the wolf and the lamb » kageyama x reader

22. Inhale, Exhale

            Dear Mother and Father,

            How are you? I hope you're all doing well. Life here is... different, to say the least. How long has it been since I've last come home? Weeks? Months? Time passes so slowly; there's not much to amuse me.

            I miss all of you terribly and I do hope that I can visit eventually. There's only so much I can do. I miss home.

            Hugs and kisses,

            (First Name)

            "Sir, there's a letter here that I believe you should see." A young page scampers up to Sugawara, waving an envelope sealed with red in the air. He's huffing and is out of breath, cheeks red as he hunches over his knees.

            "Oh? Give it here," murmurs the butler, extending a hand for the parchment. "Thank you. You can go."

            The boy nods and runs off to where he came; the silver-haired male leans back in his chair and breaks the unknown crest imprinted on the red sealing wax, pulling out a dog-eared piece of paper.

            He unfolds the paper. The ink is dark and blotted on the off-white paper, handwriting sloping and rushed; the signature has a small flourish on the last letter of your signed name. A wry smile makes its way across his lips as he reads through the letter.

            "Sly as always, Lady (First Name) – or should I call you (Fake First Name)?" he mutters under his breath. Sugawara turns over the envelope, but it's blank – the only thing there is a small stamp and the letter messenger's personal seal guaranteeing a fast delivery.

            The butler grips both the letter and envelope in his hand and leaves the room.

「♚」

            "Have you any idea where this letter could've come from, my good sir?"

            The mail carrier shakes his head, looking down at the ground. "Unfortunately not, Mr. Sugawara. Is there no return address on the envelope?"

            The silver-haired male turns the envelope over, showing him the empty front side.

            "With that widely used stamp on the envelope, the letter could have come from any one of the countries neighboring Karasuno," the man sighs. "It could've come from somewhere within Karasuno, too. Is the seal on the letter providing any hints?"

            Sugawara frowns. "No. It's a highly generic seal; there's no telltale personal signature to it, and the sealing wax is a typical red color. I thought that perhaps, since you deliver the mail and whatnot, you might be able to remember where this came from..."

            "We get a lot of envelopes like that, especially with that stamp on the front." The mail carrier exhales slowly. "We don't pay attention to the envelopes or where they're from unless the stamp is highly unusual. We just add the personal seal of the messaging service to the front and pass the letter on to the next leg of its journey, wherever it's addressed to. We only concern ourselves with return addresses if the monetary value of the stamp is insufficient to pay for its transfer from one party to another. I'm sorry I don't have more information, sir." 

「♚」

            "Sir? The king wants to speak with you," a small boy pipes up from the hallway leading into the aforementioned male's office space.

            Sugawara's eyes fly open and he yawns. "The king? What is it now?"

            "I'm not sure, sir, but he seemed upset," murmurs the page. "He wanted you to come immediately."