To my Beloved,

To be pious is a constant battle against temptation, that we both know in our months together. But the further I North I have strayed the more I have been slipping into the sins of deception. Unwittingly, I had allowed a barrier between those who I cherish most and myself to grow…For fear or losing what I cherish the most.

You.

And while I do not wish to put you in danger, I am unable to hide anymore. I have told the two most important people in the world about you, my Beloved, in a confession of guilt. I have finally told them that the man who I am to be wed to, Lord Delacroix, is not who I have feelings for. Yes, he is to whom I am to marry if my fate is to continue to be written as a tragedy. But I will no longer pretend. When I talk of love, it is not the same as my marriage to Lord Delacroix.

My Lady’s advice was civil and proper and urged that my love be silent. But it has been silent for so long, I feel like I will burst if I do not confess to it! But, she is right. You may be put in danger if I state your name, even though I desperately wish to speak it. I will be honest with my commitment to the Jokeri House and my marriage, be honest that I see the touch of Lord Delacroix worse than that of the touch of death, and that he does not have my heart. You shall keep it, for as long as I live.

I do worry about my Brother. I am furious at him, much more than ever in my life. I would give anything for his happiness if it were the other way, even seeing you ever again (Though my love would obviously be felt from afar). But he chooses the rest of the family over me. He chooses the people who put him as a Spade, the one who raised us apart and punished us both. I confess that I would burn the whole deck of cards that is our family for my Brother. And I had believed he would do the same.

Obviously, as with all my letters to you, I will be keeping it in a journal. It is close to my person, and when I see you again before the marriage you will have them all, given as a diary, the unwavering token of my love before I must commit to my family’s requests.

With all my Heart,

Lorelei