Sincerely, Vanessa [EN]: Chapter 71

A dreamlike time passed. As darkness fell, the garden sparkled like a jewel with lights scattered here and there, creating a breathtaking spectacle.

Vanessa watched the warm glow of the crimson lights emanating from inside the drawing room and decided it was time to leave.

“I should get going now.”

“Why? Already?” Gideon asked, surprised. He straightened up from his relaxed position, causing his golden bangs to fall across his forehead.

Vanessa gently brushed his hair back and squeezed his hand. “You’re tired. Get some rest.”

“Seeing you is what relieves my fatigue,” Gideon countered.

Vanessa scoffed at his absurd statement. “That’s ridiculous. How did you manage before you met me?”

“Ah, thank you for asking. Peres [Gideon’s aide] could testify to how messed up I was from Edirne Calendar 1311 to early 1312 when you completely ignored my calls. I remember suffering from severe insomnia.”

Vanessa felt a cold sweat break out at his immediate and detailed response. *He even remembers the exact year?*

Gideon glanced at her and grumbled, “I don’t think I’ll be able to go out and play for quite a while, and you don’t even seem disappointed.”

“N-no, what are you talking about! I’m very disappointed, but I can’t show it. You have work to do, Gideon!”

“I prefer you to be honest. I’m always curious about what you’re thinking.”

Gideon stared down at her with an expectant gaze, making Vanessa feel like she was sweating bullets.

*Is the drawing room too hot? I should ask Peres to make it a little cooler next time….*

“Vanet, hurry,” Gideon said, his voice laced with laughter as he used her nickname.

*How sly, how sly.* He didn’t use her nickname often, only at strategic moments, knowing it would make her unconsciously do what he wanted.

Gideon didn’t flinch at her glare and gently stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

Vanessa found it difficult to express her feelings honestly. She thought she was doing a good job in her letters, but in person, she still struggled. She was too busy worrying about whether her feelings would be accepted. And it was ticklish! But Gideon always wanted her to express herself properly.

“Th-”

Vanessa fidgeted her hand in his.

“Don’t overdo it,” Gideon said gently.

“I won’t.”

“Tell me if you have a hard time….”

“I will.”

Vanessa stared at their clasped hands and took a deep breath.

“I’m going to miss you so much, and I’m going to sneak into the castle sometimes, so you have to be happy to see me, and don’t play with other people!”

It was a childish outburst, all said in one breath. Gideon laughed softly and lightly kissed the back of her hand. As soon as his lips touched her skin, Vanessa’s cheeks flushed bright red.

“Of course, that too,” he replied, amused.

Vanessa huffed. *How can he be so natural! Only I look like a fool every day.*

Gideon looked at Vanessa, who seemed a little annoyed, with affectionate eyes. Vanessa, wanting to break his composure, pulled her hand out of his and stood up abruptly.

As Gideon looked up at her with a questioning gaze, Vanessa mentally steeled herself.

*This is nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing! Well, yeah. Even young children can do this kind of affection. As I told the teacher, people must continue to develop.*

Vanessa stood in front of him with a determined step. She suddenly bent down to meet his eye level and grabbed his cheeks to steady his face. But even after that, she hesitated for a moment.

The moment a puzzled Gideon slightly raised his eyebrows, Vanessa leaned down and carefully kissed his eyes and cheeks.

When Vanessa straightened up again, Gideon had a dazed expression. But soon his eyes began to fill with laughter.

“I’m leaving!”

“Ha!” Gideon exclaimed.

As he began to laugh loudly, Vanessa immediately ran out of the drawing room.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Gideon, who had barely slept due to work, smiled as he thought about Vanessa from the previous day: her flushed cheeks, sparkling blue eyes, and messy brown hair.

*Even children’s games are more intense than this.* Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling of longing in his chest. He wanted to see her again, even though he had just seen her yesterday. *Of course, it’s impossible.*

“What are you doing?” Colonel Riet asked, giving the younger captain a look that clearly said, *’Are you crazy?’ You have work piled up in front of you, and you’re laughing?* “Fortunately, we were able to recruit these new recruits quickly. Of course, it doesn’t seem like they are interested in paperwork at all….”

Sitting blankly in front of them were Evan and Daloyz, the new recruits of the Special Forces.

Evan was physically flawless and specialized in aggressive fire magic, allowing him to score quite high.

However, Daloyz scored even higher than Evan, and the reason was clear: he had headbutted one of the Special Forces members during the interview and sent him flying.

Gideon rested his chin on his hand and looked at them. *They will soon be flailing their arms and legs on the floor like other Special Forces members, complaining that they hate paperwork. So, I should make them work hard while they’re still new.*

“But is it only two of them? I heard that the Northern Branch recruited four, but the Central Branch only got two?”

“There weren’t many who met the conditions, so it can’t be helped,” Riet explained.

“You have to pick them even if there aren’t any!” Riet shouted in frustration, but Gideon remained calm. There was no point in picking just anyone, as most would run away, tarnishing the Special Forces’ reputation. He wanted people who would stay for the long haul.

