Love Letter From The Future-Chapter 382: Bread and Dagger (80)

Senior Delphine, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, was still as captivating as ever.

Golden hair reminiscent of the midsummer sun and blood-red eyes that sparkled like rubies. A woman with flawless porcelain-white skin and well-defined features.

It would be strange if she wasn’t beautiful.

Even those with a strong religious conviction couldn’t help but harbor lustful thoughts towards this woman.

However, Senior Delphine’s complexion looked somewhat weary today.

It was a time when she should have been at the forefront. Yet, there were several reasons why she couldn’t leave her post.

Marquis Yurdina’s betrayal, for example..

It was hard to believe that an old man plagued by illness was actually a vanguard of the Dark Order.

But the witnesses were too certain and the subsequent report from Senior Neris was the same. They all pointed to Marquis Yurdina’s suspicious activities.

He wasn’t a particularly exceptional knight.

He had will and character, but not overflowing talent. This was a fatal flaw in the North, where military might was revered.

Unlike Senior Delphine, he had as many as six siblings.

Among them were those who proved the excellence of the Yurdina bloodline. Nevertheless, the reason he could hold the family’s full authority was because his skills explosively developed from a certain point.

It was thought to be a late-blooming talent until now.

However, after hearing the princess’s testimony, it was such a perfect timing that one could say ‘of all times.’ His efforts bore fruit just before the heir to the Yurdina family was to be decided.

Senior Delphine must have known this as well

Seria, who had been agonizing over the fact that she had to execute her own father, was ultimately unable to reach a conclusion. Now that Senior Delphine had returned, that decision should be naturally given to her.

It was a cruel burden.

The climate of the coniferous forest was harsh. After struggling through that vast sea of trees to return home, she now had to make such a painful decision.

I couldn’t help but sympathize.

Moreover, wasn’t Senior Delphine the woman I had spent a night with?

I sat down across from Senior Delphine, who was silently filling her wine glass.

Permission wasn’t necessary.

Senior Delphine glanced at me with a bitter smile.

Even then, her slightly curved eyes were alluring. The expression ‘bewitching’ truly suited her.

“.......What’s the matter, husband?”

My breath caught for a moment at the sudden title.

I thought we were going to have a serious conversation, but, in an instant, my mind went blank.

Swallowing a dry laugh, I asked back.

“Husband?”

“Yes, husband... It’s not wrong, is it?”

Senior Delphine extended a delicate finger toward me, her smirking lips sending a jolt through my heart.

“You so greedily indulge in my body, you beast.”

“I clearly remember trying to stop at the end....”

“That’s even worse. You enjoyed yourself to the fullest, but won’t see it through to the end?”

I had no rebuttal.

The relationship between men and women was always like this. A man’s virginity and a woman’s chastity didn’t hold equal value.

A woman who lost her purity would always be considered a sinner.

I smacked my lips and raised both hands as if surrendering.

“Fine. Let’s go with ‘husband’, then.”

“As if you’re doing me a favor... Well, whatever.”

It was a listless laugh.

Though she was hiding it with mischievous teasing, there was no way Senior Delphine’s mind was at ease.

Normally, she wouldn’t show her inner thoughts to me like this.

But Senior Delphine had changed ever since that night.

Or perhaps the changes had already begun long before and that night was simply the trigger that unleashed them. Either way, there was no denying that she started treating me differently.

Could physical intimacy truly hold such weight?

Senior Delphine’s figure, swaying as she tilted her glass, looked pitiful. She placed her hand on her forehead and let out a dejected sigh.

“....... isn’t it funny?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“I find my current state laughable. It feels like everything I’ve known as common sense all my life is collapsing. And I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do anymore......”

As she said this, Senior Delphine tried to refill her glass again. If I hadn’t snatched her hand just before, that is.

Blood-red eyes abruptly stared at me.

Rather than explaining, I simply filled her glass—then took it for myself...

...and downed it in one gulp.

The aroma of the wine was as fragrant as always. My body slightly trembled from the unexpected alcohol, but it hardly mattered at this point.

I countered Senior Delphine’s puzzled gaze with an old memory.

“Do you remember? The day we first met.”

“Of course I do. It was the first time I ever showed my bare body to a man... Though, I never imagined that the same man would also take my virginity.”

