A stream of golden sunlight seeped into the newly-decorated room of a young girl, who sat in a lavish forest-green armchair in a newly-decorated room with opulent furnishings all around. As her thin white curtains swayed in the summer breeze, she gazed out at her own reflection in the window, her hazel-brown hair flowing down her neck.

Just as she found herself lost in thought, the voice of a woman called to her from behind.

"Miss Isabella," she turned to see the kind maid who had been serving her, holding a silver tray in her hands. "A letter has arrived for you, from the young lady of House Cherliann."

"From House Cherliann?" She asked, as the maid placed the tray in front of her. If I recall, that's the second most powerful dukedom in all of Laydel...

Her pale, hazel eyes blinked curiously as she noticed the smooth chocolate cake that was situated on the tray beside the letter. "A cake too?"

The maid smiled. "This dessert was delivered along with the envelope. We were instructed by the sender to serve you a slice as you read the letter."

Isabella's eyes widened slightly, her long brown hair falling gently over her slim shoulders. It was then her eyes glazed over the envelope, and she noticed how beautifully decorated it was —with tiny pressed flowers and a smooth wax seal.

The lady of House Cherliann... She put a lot of effort into this! It's so beautiful...

"This is very kind of her..." Isabella stared down at the letter, picking it up with a gleam of excitement in her eyes.

She took the envelope in her hands, carefully sliding a small knife through the wax so that she could read what was written inside. Slowly, Isabella opened up the envelope, her eyes widening at a long letter written in neat, cursive yet readable writing.

Dear Miss Isabella,

Recently, I heard that a girl my age was adopted into the family of Einfred, which greatly piqued my interest. I apologise for the sudden letter, but as soon as I heard of your existence, I found myself growing excited and curious about you.

My name is Irene Cherliann. Although, you probably know that - since your maid must have already told you who this letter is from. I hope that you will excuse my boldness, but I could not wait to tell you myself... I've been longing to become acquainted with someone my age of my own accord. I know this is brazen of me, but I hope that we can be good friends in the future.

What kinds of things do you like to do for fun? Do you happen to enjoy reading? That's one of my favourite hobbies!

Is life in the Einfred house enjoyable for you? I hope that things are going well! Lady Einfred has always been very kind to me growing up, I see her as a close aunt! I'm sure that your presence will make her very happy.

Also — I do hope that you enjoy the sachertorte I sent along with this letter. The chef at my manor makes the best desserts, I hope that you'll come visit so we can enjoy his food together one day! I'd love to get to know you better, but there's no rush. Please feel free to take your time in replying to this, because I know you must be very busy and still getting accustomed to life as an Einfred.

Ah — it seems that I've written a bit too much — I apologise again for my boldness! I look forward to your response, Miss Isabella!

Yours faithfully,

Irene Cherliann.

Isabella chuckled softly, as she finished reading the letter sent to her by an unfamiliar, yet warm individual.

"She's so candid... I can't help but find myself liking her!" Isabella beamed, her cheeks glowing a soft red as her maid smiled.

"The young lady of Cherliann is known for being bright and intelligent," she informed her. "She is treasured greatly by the duke, who was once indifferent to people. Some even call her the 'Conqueror of the Silver Reaper.'"

It was no surprise, Isabella thought to herself. Of course she had heard of Irene Cherliann before. Her name was one that all citizens were aware of - considering her father was one of the most important men in the empire. However, she never thought the young girl herself would send a letter of friendship to Isabella of all people.

Because she was a commoner and of lowly origins, some of the noble houses disliked the fact that Isabella was considered an aristocrat now. However, because the house of Einfred were known for being kind people who didn't hold such prejudices toward people, there was no one who could say anything against their decision.

That and - upon witnessing Isabella's powers first hand, no one would dare to say anything against her simply because their respect for her would only grow.

However — Irene seemed completely different. Most people only seemed interested in Isabella because of her powers - even the duke who adopted her only did so, due to her abilities. But this unfamiliar daughter of Duke Cherliann hadn't mentioned Isabella's powers even once in this letter.

It's nice that for once, there's someone who's looking at me not for my powers, but for me as an individual... She thought, smiling softly as she took the cake and proceeded to eat it. The light flavour of chocolate and apricot jam melted in her mouth, the pleasant tastes a delight for her tongue.

After finishing her dessert, Isabella decided to write in response to Irene's, with as much careful neatness and effort as the latter had put in. With the help of her maid, she decorated her letter with beautiful flowers and ribbons, before having it sent to the Cherliann manor in both anxiousness and excitement.

It wasn't long until Irene had received her letter, and proceeded to write another. Over the next few summer weeks, the cycle of conversation between them continued, and soon enough - both girls became good friends. Irene remembered having a pen pal once, as a child in her previous life - and the feeling was somewhat similar.

The only difference was - that these two girls were only an invitation away from meeting for the first time.

As Irene sat happily at her desk in the study room, writing her sixth or seventh letter to Isabella, both River and Snow watched her, with a mix of confusion and intrigue.

"So many letters... Why don't you two just meet up?" Snow asked, perched on River's lean, cloaked shoulder as his beady eyes gazed at Irene writing away.

"They're just getting to know each other," River sighed softly, adjusting his silver-rimmed glasses before turning back to his own desk at the study. His long, sleek black hair swayed gently over his shoulder with the movement. "It's common for noblewomen to communicate like this when forming new friendships."

After Irene finished writing her letter, she hurried out of the study to find her mother. She smiled to herself as she walked through the sunlit hallways, the blue sky clear and radiant from the giant windows.

Isabella is as kind and sweet as I thought. It's good that I reached out to her this early on...

Heading toward her mother's office, located near Rudien's chamber, Irene greeted the passing maids and servants with smiles before finally finding herself at the double doors to where Sarah worked.

As she entered the room after knocking, Irene gazed at her mother, who appeared to be hard at work and focused intently on what was in front of her. Ever since Rudien went off to war, his wife stepped in to oversee his duties and handle much of the immediate tasks in his stead. Sarah's desk was littered with papers, and she was busy staring at a parchment in her hand - until she realised it was her daughter who entered.

"Oh, Irene!" Sarah gasped in a giddy voice, jumping up from her chair. Irene felt amazed by how quickly she went from focused to excited. "What brings you here, darling?"

"I was just writing to Isabella," Irene replied, gently setting down her letter on the desk. "Will you send this one off for me?"

"Of course, dear," Sarah smiled, stroking her daughter's hair as she picked up the neatly-written letter and gazed at it for a moment. "By the way, why don't you invite Isabella over for tea? It's been a while since the two of you started talking."

Irene's golden eyes widened slightly, as she gazed at her mother with both excitement and anticipation. "Is that alright? It'll be our first meeting... I'm a little nervous..."

Sarah laughed lightly, smiling at her daughter. "There's no need to feel nervous about it. I'm sure Miss Isabella will be delighted to meet you," she beamed, before lifting a finger. "How about this? I'll help you to organise a tea party for just the two of you. You can invite her any day you see fit."

"That would be great!" Irene replied, gazing at Sarah with an exuberant smile. "Thank you, Mother!"