Love Letter From The Future

The path to Senior Delphine’s bedroom was anything but easy.

There were several reasons for this. The first and foremost was that the Yurdina Castle was simply too vast.

Though I had recently been on the road to success, I was still merely the second son of a countryside viscounty. In terms of connections, I only remembered associating with people of my own standing wherever I went.

Until now, the noble residences with the most grandeur I had seen were merely Manors.

HAving suddenly arrived at a ‘Castle,’ I needed time to adjust to its scale.

Such were the sad limitations of a low-ranking noble.

After all, I had never been invited by a high-ranking noble, not even once.

And then I received a letter from Senior Delphine. If I were to consider the usual order of things, it was as if I had skipped several steps.

The Yurdina family was the sole sovereign of the North. Moreover, being one of the five great noble families of the Empire, their authority was unmatched by other high-ranking nobles.

Naturally, the place where its master resided was bound to be large and magnificent.

It was a relief that I’d had the time to get accustomed to things at the Academy.

Of course, no building at the Academy could truly be called a ‘Castle,’ but some research halls boasted expanses far greater than any manor. It brought back memories of struggling to find my way around as a freshman.

It was the same now.

I had to wander the long corridors while relying on my poor intuition.

Moreover, my meeting with Senior Delphine was a confidential matter.

It was part of the operation to root out the traitor within the family. Whoever they were, it was advantageous if they remained unaware where the blade was pointing.

Furthermore, it was better if even the weapon in Senior Delphine’s hands remained a mystery.

And above all else, there was yet another reason why I needed to be cautious in my conduct.

That was the fact that Senior Delphine and I were a man and woman in our prime.

At such a late hour, an unmarried man and a woman of marriageable age, meeting alone in a bedroom?

I’d have no grounds to explain myself in whatever misunderstandings that might arise.. I wanted to avoid such trouble at all costs.

It was because of the scene from the previous incident at the Percus Manor that flashed through my mind.

When I was in an awkward situation with the Saintess and Senior Elsie had come looking for me with a kitchen knife.

Back then, the fierce icy blue flame in her eyes seemed completely sincere, leaving no room for doubt.

Had the onlookers not gathered, things might have taken a turn for the worse. And to make matters more complicated, the Saintess—who had lately been keeping an oddly ambiguous distance from me—was also staying in the Castle.

I absolutely didn’t want anyone to know I was meeting alone with Senior Delphine in her bedroom.

I was also worried about Emma, for some reason..

So, like a shadow avoiding the light, I had to slip through the corridors. After wandering aimlessly for quite some time, I finally arrived at Senior Delphine’s bedroom.

I checked the nameplate multiple times before knocking on the door.

It was an oddly tense moment. I had barged into Senior Delphine’s bedroom plenty of times before, yet it felt no different.

Perhaps it was because Yurdina Castle still felt unfamiliar to me.

Even after knocking, there was no response from inside telling me to come in. The door simply opened on its own.

With my limited knowledge, I wondered if this was also some kind of spell.

To think even the bedroom door was enchanted.

It was something unimaginable to anyone other than a member of one of the five great families of the Empire, who were symbols of wealth and power. It was reassuring, in a way, to have one of them on my side.

I sighed in relief and slowly stepped into the room.

The moment of peace was fleeting.

As soon as I took in the sight of the bedroom, I jumped back in shock.

“Wait, Senior Delphine. What are you wearing…?!”

“Shh.”

With a captivating smile, Senior Delphine placed her index finger to her lips.

The door closed on its own, just as it had opened. The softly lit room became a completely enclosed space.

I couldn’t even step back.

Senior Delphine’s attire was provocative.

It couldn’t be helped, considering she was practically half-naked, clad in nothing but crimson lingerie that barely covered the essential.

As her pale, bare body was exposed, I found it hard to know where to look.

Moreover, her lingerie was made of sheer material, revealing her curves without any filter. It even seemed as if one could catch a glimpse of what laid beneath if not for the soft lighting..

It was a sight that stirred a man’s deepest desires.

In the end, I couldn’t hold back and let out a faint shout once more.

“P-Put on some clothes! Don’t you know it’s risky to be like this around a strange man…?’

“Why would you be a strange man, Master?”

But Senior Delphine, the one with bare skin exposed, remained completely unbothered.

Her pale hand held a glass filled with red wine. Even the way she sipped it with her legs crossed looked tantalising.

Senior Delphine gave me a playful glance, as if to tease me.

“Don’t I belong to you? So take a good look, see what it is you own… The higher you rise, the more you’ll need to do so.”

Of course, from my perspective, her claim was absurd.

Desperately averting my eyes from Senior Delphine’s half-naked form, I helplessly muttered.

“I don’t recall ever saying I wanted to own you, Senior Delphine.”

“But you’re the one who defeated me and even made me submit after.”

She replied in a straightforward tone, as if stating an obvious truth.

Her now-empty wine glass landed on the table with a clink.

“So, you should take me. Wouldn’t I make a fine trophy?”

There were gaps in her logic.

As much as I wanted to retort with a few more remarks, the main issue took priority, so I held back. Sighing, I reluctantly took a seat across from her.

At that, she naturally poured me some wine.

With a soft trickling sound, the glass filled, and a fragrant aroma wafted up.

Drinking face-to-face with a half-naked woman, alone.

No matter how I thought about it, this was dangerous. An instinctive sense of crisis flashed through my mind—perhaps something significant might happen tonight.

No, maybe it wasn’t a sense of crisis but anticipation.

My gaze involuntarily flicked over Delphine’s body. She was an enchanting woman, no matter how many times I looked.

Of course, it was only for a fleeting moment.