She again steered the conversation back to that night.

Whether she was trying to guilt-trip me or naturally move to that subject.

I had no intention of playing along either way.

I instead steadied my voice.

“At that time, Senior Delphine offered me a glass. You said that in the North, sharing a cup from the same glass makes one a comrade-in-arms.”

Senior Delphine closed her mouth tightly.

A gaze filled with complex emotions was directed at me.

Is she thinking it’s unexpected?

I didn’t know why this memory was so vividly coming back to me either. But one thing was certain, I knew what I had to say.

“We’re comrades now, Senior Delphine.”

“.......Do you even realize what that means?”

The final words uttered were somewhat heated by alcohol.

Senior Delphine spoke with a sharper voice than before.

“In the North, there are no soldiers who abandon their comrades and run away. It’s one life whether you live or die... You can’t betray or desert.”

The significantly lowered tone felt almost threatening.

You can’t back out anymore.

Are you confident you can do that ?

I could only respond with a wry smile.

It was like looking at a frightened puppy.

Lonely and isolated, craving for true comrades. The more it did, the higher and more demanding the standards for ‘comrades’ became.

Wanting to have, but unable to.

That resignation subtly laced her voice.

A mockery towards the world, saying ‘you’re the same’.

But those words conversely pointed to Senior Delphine’s true feelings.

She despaired, she sneered...

And yet deep down, she yearned for something genuine. She was simply too afraid of being ignored and betrayed to open her heart freely.

Her true feelings were the complete opposite.

She wanted a certainty that went beyond denial.

I wasn’t well-versed in women’s hearts. Nevertheless, for some reason, I could clearly see her inner feelings now.

“Are you really okay with this? I’m the daughter of a traitor, and the North is on the verge of annihilation because of that crime... Yet you refuse to abandon me. Even though it’s a fight where defeat is certain...!”

“So, that’s how you have lived so far.”

Senior Delphine, who had been speaking so fervently, fell silent in an instant.

Her lips moved, as if to say something—yet no words came forth.

That only made me more certain.

“Is that how you’ve won all this time? By abandoning, betraying, and deceiving... And now, you expect me to do the same, don’t you? Because you can’t bring yourself to trust me.”

“......Is that wrong?”

Senior Delphine’s voice started to tremble slightly. The eyelashes peeking out between her closed eyelids were the same.

She’s drunk.

She wasn’t the kind of woman who would reveal her true feelings with just that much, but that was clearly one of the factors.

Senior Delphine was spewing out an old fear.

It was an excuse she was throwing at herself.

“Failure was never an option for me! I was the sole heir—the Sun of the North! If I fall, it doesn’t end with just me. All the people of the North, every step I take...!”

“And still, you wanted to believe.”

It was an addition I threw out while savoring the alcohol.

Her breath stopped for a moment at the pointed remark that followed my previous words.

I didn’t miss that gap.

“But I’m not like that.”

My hand carefully reached for hers.

She hesitated at first, but eventually couldn’t reject it.

Her trembling blood-red pupils were directed at me.

Now, all that was needed was sincerity.

“No husband would simply abandon his wife, right?”

Senior Delphine didn’t return anything to my shy confession.

She was lost in thought for a moment.

Then she chuckled.

Only after tears welled up did she smile strangely.

It was a smile I had never seen before.

As if she had returned to her childhood, Senior Delphine smiled brightly.

“So, my dear husband, do you have a plan?”

“I have the elves.”

It was bullshit.

It was true, but it was a story I had heard from Elder Pofff and Isha. Even the details were confidential.

There was no way Senior Delphine would believe me.

Yes, until just recently.

But Senior Delphine burst into laughter, chuckling even.

“Alright, do as you please.”

And her index finger trailed down my Adam’s apple.

A seductive smile rose into view.

“Win or lose, I don’t know... But please don’t die. You’re not planning to make me a widow, are you?”

As she said this, she subtly disheveled her clothes.

The night was hot.

And a few days later, after finishing preparations, I stood atop the flesh monster.

“Please look into Seria.”

Recalling the last question I left with Senior Delphine.

The blood-stained letter.

That particularly weighed on my mind.

The final battle was just beginning.

My body shot off, kicking the ground.