Love Letter From The Future

It had been a long time since I had a drink together with a man alone.

After all, for a man to enter my room was rare. The last time a male student knocked on my door late at night, he received a punch right in the face.

Looking back now, those were truly nostalgic memories.

I wonder if that male student recovered well at the temple.

I worried he might have faced trouble during the demonic beast attack. Nah, perhaps he was perfectly unharmed and became one of those who excessively insulted the Imperial Princess.

However, that male student didn't enter my room out of his own will and didn't receive a polite reception from me either.

Leto was probably the only one who I allowed to visit my room as a guest and even drank alcohol with me.

Now, an unexpected person was being added to the list.

Lupine Rinella.

Despite always maintaining a refined appearance, claiming to uphold noble dignity, he, surprisingly, sat before me with a somewhat grubby appearance.

His disheveled hair and the strong scent of smoky burnt were remarkable.

He looked as if he had just emerged from a fire.

Regardless, it was the time to have a conversation. I took a bottle of whiskey from the cupboard, the one I always drank, and poured a glass.

The glass filled up with a strong aroma of alcohol.

As soon as Lupine smelled it, he deeply frowned.

"...What is this cheap liquor? Don't you have something more refined?"

Should I just smack him?

Although I seriously considered it, I decided to calm my inner violence down.

I was well aware that Lupine was impolite. However, he was the younger brother of Senior Elsie, a comrade I cherished greatly, so I could tolerate it a few times.

Well, I could do that a few times.

I hoped Lupine would not exhaust all his chances today.

"It's quite a cheeky request for someone who showed up out of nowhere, isn't it?"

"Out of nowhere? Huh... It's all because of you, don’t you know?! Because of you, my sister...!"

Lupine started to show signs of another fit as he said that.

Before he could spew something out, I quickly picked up the glass.

Fortunately, Lupine seemed not too worked up to completely forget about the noble dignity.

He looked at the glass with dissatisfaction but eventually clinked it with mine. The aroma of whiskey emerged as it flowed down our throats.

I let out a satisfied grunt and turned my gaze to Lupine.

He took a sip of the drink and soon stuck out his tongue, displaying an expression of disgust.

It seemed like the cheap liquor didn't suit his taste.

Or maybe he just couldn't handle alcohol in general.

Either way, alcohol was just a facilitator to smoothen our conversation. I took the opportunity to dig for information from Lupine.

"Don't just get angry; tell me the details. That way, I can understand what I did wrong… or determine if I need to apologize for something, right?"

"You said it well, you trash bastard! Listen carefully to what crime you've committed against my sister!"

Perhaps because he was under the influence of alcohol already, Lupine shouted more angrily.

From his lengthy and detailed explanation, the summary was as follows:

In the end, the problem traced back to the day Senior Elsie and I first met.

Senior Elsie, who suffered an unexpected defeat that day, not only experienced humiliation and shame but also gained unfavorable rumors.

One of them was the gossip about her being the 'piss baby.'

At least according to Senior Elsie’s claims, it was nothing more than groundless slandering. However, who would honestly admit to urinating in front of a junior?

When the truth became unknowable, the public generally tended to accept the version that suited their preferences.

At that time, Senior Elsie’s reputation was at its worst. The truth that the academy members desired was any content that could further damage Senior Elsie's reputation.

It clearly almost hindered Senior Elsie's chances of getting married.

Even though the era claimed to have equalized the rights of men and women, the world still imposed a heavier burden of societal expectations on women. This was especially true for noble young ladies.

Got beaten by a man and ended up urinating on herself?

At first glance, it might seem like a slightly amusing incident, but the moment it circulated in the stringent circles of society, the narrative would change.

It could quickly turn the shameful incident into a weakness.

Of course, a single incident wouldn't fatally shake one's standing in the marriage market. Nevertheless, Senior Elsie had committed too many blunders until now.

Her cruel and violent temperament was clearly one of her drawbacks.

Moreover, given her exceptional abilities, it was evident that pairing her with just any prospective husband would likely lead her to become a scapegoat for domestic violence.

Amidst this came the ridiculous news that the disgrace she suffered came from the second son of a countryside Viscounty.

Count Rinella made a swift decision.

Fearing that Senior Elsie might cause more trouble and that her value in the marriage market would be completely diminished, Count Rinella decided to quickly send her off to marriage.

The efforts that Count Rinella initiated in that manner bore fruit not too long ago.

Senior Elsie's fiancé had been decided, and in the meantime, worried about what trouble she might again cause, Count Rinella hastened the engagement.

So, the long explanation from Lupine was about the visit of the Rinella family’s knights tomorrow to take Senior Elsie away.

A deep, low sigh escaped my lips.

It was a forced engagement. Moreover, Count Rinella had mentioned rushing things, so there wasn't the luxury of choosing a proper match.

The images of some tragic heroines facing unfortunate destinies came to my mind.

A wretched fate of being forced into an engagement with older, ill-tempered, incompetent men whom she does not even love, as if being sold.

I couldn't just stand by and let Senior Elsie end up like that.

With a serious expression, I asked Lupine.

"So, who is this fiancé? Is he old, violent, incompetent...?"

"No? He's a Young Master from a prestigious family, good-looking, and has a promising future."

Count Rinella was more capable than I had imagined.

Upon hearing Lupin's words, a sudden coldness dampened my reaction. I hastily poured more alcohol into the glass to soothe that disappointment.

