Not long after I finished reading Noah's letter, the butler gave me another enchanted parchment. It was now my chance to send a response.
I couldn't help being excited about explaining what had happened recently.
After snatching it from the butler's grasp, I slid into my writing chair and dipped my pen. I stared down at the glowing page for a second, then immediately started scribbling.
***
To my sweet Noah,
I may have, just a little, made a bit of a mess in the North recently, and now the nobles are out for my blood.
Let me explain.
It all started out simple; I wanted a nice, calm outing with Livia. We went to a baby boutique. I bought a bunch of adorable things for our little Lyra. A crib, clothes, and I even got one of those over-the-top baby bottles with way too many gems. The day was going great, and I was having an enjoyable time.
And then…
Two idiots decided they wanted to die.
One stuck out his foot as I walked by, trying to trip me. The other stood ahead, ready to catch my fall before I hit the ground. It was a pathetic attempt to 'save the day' and win my favor through underhanded means. A third-rate scam on a pregnant woman, no less… Are they stupid? Apparently… yes.
Moments before I fell, Livia moved. She slammed into the man reaching for me, twisted midair, caught my body, and turned me enough to land safely on my back. She saved our baby, Noah.
So naturally, I told Bors to kill both of them. I probably shouldn't have done it in the middle of the street, but I wasn't thinking, still panicking over the fact I could have just lost Lyra.
He obviously obeyed my orders. Once Bors got a hold of them, let's just say they're no longer of this world.
Then a crowd gathered, and… well…
You know how I get when there's a stage. I may have… sort of… climbed onto a rock and delivered a passionate speech about justice and reform. Not just letting scumbags run our streets.
I also seized the chance to denounce the entirety of the nobility. By the following day, my words had reached every corner of the North. I called nobles nothing more than idiotic dolls propped up by a broken system and commoner's blind followers led by fools.
In my defense, I was on a roll.
People are talking more than ever. I think I've started something big, and it no longer feels possible to stop its momentum. Now, when they witness a crime in the city, they speak up instead of walking away in silence.
But the nobles, oh… they're mad! I've heard the rumors they've put out about me recently, and they're really hitting below the belt. All unconfirmed accounts of my actions, and they even said I'm unstable.
You may come back home to quite the political firestorm.
So yeah, I really need you back soon, but don't get hurt. If you die trying to rush back here, I will bring you back to life just to yell at you, I swear!
Anyway, I'm running out of space on this enchanted paper, so I'll end it with this:
I miss our cuddle sessions. If you take too long, I might start using Livia to fill that need. Just kidding! Hehe… or am I? Honestly, I miss falling asleep with my big bad Archduke as my personal pillow. It's also been far too long since you last rubbed my feet. What's up with that?
Come back to me, okay?
I love you, Noah. Your endlessly talkative wife,
Seraphina
***
As the paper folded itself into a neat envelope and vanished in a flash of light, I sighed and let my head fall into the crook of my arm.
"Please be safe, Noah," I whispered with some guilt. The only reason he would get hurt during this campaign is probably to hurry home because of my selfish request.
I can't help it. Our home feels much safer when he's near. More than ever, I need him by my side. This current movement is already in motion, too big for one voice alone. I need my powerful backer to help bend these stubborn nobles so we can build a land that truly prospers.
Together… we could do anything! That's how I felt.
Two long days of tension in the estate had passed.
The city was still buzzing with whispers of my speech, reform, justice, and the rise of the North seemed to fill every alley and corridor.
Even the guards were standing a little taller when they patrolled the streets. Some nobles, on the other hand, were clearly ruffled.
Their letters passed through the gates more often, some with polite inquiries, others with veiled insults.
I expected pushback, but that doesn't mean I'll back down for those bastards who've clung to power for far too long, advancing nothing but their own selfish ambitions.
The butler entered the lounge with wide open eyes, holding the glowing parchment like it might explode.
"It… just arrived, Archduchess," he said carefully, handing it over to me.
I couldn't help but look at him skeptically, not understanding his current state. The second my fingers touched the paper, I felt it… Noah's panic was literally radiating off the page.
That's when I remembered what I had written in my last letter I sent to him. I ripped it open without hesitation.
***
Seraphina,
What… the… hell!
I've only been gone for a little over a week, and somehow in that time you:
Go out in disguise with Livia, even though I asked you to do that less while pregnant for your own safety.
Nearly get tripped by a pair of lunatics.
Tell Bors to dismember people in the street. Honestly, I'm not even mad about that one. They deserved it.
Climb on a rock and give a speech that sent the entire northern nobility into a political crisis.
Seraphina, the heart of my soul and the love of my life… who started a movement while almost five months pregnant.
I can't tell if I'm impressed, terrified, or falling madly in love with you all over again. Maybe all three at once…
Listen… yes; I always want you to speak your mind. You're brilliant, and your vision for the future is exactly what this world needs.
But please, PLEASE… don't make it a habit of public executions and revolutionary speeches while I'm not there to keep people from throwing knives at you.
