It was an ordinary day like any other.
The maids were busy preparing breakfast, and the butler was sorting through the mail. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Until a blue envelope slipped out from the pile.
“What is this? Who sent it?”
No matter how closely he examined it, there was no sender’s name.
Only the recipient, “Baroness Lippe,” was written on it.
The small bird insignia pressed into the sealing wax was something he had never seen before.
“Could it be dangerous?”
The butler decided to open the letter in advance, just in case.
But then…
“What? Why won’t this open? The envelope won’t budge!”
No matter how hard he tried, the envelope wouldn’t open.
It wouldn’t tear, and it wouldn’t crumple.
As the butler was struggling with the letter, Baroness Lippe happened to walk by.
“Sebastian, what are you doing over there?”
“It seems a suspicious letter has arrived for you, my lady. I was trying to check its contents beforehand.”
“A suspicious letter?”
The baroness tilted her head curiously and approached.
The moment she saw the letter, she recognized it immediately.
“No! This blue envelope… it’s the Blue Bird Letter!”
“The Blue Bird Letter, my lady?”
“Sebastian, have you not heard the rumors?”
The baroness leaned toward the butler and whispered in a low voice.
She didn’t want the maids cleaning the stairs to overhear.
“A year ago, anonymous letters started circulating in the Artenian Empire. No one knows who sent them or where they began, but these letters contain terrible truths.”
“Terrible truths?”
“What else could they be but the secret private lives of the nobles? Many families have been ruined because of these letters.”
In a panic, the baroness began tearing at the envelope.
The butler tried to stop her.
“My lady, that letter wouldn’t open no matter what I—wait, how did you…?”
The butler was stunned as the letter opened easily in her hands.
Just moments ago, the envelope had refused to budge! The sealing wax had been so tightly bound, it was like it had been stitched together, but now…
Why wouldn’t it open for me, but it opens so easily for her?
His frustration was short-lived. The butler and the baroness leaned their heads together to read the contents of the letter.
“This letter first began circulating in the capital and has made its round once a year, delivering the truth to its recipients. This letter must leave your side within four days. You must send a total of seven copies to those who need the truth.
Baron Lippe has a daughter he has hidden.”
The butler gasped and immediately covered his mouth.
He knew about the illegitimate child.
He had been sending her living expenses every month on the baron’s orders.
Sometimes he even visited to check if she was doing well.
He had been extremely cautious, making sure not to let the baroness find out, fearing for his life if she ever did.
But how could someone have found out?
The butler trembled in fear as he glanced at the baroness.
The baroness shoved him aside and stormed toward her husband’s study.
She threw the Blue Bird Letter directly in his face.
“Dear! Is what this letter says true? Did you really do something like this?”
Baron Lippe, frowning deeply, picked up the letter from the floor.
When he saw its contents, his eyes widened in shock.
“No! This can’t be!”
How did anyone know about this? The only one who knew was the goddess Athena herself!
“Surely, my dear, you don’t believe this absurd scrap of paper?”
“Scrap of paper? The Blue Bird Letter has never told a lie!”
“You believe this letter more than your own husband, even though you don’t know who sent it?”
“Of course I do! This letter predicted Baron Vesta losing his fortune in gambling and Countess Percer’s secret second household!”
“This… this is a setup! Someone is impersonating the Blue Bird Letter to slander me!”
“Impossible! The magical seal that only the recipient can open cannot be faked!”
“Well… I was going to deal with it quietly.”
“Deal with it? How?”
“Since it’s a girl, I figured it would be fine to marry her off to a wealthy commoner in exchange for a dowry. She’s quite pretty; she could be sold off anywhere.”
“Good heavens! If you recklessly sow your seed, you should at least take responsibility! You’re worse than a beast! Ralph!”
“Woof!”
“Go! Bite him right in the middle!”
A massive golden retriever lunged at Baron Lippe’s chest, knocking him down instantly.
Before he had time to react, the dog bit him right in the groin.
You might wonder, “How could a dog bite its master?”
But to Ralph, Baron Lippe wasn’t his master.
The baron had never once fed him or given him a kind glance.
