Long-Forgotten Letter (I)

Long-Forgotten Letter (I)

To Your Highness, Grand Duke Alvis: I write with profound gratitude for your boundless grace and mercy... That lowly officer who so "unprovokedly" gave offense to your noble person was spared his very life solely through your magnanimous clemency. He has now been stripped of his commission and dispatched to the barren marches under my stewardship, there to await your further bidding. ...Rest assured, Your Highness. Just as I once pledged to you, never again shall a base mortal line dare appear upon the rolls of Snezhnaya's nobility to sully the immaculate, exalted blood of the fae. Never. ...Little did I imagine that a servant as humble as I could ever be graced with your unreserved confidence. I am singularly flattered that you make no effort to disguise your enmity and contempt for humankind even in my presence. No doubt Your Highness has seen fit to set a dweller of the subterranean depths like myself apart from the common mortals you count among your enemies. ...As Your Highness knows, I hail from a homeland whose mastery of alchemy stands unrivaled across the world, an art to which I devoted years of study during my time at the Universitas Magistrorum. In return, I shall gladly withhold nothing on any matter that might pique your interest. And it would be even better should this lend any aid to the great cause to which you devote your strength... With the deepest respect, I remain your most obedient servant, Rotwang