There's already word reaching me at the front lines. Some nobles are panicking, and others are furious. They all wish for me to come back and reprimand you. Of course I would never do that, but it's annoying to hear the way these bastards talk about you.
The people are standing with you. Their mindset is shifting, and they're beginning to trust the guards to take action instead of turning a blind eye due to noble interference. I've already heard many accounts of it.
That is both amazing and terrifying.
They've even begun calling you a saintess who came from the heavens to save the North, which is quite interesting considering your origins.
Progress on the front is steady. We've pushed the threat further back and fortified the eastern ridge. It's slow, but working. I'm trying not to rush… Your actions aren't making that any easier.
Also, prepare a generous reward for Livia; I knew she would be the perfect maid for you. It sounds like her background came in handy, something I left up to Livia to explain if she wished.
Honestly? I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight. The thought of you or Lyra getting hurt makes my blood run cold.
Just… promise me you'll be more careful, okay?
We're going to change the world in the future, but I need you to be in it when we do, and when I get home, you're not leaving my arms for a week.
Forever yours,
Noah
P.S. I'll rub your feet for so long you'll think it's my new full-time job.
***
By the time I finished reading; I was laughing and crying at the same time.
I couldn't help but giggle at how he expresses himself through writing. He's so much more emotional on paper than he ever was in person.
"He really is going to smother me with love when he gets back."
Livia turned to me with a raised eyebrow.
I looked at her for a little while, remembering what Noah had said in the letter.
"Is there something you wish to know?" Livia said with a solemn face.
"Yes… Noah had said… Your background is more mysterious than I even know."
She sighed and then began speaking. "There was a bit more to my family's fall than I had previously told you." I couldn't help but tilt my head at that. "It was something I wasn't very proud of, but my family forced it upon me."
"Please… tell me, Livia. I wish to know everything about you." Even though I was a little annoyed that she didn't explain this earlier, I couldn't really be mad at her.
"Well… our family comes from a line of powerful warriors; even some of the females in my family's past could rival the strongest men." She paused while looking me straight in the face. "I was trained in swordsmanship from a very early age and could have also been one of the other reasons my family was destroyed. I was highly skilled, but at the same time I didn't enjoy it."
"You were powerful and didn't enjoy it?" I looked at her dumbfounded, as I personally would have loved that!
"I just preferred looking cute to being all sweaty from practicing the sword. It's really as simple as that." She shrugged her shoulders.
I couldn't help but smile at her response. "You have one of those looks that even if you held a blade, you would look damn sexy."
Livia responded with a deadpan expression.
Anyway, this is great for safety in the future if Bors and Kellan aren't with me for some reason. I decided not to dig any further, as she seemed to dislike this topic.
I folded Noah's letter carefully, tucking it beside my bed where all the others now rested.
The butler remained in the room, still holding the parchment meant for my reply. I gestured for him to approach, took it from his hands, and began writing.
***
Noah,
I'M SO SORRY!!! I know… I know… I messed up by going out. But I was feeling good, and I wanted to enjoy some sunshine. The one time I go out for some fresh air and baby shopping, I get two psychotic idiots trying to trip me?
Why can't a girl just walk the street in peace without someone trying to assault her?
It's a serious problem! A huge one!
Okay…okay… To be fair, I didn't climb the rock on my own. I asked Kellan to lift me up while using his shield as a base. So technically, I didn't climb anything, and he even stood underneath me at all times, making sure I would be caught if, for some reason, I fell.
It was totally safe!
About the public execution… that might have been a bit too much. But I was furious, and reason had left me. If I had lost Lyra, our baby, I would have shattered in ways even you might not be able to mend.
Me… a saintess… Hehe… I wish I possessed such powers. That would be incredible.
It really does feel like I've stepped into one of those female fantasy heroine routes. All that's missing is a sacred staff and a chosen one prophecy stapled to my forehead.
Livia is amazing! It was like she mixed in dance with martial arts the way she moved. Somehow performing such a move while under pressure, she didn't even hesitate one bit.
I'm starting to think she might be an undercover divine spirit sent by some god to protect me, hehe.
Listen, Noah… Lyra and I are safe, I promise. So please sleep well. I need you sharp, not sleepy, while you're out there saving the world from monsters.
I never plan to leave this world unless you're coming with me. Thought honestly… Sometimes I wish I could bring you, Lyra, and Livia back to my old world. It would be so awesome… I hope I just created a flag. The God who brought me here, I hope you're listening.
We'd just need a rip in space or something simple like that, right?
Imagine what we could do with that technology if we brought it here. I'm drooling at the thought.
But until some cosmic event grants such a special ability, we'll just rule Coldmere together.
Anyway, I'm literally scrunching this at the bottom of the page.
Here's your dose of affection to hold you over:
Kisses… Love you lots!
Your super lovable and awesome wife,
Seraphina
***
After I finished writing, the parchment shimmered, sealed itself, and vanished from my fingertips with a soft burst of light.
I exhaled.
Even with distance between us, our hearts beat as one. Until his return, I'll carry on ruling in his name, perhaps with a few more speeches along the way.