As the baron screamed in agony and the baroness shouted at the butler to prepare divorce papers, a small spark flickered over the letter.
The flames silently consumed the letter, leaving no trace—not even ashes.
—
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door of Selene Leclaire, the 11th saintess of the Artenian Empire.
It was Mia, a humble priestess who attended to Selene’s needs.
“Saintess, Baron Lippe requests an audience with you.”
“Did we have an appointment today?”
“No, but he insisted that it’s urgent, asking to see you just for a moment.”
Mia fidgeted with her hands, nervously glancing at Selene.
“Shall I call the Holy Knights?”
Mia wasn’t the type to miss things, and she was quite good at handling matters.
For her to come to Selene, it meant that this troublesome believer was beyond her ability to deal with.
“It’s alright. I’ll see him.”
Selene followed Mia to Taveron Palace.
Named after the royal family, it was a place where nobles visited to offer prayers or seek healing. It was also where the saintess resided and where the only confessions in the church of Athena were heard.
“Saintess!”
Baron Lippe entered the audience room, visibly angry.
However, Selene smiled calmly and greeted him.
“May the holy light touch you, Baron Lippe.”
The baron didn’t return her polite greeting. Instead, he burst out in a shout.
“Saintess! A Blue Bird Letter has arrived at my estate! Surely you know what that is!”
“Yes, I’ve heard of it.”
Huffing and puffing, the baron glared at Selene.
“The content of the Blue Bird Letter was known only to me, the goddess Athena, and you, Saintess! You were the only one who heard my confession!”
Selene remained completely unfazed by his outburst.
She didn’t turn red in the face like the baron. Instead, she slowly blinked her eyes twice.
“Baron Lippe, are you certain that only I and the goddess Athena knew?”
“Yes! Of course!”
“Then your daughter must no longer be in this world?”
The baron’s eyes wavered intensely.
Selene continued in her gentle, calm tone.
“The woman who gave birth to your daughter is also no longer with us, is that correct? Your daughter must be living in complete isolation, with no relatives, neighbors, or friends around. No one visits her regularly to care for her. So, you confidently claim that only I and the goddess Athena know?”
The baron’s teeth ground together loudly enough to echo in the audience room.
But he had no rebuttal.
While the child’s mother had indeed passed away, her maternal grandfather was still alive.
The butler who sent her monthly living expenses knew about her, and even the coachman who drove him to visit her knew…
So many people knew!
Selene, observing the baron’s devastated face, blinked slowly twice again.
“Since you have nothing more to say, I assume this conversation is over.”
“Y-yes, Saintess…”
Selene clasped her hands and bowed to the baron.
Then, with the same calm expression she had when entering the room, she left.
After she was gone, Baron Lippe began trembling violently.
Thinking about what lay ahead filled him with dread.
Could the Blue Bird Letter have reached his father-in-law’s house too?
If he was divorced, he would have to give up the dowry.
And if he were to be ostracized from high society… what would happen to his new business venture?
Everything was doomed.
—
All the way back to Selene’s quarters in Eleanor Palace, Mia alternated between apologizing and cursing.
“Saintess, I’m truly sorry. I didn’t realize that was what he wanted. It’s all my fault.”
“It’s fine, Mia. It wasn’t your fault.”
“What nerve he has to come all the way here! Instead of repenting, he just acts shamelessly. Does he really think our saintess is the type to spread gossip?”
“Mia, you shouldn’t use such crude language in front of others.”
“Yes, Saintess. I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful.”
Selene gently dismissed Mia, who had accompanied her to the door.
After Mia left, silence fell.
Selene closed the door and let out a long sigh.
A sigh of relief—and of guilt.
I’m sorry, Mia.
I’m the one who wrote that gossip.
Selene chuckled softly to herself.
It had been nine years since she entered the temple.
The innocent, pure-hearted act she had perfected during that time was now at its peak.
Another success today.
Humming to herself, Selene sat at her desk
.
She removed a single blue envelope from the drawer.
Then, she took out a small jar from the bottom of the drawer and dipped a quill in its liquid.
This liquid was made from blue bird feathers ground to dust.
She had to be careful not to leave any traces, so she only wrote a single line.
Julia de Lippe has a sister.
