loosened her grip on the pen. When she tilted her fingers, which she held close to the pen point, words started flowing smoothly as she wrote them. As if the pen is handpicking words from her brain without obstructions, she was able to concentrate until she dotted the final period on the paper, after her last sentence.

***

Tiana was assured that her letter to the imperial princess was sent and properly received. Not long after, the reply that she had been waiting for came.

She carefully removed the seal from princess Alexandra’s dark green envelope. She felt anxious as she took out the folded letter and read what was written on it.

[I’ll be there.]

The message was simply too short, only those three simple words are all she could read. Tiana reread the colorful handwriting, thinking she could have misread it.

“So that means she’s coming, right? Right?” She looked at the letter again, bewildered and doubtful. She couldn’t make out what those three words really mean. “How am I supposed to interpret this? Is she coming to talk in-person, or helping out? Wait. If she says she’s coming, when will that be? Will it be during the wedding or…”

Tiana could sense what type of person Alexandra was by merely looking at her bold and commanding handwriting. The imperial princess obviously possesses a strong command of action.

After much contemplation, Tiana just settled with letting everyone know that the imperial princess will be visiting, as to when, she hadn’t the faintest idea. She rang the table bell to call for Alfred.

Slam!

“Ma’am!”

Right then, Alfred bursted through the door and hurriedly entered the room. Flustered by Alfred’s sudden belligerence, Tiana glared right at his disturbed expression. Then, Alfred spoke in a hoarse voice.

“The… the imperial princess has arrived!”

“Excuse me? Now? She really came?!”