Chapter 115

In the height of spring, when the nocturnal breeze was warm enough to lift one’s spirits, a letter arrived at the Caspian estate.

“Brother, Sister, Sister-in-law, Brother-in-law! Flora gave birth! It happened a bit earlier than expected, but thankfully, it’s a healthy little Prince.”

The letter, stamped with the imperial seal of Leander, had traveled across the ocean and sent the mansion into a stir.

“That is wonderful news. But tell me, how is Amber doing?”

“Yes, Aunt Amber is doing well. She wrote that she’s so happy to see her daughter. Oh, and she even delivered the baby herself! Wait… it says they named the child Ran.”

A soft chuckle escaped Ramona’s lips at the mention that the Prince was named ‘Ran’ as a token of gratitude to remember Ramona’s grace forever.

“Is there nothing else?”

“Uh, well… it says they sent something for our Raon. And something for me, too…”

The letter had arrived first; the accompanying goods appeared a bit later after being thoroughly inspected. As boxes so heavy they required several knights to lift were placed on the floor, Antonio carefully opened a lid.

In an instant, a brilliant radiance blinded everyone, forcing them to shut and then reopen their eyes.

“Oh my goodness… what is all this?”

Titiana sprang up, gasping as she looked inside. The boxes were filled to the brim with high-purity gold bars.

“This letter was inside the final box, sir.”

Ramona took the last two sheets of paper handed over by Antonio, her expression turning incredulous.

[Jewelry can be tricky to get a fair price for, so I’m sending practical gold bars that can be liquidated immediately. To my sister-in-law and sister, Princess Ramona! See you next time.]

Ramona shook her head at Benjamin’s letter, a man who certainly knew how to repay a favor with flair.

“If I help him twice more, he’ll probably hand over the entire Imperial Palace.”

“Uh… um, in the second letter, he says he’s giving me and Raon one of the palace buildings to stay in?”

The first page explained the gold bars; the back page stated that a palace building was being gifted so they could rest comfortably whenever they pleased.

“I feel like my sister-in-law is being stolen away. She is my sister-in-law.”

“Don’t you worry about that. Our Ran is far too lazy to actually go there.”

“Pfft! Who knows? He might just kidnap our Lady Ran and take her away.”

At Camilla’s playful remark, the guards around Ramona were suddenly reinforced. Amidst a situation she didn’t want in the slightest, Ramona could only let out a heavy sigh.

“My brother is so over-the-top. Anyway, how am I supposed to meet Young Duke Cassius? Brother is using every single social invitation as kindling for the fire.”

Though she was the most sought-after figure in the empire, Kaizen had forbidden Ramona from any social activities. He wouldn’t even let her attend gatherings that were exclusively for women.

“I was going to contact Adrian when I attended a party, but… I can’t live like this because of Brother. At this rate, if I ever get married, I’ll probably only see the groom’s face for the first time at the altar.”

“Getting married would be a miracle. From what I see, your brother will never let you marry. Ever since you were little, he’s practically brainwashed you into living with him forever. Probably.”

Kaizen was the type of brother who would lie down next to a young, sleepy Ramona and whisper “Never get married” like a mantra.

“He got married himself, though.”

“Tell me about it. Anyway, hang in there. I want to help, but your brother’s personality is no joke. Even now, your brother-in-law is just walking on eggshells around him.”

Ramona watched Lionel rolling a large ball nearby and smiled at Titiana.

“Sister! Can I borrow Tigre for a bit?”

“My son? Well, if Tigre wants to, I don’t mind. Though I’m not sure what that boy can do.”

Titiana tilted her head in confusion. She didn’t know what Ramona was planning, but as she watched her hurriedly write a letter, Titiana let out a snicker.

Every letter coming from the Cassius family or anyone related to them was being blocked. Thus, Ramona wrote a letter to Raon, tucked it into an envelope, and handed it to Titiana. Sensing Ramona’s intent, Titiana wrote her own name as the sender and Tigre’s name as the recipient on the outer envelope.

It looked exactly as if Titiana was simply sending a letter to her son, Tigre.

“Good luck. Your sister is always on your side.”