With a smack, I slapped my cheeks with my palms in an attempt   to bring my drifting mind back into focus. If I started wavering already, things would only get more complicated.

Seeing me like that, Senior Delphine merely let out a soft chuckle.

Her eyes looked somewhat amused.

Judging by her playful expression, she was clearly intent on teasing me. How had I ended up becoming my senior’s plaything? My situation felt pitiful.

Feeling frustrated, I downed the wine in one gulp.

Senior Delphine gave a meaningful smile and made a few remarks

“Not bad! In the North, you’re supposed to down a glass in one go… only then you’re considered a real man. You wouldn’t make a bad son-in-law for the North.”

“Please, enough with the teasing.”

I said as I set the wine glass down.

I could feel the slightly intoxicating aroma of the wine rising up.

The fragrant vapour travelled up my esophagus and reached the tip of my nose.

It was good wine. Naturally, since it was something Senior Delphine enjoyed.

Focusing on that feeling as much as possible, I spoke up, hoping it would help erase the image of Delphine’s bare figure lingering before my eyes.

“More importantly, I’d like to hear about the ‘traitor’… How can I assist you?”

At that, Senior Delphine let out a dismissive hum, as if she found it boring.

She was swirling the drink in her glass. It meant she hadn’t finished contemplating yet.

I patiently waited for Senior Delphine to speak.

It didn’t take long for that patience to be rewarded.

“……Head to the front lines.”

It was what I had expected.

I let out a long sigh.

Just thinking about all the hardships to come made me crave more wine. I grabbed the bottle and filled my glass to the brim.

And once again, the wine poured down into my stomach.

Senior Delphine continued in a languid voice.

“Recently, Elves have been leaving the coniferous forests more frequently, and village raids are on the rise… The Yurdina family must put a stop to it. The smaller territories don’t have the resources.”

“How should we proceed with rooting out the traitor?”

“We mostly lose track of the information when it comes to the Elves’ villages. We haven’t yet figured out their exact movements, though the Imperial Intelligence has been active lately, but…”

Senior Delphine’s crimson eyes glanced at me.

It was a calm, deep gaze—the kind only someone who knows a great deal could possess.

“By any chance, do you happen to have any information you could share with me?”

Has information leaked from somewhere again?

For a moment, my suspicion flickered toward Senior Neris, but upon closer thought, it didn’t seem likely. Were that the case , Senior Delphine wouldn’t have needed to ask me outright.

Senior Delphine was a northerner. She didn’t like unnecessary confirmations.

I had told Senior Neris to activate the Imperial intelligence communication network; perhaps she had sensed something then.

Northern spies were also likely investigating the Elves’ cult activities.

Thus, I obediently shared with Senior Delphine the information I heard from Aviang.

It didn’t seem like new information anyway, as the scale of the cult spreading among the Elves looked hard to ignore.

Just as I’d guessed, Senior Delphine didn’t show much of a reaction.

“It’s similar to the information we’ve gathered… But we still have no intel on where the Elves are mainly settled or where the cult is flourishing.”

“Is it possible that the Elves are simply tight-lipped?”

“All hundreds of them?”

It was a valid counterargument.

I immediately closed my mouth and remained silent. Come to think of it, Senior Delphine had already mentioned the increased frequency of the Elf raids.

An increase in raids meant that more Elves were leaving the coniferous forests.

Accordingly, the number of Elves captured alive by the Yurdina family would inevitably increase. And it’s impossible for all hundreds of Elves to keep a secret.

Unless some kind of magical coercion was employed.

In that case, there was only one answer.

“…So, in the end, someone trustworthy has to go and investigate?”

“It’s a dangerous mission.”

It was a mission to monitor the movements of the Elves.

Naturally, it would require infiltrating deep into enemy territory. To say it wasn’t dangerous would be a lie.

Even so, Senior Delphine didn’t show any sign of remorse.

“Which is exactly why there’s no one I can entrust with it but you, Master.”

It must have been a decision she made after considerable deliberation.

The fatigue evident on Senior Delphine’s face testified to it. In a situation where she had to doubt her most trusted vassals, this was bound to be hardest on her.

It wasn’t like I couldn’t understand her feelings.

I, too, had once been forced to doubt my own family back home. That painful experience was deeply etched within me, and now seeing Senior Delphine’s vulnerable appearance, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her.

Moreover, the Dark Order was my enemy anyway.

With a bitter smile, she continued.

“Of course, I’ll make sure to give you appropriate compensation. Since I’ll soon belong to you anyway, I’d have no right to complain about whatever you take…”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Her crimson eyes, impossible to read, turned toward me.

It seemed she’d been under a lot of stress, as Senior Delphine was half-slumped over the table. It was the first time I saw her so defenceless in my presence.

Therefore, I couldn’t bring myself to ask anything of her.

I just wanted to prove that there was at least one person in the world on her side.

“This is something that concerns you, after all, Senior Delphine.”

My reply was brief and straightforward.

In fact, no further reason was necessary.

Senior Delphine slightly lowered her head with a faint smile.

And after a moment.

She murmured in a drunken voice.

“Then, can I ask you for just one more favour?”

There was a poignancy in her tone that left me silent.

It was then that she lifted her head again.

Her face, wearing a wry smile, looked captivating—so much so that my heart pounded, my breath caught, and every sense seemed focused on the woman before me.

She was baring her fragile inner self.

That fact alone felt more stirring than any words or actions.

“Tonight, let’s sleep together.”

It was something I often heard from Ria in the past.

But Senior Delphine probably didn’t mean it in such an innocent way.

Unless I was completely mistaken, there could only be one implication.

She was inviting me to be intimate with her.

This was the first time in my life I was hearing such words from a woman.