Then, it wasn't an issue I should be concerned about in the first place.

I was an outsider to the Rinella family. Therefore, no matter how close I was to Senior Elsie, that fact remained unchanged.

"Then what's the problem? Arranged marriages in noble families, selling children like that, is not that rare... and the suitor seems excellent."

"Y-you... you still don't understand the problem?!"

With a face that had reddened from alcohol, Lupine slammed the table, expressing his anger.

"I said she is forced into marriage! My sister cried so much! Here, look! I attempted to calm her down, but instead, I ended up getting roasted!"

Saying so, Lupine extended his arm, proudly displaying his pathetic appearance.

I had to suppress my dumbfounded laughter.

"But what can you do? It's an unavoidable destiny if you're born into a noble family. In exchange for enjoying a better life than others until now, you must sell yourself for the sake of your family.”

I was merely stating the common sense in this aspect.

In noble society, family took precedence above all. Being born into a noble family and enjoying all the luxuries of life meant that you had to uphold your family's glory.

Senior Elsie must have thought the same way.

It was now the time to pay that price.

Honestly, I felt a slight uneasiness in my stomach, but I tried to maintain composure.

Yet, this rational statement seemed to infuriate Lupine even more.

"...Family?"

Angry, the emotions conveyed in his casually uttered voice were unusual.

Upon hearing that zeal in his fiery words, I stopped my hand that was tilting the glass. Lupine's blue eyes were burning fiercely.

It was an intense emotion incomparable to what he had shown so far.

It could only be emotions like anger and hatred that had been condensed over a long time.

"Family, what have they done to us...?"

It was a fundamental question.

I had assumed it too casually. On the contrary, it was a problem difficult to unravel and explain.

Even without that, my intoxicated mind was already not functioning properly. So, my responses were nothing more than stumbling and spitting out obvious words.

"Th-that's... uh, well. Providing food and shelter? There are things like that, right?”

"My parents, they didn't do anything...!"

He spat out those words while grinding his teeth.

Nevertheless, there was no way your family wouldn’t provide you with meals and a place to sleep. However, the anger shown by Lupine right now was so intense that one might even say he had suffered abuse in the Rinella family instead.

Lupine poured out his true feelings under the influence of alcohol.

"To our parents, we were nothing more than dogs in a dog-fighting ring… they just threw us in, waiting until the strongest one emerged. Do you know how miserable my childhood was?

His voice took on a more intense tone, and intense pain swirled in his bloodshot eyes.

"They dragged me away and beat me whenever they felt like it! For no reason, just because it was fun! If I snitched to our parents, they would be scolded once, and that was it. Then, as their revenge, I had to endure even more cruelty. There was a time when I had to fight with the dog we were raising... I even begged them to stop!"

Caught in the overflowing storm of emotions without forewarning, I couldn't utter a single word.

I just refilled Lupine's already emptied glass with more alcohol in place of the tears he should have shed.

"Back then, back then, the only one who protected me was Noona... She fought the big dog on my behalf. At first, it bit her, and she bled, but Hyung, who ordered us to fight, got even more scared. Hehehe... But you know what's funny? By the time the knights arrived later, Noona had already choked the dog to death."

As he spoke, Lupine made sounds that could be laughter or crying. Then, with a thud, his head slammed onto the table.

It was only then that I cautiously tried to stop Lupine.

"Lupine, you're already drunk. You should go back to your place now."

"We've just finally become free now!"

Shouting fiercely, Lupin gulped down the whiskey in his glass in one go. The scent of strong alcohol wafted through the air.

"But now she has to go back to that family? For a family who hasn't done anything for us, now that she has become an excellent fighter, they want to sell her off for a good price?”

I couldn't say anything in response to his desperate voice.

Exhaling heavily, I leaned my body against the backrest of the chair. As I tilted the glass, the flames ignited within me.

It was probably the alcohol.

"I, I can't do anything... I'm weaker than my sister. I have to endure harsh scolding and keep my mouth shut..."

Once again, Lupine weakly lowered his head onto the table.

He was not in his right mind.

That’s why he could speak his true feelings without hiding anything.

"But you're different. You're... stronger than my sister."

The reason Lupine came to find me was merely that.

There probably wasn't anyone else immediately coming to his mind other than me. Finding someone who could persuade Senior Elsie throughout the academy was even rare.

Lupine murmured sadly while sobbing and zoning out.

"Rinella's destiny should be determined by their own, huh? What does it have to do with you all..."

Rinella's destiny is determined by their own.

It was the Rinella family’s motto. A cliché phrase that most noble families possess.

Lupine groaned even while sleeping, seemingly tormented by those words.

I remained silent for a while, tilting the glass until the remaining whiskey in the bottle was emptied.

"...How dare such a weak guy like him boast about alcohol."

With a grunt, I lifted Lupine and tossed him onto the bed.

And since I didn't like to share a bed with another guy, I had to sleep on the small sofa. Even as I drifted off to sleep, I was still pondering.

What was Senior Elsie really hoping for?

My intoxicated mind was muddled in darkness.

And the next day, when I regained my senses...

"...Enough."

I was reciting such lines in front of the Rinella family's knights, who came to take Senior Elsie, with the smell of alcohol wafting strongly from my body.

"Please take your hands off Senior Elsie."

I didn't really want to say that.

A sigh escaped from my lips involuntarily.

***

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