“Thanks. You’re the best, Sister.”

“Of course. A sister is much better than a brother. Our Ran is so clever.”

Patting Ramona’s head just like she did when they were children, Titiana sent the letter off to the Academy.

***

Tigre, who opened the letter from his mother—something she rarely did—immediately summoned Raon.

“I was actually wondering how Mom was doing. Even when I wrote to her, I never got a reply…”

“Here! Look at this. Auntie sent you a letter through me.”

Tigre pulled out the letter hidden inside the one disguised as his mother’s and watched Raon’s expression closely.

It was almost cute to see him go from a wide grin to a dejected pout in seconds.

“Brother, what should I do? My uncle…”

Raon didn’t finish the sentence, but Tigre understood. It was because Kaizen was monitoring Ramona’s every move and cutting off all outside contact.

“Brother, can I also put a letter inside an envelope you send, just like Mom did?”

Tigre shook his head at the sight of Raon, who was fidgeting and whining like a tiny puppy. At Tigre’s refusal—the one person he thought would help—Raon’s spirit broke, and he hung his head low.

Looking at Raon, who was on the verge of tears, clutching Tigre’s school uniform with trembling lips, Tigre realized he shouldn’t tease him any further.

“Hmph. I’ll help you, so don’t cry.”

“Yes, Brother! I’ll put all my trust in you.”

“Right. Then shall we come up with a strategy? If we succeed, you have to play and study with me every day. Deal?”

“Deal!”

As Raon replied with a bright smile, Tigre spread out a large sheet of paper and began to draw something.

***

In the middle of the night, when all of creation was in a deep slumber, even a passing breeze sounded clamorous. A figure, relying on the shadows of the moon as the world drowned in darkness, leaped and perched atop the high wall.

Without a second to waste on looking around, the figure jumped down cautiously. Entering a place where even a controlled breath became noise, the intruder hid behind a tree.

Armed men carrying torches moved about. As the spring breeze gently wrapped around the torches, the flames flickered and danced away on the wind.

With a heart thumping in their ears, the intruder slipped through the gap where the torchbearers crossed paths. Melting seamlessly into the darkness, the figure climbed a massive tree.

In the room where the windows were open to fully embrace the spring air, a sliver of moonlight emerged from the clouds and visited silently on its tiptoes.

As the shadow cast by the moonlight grew longer, Ramona, fast asleep, tossed and turned as if talking in her sleep.

Before the black-clad figure watching her could even let out a breath, something silver streaked toward their heart. Having prepared for this, the figure blocked the silver metal and, in that opening, grabbed Ramona’s ankle as she swung a kick toward their midsection.

“Who…”

“Ramona, it’s me.”

“Ah…”

At the familiar voice, Ramona instantly relaxed her body. The sudden loss of tension caused her to lose her balance, and she tumbled forward.

Adrian, catching Ramona as she fell toward him, carefully sat her down on the bed.

“How did you get here?”

“I had help from my prospective nephew.”

“Oh dear, he leaked the classified security patrol routes of the family to an outsider? I don’t know whose nephew he is, but he’s quite the rascal.”

Despite having sent a letter to Raon, Ramona had heard nothing back and was growing anxious. Seeing Adrian appear instead of a reply, a startled Ramona threw her arms around him.

“I missed you. I missed you so much, but Brother wouldn’t let me out… I’m sorry. You waited a long time, didn’t you?”

“It’s alright. Just seeing you like this is enough.”

Adrian, who had been frantic after losing contact following their meeting with Grand Duke Ayla, buried himself in Ramona’s embrace, soaking in her scent.

After a moment of finding peace in her arms, Adrian suddenly looked up and pulled something from his cloak.

“Toto?”

The charmingly plump-bottomed Toto appeared from Adrian’s chest, twitching a crushed ear, and held something out to Ramona.

“What is this…”

Clutched in those fluffy paws was a ring that sparkled in the moonlight. As Ramona took Toto into her arms and looked at the ring, Adrian swallowed hard and spoke in a solemn voice.

“Ramona, please marry me. I promise to be a modest husband who stays home and keeps your bed warm for the rest of my life.”