“Evan Rias, Daloyz Staner.”

“Yes, sir,” they replied in unison.

“It’s a pity that you have to join a big project from the beginning. I know that you have already signed a contract through magic to prevent the disclosure of secrets, so I’ll tell you right away,” Gideon said listlessly, explaining their task. Daloyz’s face fell as soon as he heard it, as the job required reasoning ability.

“So far, there is only one clue. The common characteristic found in those who approached the wizards is a ‘unique accent’.”

“Do you have anything in mind?” Riet asked teasingly, prompting Evan and Daloyz to frantically rack their brains. Of course, their mental efforts were short-lived.

“When you say a unique accent, are you referring to a specific region?” Evan asked blankly.

Riet nodded. “That’s right. There’s that too.”

Daloyz scratched his head and suddenly changed the subject. “I have a friend named Vanessa who did Special Forces training with me, and she’s very smart. It would have been nice if she had come here.”

Gideon’s fingertips twitched slightly. Riet laughed in disbelief. “Vanessa Rose from the Magic Department? I know her. She already helped with this. You guys know each other? It would have been great if she had applied here instead of the Magic Department.”

“She did this? She’s in the Magic Department?” Evan asked in surprise.

Colonel Riet nodded vaguely. “She found something strange while working. After working overtime for a few weeks, she seems to have a strong desire not to be involved in this kind of work again. It’s a shame. Anyway, why don’t you answer my question?”

Evan and Daloyz sullenly closed their mouths.

Gideon sighed briefly, watching Riet torment the new recruits. “I’ll give you the investigation documents so far and a map showing the entire territory of Friva [the kingdom]. I hope you can figure it out. What are we aiming for?”

Gideon sorted the documents and handed them to the new recruits, who received them and trudged away. Looking at the closed door, Riet said, “I actually didn’t want to include the new recruits here.”

“Me neither. There’s too much at stake.”

“Still, I want to sleep well,” Riet said, expressing his desire for a less demanding workload.

“I agree,” Gideon replied.

Gideon started flipping through the documents furiously, ending the conversation. Colonel Riet saluted briefly and left the office.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The places assigned to Evan and Daloyz were inside a large room on the first floor, next to each other. As Hisop, who was sitting far away, waved his hand, the two bowed their heads.

Daloyz spread the documents on the desk and said blankly, “Vanessa… I miss you.”

“Me too…,” Evan echoed.

For some reason, Evan was reminded of his days studying at the academy when he piled up the documents. It was a terrible memory, but it had become somewhat romanticized. However, as soon as he sat back at his desk, the memory, which he had painstakingly packaged as beautiful, quickly vanished.

Evan sighed briefly and began to flip through the documents. Daloyz also put his legs on the chair and stared at the documents with half-dead eyes.

The contents extracted from the wizards involved in illegal activities were nothing special. In the first place, they felt it was a dangerous job, so they didn’t ask many questions.

However, what everyone pointed out was a unique accent. And they appeared as if they were seeping in from the darkness and testified that they offered a very high price.

“A high price. They must have some money.”

“The guys behind them are rich. Nobles or families with some name must be involved,” Evan speculated.

Evan licked his lips. *Interesting?*

Evan and Daloyz unfolded the map and carefully examined the territory of Friva. There were many areas where a unique accent remained.

Friva, Vitola, Aravan, and the Arbas Islands, all kingdoms derived from the Edirne Empire, used the same language. It wasn’t Edirne, but a common language created based on it, Valant.

However, there were places where accents from Edirne remained.

The two decided to mark those areas in red on the map, but as soon as they picked up the pen, they were immediately stumped.

“I don’t know where the unique accent is?”

“Me neither.”

Evan and Daloyz just stared blankly at the map.

“O-Aurelia.”

“That’s where Lina was born. No.”

“No? I’m sure I learned it somewhere.”

“Veloz.”

“What Veloz? Are you stupid? That was Friva territory from the beginning. It’s next to Bamberg Academy.”

The two continued to blame each other but couldn’t find the answer. The answer was only a trace of what had been crammed into their heads during the exam period and then cleanly erased.

After struggling for a while, the two decided to go to the Royal Library. If they asked Lieutenant Hisop, they would get an answer right away, but there must be a reason why they were told to figure it out themselves.

The two straightened their proud uniforms to look neat and left the Special Forces building.

The Royal Library was divided into two sections, the 1st and 2nd, and the place they would use was in the 2nd.

The library in the 2nd was created for officials to find past data, and it was neither beautiful nor fancy. However, it was a very practical space, a place where books were packed from the floor to the ceiling.

Wooden ladders were scattered around, and numerous officials were hanging on them, looking for the information they wanted.

But Evan and Daloyz were at a loss for a moment because they didn’t know what books to look for. You have to know where the information you want is to find it.

But there was someone there to save them. Daloyz, while wandering between the bookshelves, ran into a friend with brown hair.

“Oh!”