Chapter : 2.6

The letter Derek had treasured for so long would eventually find its way out into the world.

‘Move further away. You’re too close. It’s getting unpleasant.’

Or not. Derek’s eyes lit up and he glared at the heads of his entourage.

They all looked so serious, huddled together like they were reading someone else’s love letters. From a distance, they looked like special forces defusing a bomb. They interpreted each line more carefully than ever before. It was like they were trying to decide whether to cut the red line or the blue line.

‘This looks like a pretty dangerous letter. Am I the only one who thinks so?’

‘It looks that way to me, too. The size of the letters and their inconsistent spacing suggest that it was written in a psychologically unstable state.’

‘It’s a classic blackmailer’s tactic. The handwriting appears to have been deliberately altered to confuse the reader.’

‘He’s a very vicious man who shouldn’t be allowed to live!’

Lucas cautiously interjected, gauging the reactions of his entourage.

‘Mr President. I’m afraid this isn’t a matter that can be wrapped up quickly. We need to hold an internal meeting. Please allow me.’

‘……I wonder if it’s so suspicious that I received a love letter.’

‘Nothing is more important to us than your safety.’

‘…….’

Duke Frit’s knuckles bulged. Part of him wanted to wipe them out, entourage and all.

‘How dare…….

You impious bastards, defiling someone else’s precious memories?

Derek snorted, as if he hadn’t been expecting it in the first place, and immediately ordered a celebration.

‘That’s it. It’s my fault for asking you, clueless bastards. I don’t want to see you, so get out of here.’

‘But Your Excellency!’

‘Let me ask you this: have any of you ever received a love letter?’

‘…….’

The audience was instantly dumbfounded.

Derek was mortified. One corner of his mouth tilted upward in an arrogant, ‘of course I have’ smirk.

Not one of the twenty people in his entourage had ever received a love letter. Well, everyone in his entourage was either single or the victim of an arranged marriage.

So what? A blackmailer’s trick? A vicious bastard? How dare they insult my dodo…….

‘You’ve never received a love letter and you’re going to review it. What a pity.’

‘Ha, but we know what a love letter is!’

‘Only in your dreams. How could you possibly know the difference between romance and metaphor? Now get out of here.’

You don’t know, Your Excellency!

Lucas swallowed hard at the blasphemy and tried to reason with him.

‘Do you have any idea who sent the letter?’

‘There is. Dodo.’

‘Yes? What’s her name……, no, who is she, anyway? What family does she belong to?’

‘I don’t know.’

Suddenly, a wistfulness came over the faces of the entourage.

Oh, look at this naive lord. They had heard of anonymous threatening letters, but never in their lives had they heard of anonymous love letters.

‘Well, did you see the face, then, or who had forwarded the letter to His Excellency anyway?’

‘…… I don’t know either, it was just lying on the floor of the Oval Office.’

‘…….’

The entourage groaned. The method of delivery and the location of the discovery were both suspicious.

Even Derek, who had always been confident, seemed to be losing his initial confidence. On reflection, it wasn’t all that strange.

‘I think we should proceed with the meeting.’

‘…….’

Even as the Duke of Frit, he could not hold out much longer.

In the end, the meeting lasted all night in his office. Lucas took the lead, doggedly biting off line after line.

‘This letter hints at several dangers. First of all, look at this phrase: ‘Worse than a germ.’ Is this sentence used without meaning?’

‘A germ to someone you love? That’s an unpleasant phrase. If I used it on my wife, she’d be in tears for a week.’

‘Yes, this is…… I don’t even want to think about it, but I suspect he’s declared germ warfare on the Duke.’

‘Germ warfare! Shouldn’t we close the gates immediately?’

‘It’s too early to be alarmed. The best proof that this is not a love letter, is here. It expresses my desire to see your face every day, every time I open and close my eyes.’

‘What? No, this?’

‘Think about it: how many women would want to see His Excellency’s hideous face before and after they go to sleep? You’re lucky if your heart doesn’t stop beating!’

‘I see. No woman in her right mind would.’

‘You have a point!’

‘Goro, this is a blackmail letter disguised as a love letter. You tearaway!’

Lucas balled his fists and snarled, his entourage slamming the table in unison.

‘You think we’re gonna play nice, you don’t think!’

‘Your Excellency, we must capture them and give them hell!’

‘Goyan, you’re so evil, you’re almost Satanic. This is a new trick…… that even Your Excellency almost forgot about!’

There was an uproar in the Oval Office, while Derek wordlessly scratched his forehead.

‘…… and other unhelpful things.

Of course, I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t something fishy about the letter. But it couldn’t possibly be a blackmail letter, as the old-timers suspected.

Think about it. Who would send a threatening letter on such pretty pink stationery?

‘I’ve been up all night listening to your bullshit.

I’d rather have spent that time reading the letter a hundred more times.

The Duke of Fritt suddenly felt like being alone.

‘Your Excellency. I’m afraid this is not a simple matter.