章 63: A Love Letter 01

"My Lady, it seemed that you had forgotten about the chest."

Lai looked at Cailina with seriousness in his eyes. He barged into his master's office without warning. He had been telling her to look at the letter that the Monarch's messenger gave a few weeks back.

The summer banquet was in two days and Cailina has yet to read the contents of it. He would not move an inch until Cailina opened the chest.

Everything was prepared for the event, and the only thing that has been bothering Lai was his master's unwillingness to read it.

Cailina sighed, "Leave."

Her attendant stood still at his post. He showed no sign of retreating and stared at Cailina. He pursed his lips and placed them on her desk.

He doesn't understand his master's avoidance. It was clear enough to see that it was from the Monarch, he narrowed his eyes at Cailina. She has been unusual with her behavior after returning from the day out with the twins.

Lai wasn't there to see what happened, he heaved a breath, "Is there something troubling you, my Lady?"

Cailina paused her writing and looked at Lai, "Nothing... It's nothing."

He cleared his throat and repeated the question, this time in a different approach, "Did the twins upset you in any way, my Lady?"

His master put down the pen to her side. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I have been feeling..."

"Yes?" Lai urged.

Cailina clicked her tongue and waved her hand in dismissal. She once again ordered Lai to leave her alone, but the latter stayed in a place like a statue.

The longer she saw her attendant staring at her while she read through the documents was finally blowing away her patience. She could not focus on her work many thoughts began to raged in her mind.

She too doesn't understand why she was feeling this way. All she knew was she found herself comparing her qualities to the twins.

AsAs a result of this, she buried her head under the piles of documents and she kept asking for more things to do from her father. The Duke would gladly hand the minor matters to her daughter as it lightened the load of managing the Monarch's matters.

She repeated the tiresome cycle of doing reports every day that she lost track of the days before the summer banquet.

Cailina was not in the mood to deal with the Monarch who kept postponing her fiance's return. She has enough matters to think about as invitations after the summer banquet was flooding her desk.

After Odessa blabbered at tea parties that Cailina had spent a day with her made the letters coming to her door. At least five messengers from different families and wealthy commoners would knock on their door to deliver an invite.

Most of it would end up being burned by Lai. It would be the death of her if she attended all of it, but her mother insisted her to join a few parties and said that it would benefit her.

"I believe it would not take that much time to read the letter," Lai broke the silence, "I will open it for you, my Lady."

He wouldn't allow her to be lost in her thoughts and be unapproachable for the rest of the day. The letter must be read today, and if possible, Cailina would also write a reply after.

If his master wouldn't exert effort to just open it up, he would do it himself. He would be in trouble if the messenger returned to ask if whether Cailina did read it or not. One thing or another the messenger would know if she didn't.

Because in the capital, the Monarch's eyes and ears were heightened.

Lai slowly opened the chest in front of Cailina to which the latter never once gave a glance. It was as if she was completely uninterested.

If she had been his sister, he would have long gone twisted her ear to listen to him.

"Careful with your thoughts," Cailina said, "I could feel them."

Lai chuckled. The mark of servitude indeed worked in times that was unfavorable to him, why can't his Lady feel his joy when he was praising her in his heart?

He pushed the chest closer to Cailina that it would be hard to avoid getting a glimpse of the contents inside.

"I do not wish to lose my head for failure of delivering the Monarch's message," he said in the plainest way possible, "I could not die before seeing you married, my Lady."

Cailina sighed. She leaned back and crossed her arms, "Leave."

"No."

Lai stepped back and placed his hands in front of him. He truly was a stubborn one.

The reason for Lai's persistence was that not only the messenger that threatened him to have Cailina read the contents of the letter no matter what, and the Duke's punishment of not letting him enter the hidden chamber for as long as he breathes.

What could he do? He wanted to complain to his Lady, but even Cailina was stubborn and did not hear her out.

Lai pleaded her with his eyes. He appeared like a lost puppy begging his chosen master to take him home and care for him. She could not see how her attendant made it to his twenty-third years of living with his attitude at everything.

Cailina cautiously approached the chest and reached for the first letter as there were three messages for her.

Her brows knitted together as she read it. It was from the Crown Prince.

My dear Cailina,

How have you been? I longed for the day to see you and hold you in my arms. I apologize for not returning to your side and protecting you from the eyes of those who only wish you horrible things.

Cailina closed her eyes as her lips twitched. She looked at Lai as if she regretted opening it.

It breaks my heart that you spend many sleepless nights without my comfort. I know you are capable of handling your matters, but I do wish I could share your burdens.

Enough of how I miss you, There are some things that you needed to know before the summer banquet.