8th November

Dear Lord, I do hope Stellar will forgive me! I should always remember to think before I speak now, or else I will again upset her in the most silly and unintended ways, which is not a very nice thing to do to such a sweet girl!

But at least I know now that the cottage is a forbidden territory—at least, in terms of speech.

Now with hindsight it was rather insensible of me to ask Stellar if I could visit the cottage. Natarle was very kind with her words, saying it wasn't my fault because I had no idea what the cottage meant to Stellar—or to Muruta, if I were more precise with regards to the root cause. Of course Natarle is correct to say that I had no knowledge whatsoever, but I have still hurt Stellar's feelings, and I do feel so deeply sorry about it. I truly hope she will try not to think about it too much, and forget about it altogether soon enough.

And either to satisfy my curiosity, or that she believed I would find comfort in knowing, Natarle explained that there wasn't much worth seeing at the cottage anyway. It was a small cottage that stood on the cliff above the seaside where the north side of estate ends. In the past it was used as a resting place for those within the estate who liked to go to the beach nearby at the bottom of the cliff; apparently it is rather difficult to get down there, having to climb the rather steep and rocky path along the cliff, and then walk a distance before finally reaching the beach, which I suppose is why no one ever goes there anymore.

The fact that the cottage was separated from the main estate and abandoned was exactly why Muruta liked it so much, because it meant that he could have the place all to himself. As the master of the estate, he was a rather irresponsible person, for Natarle says he often hid away in the cottage in order to avoid being asked by the servants matters regarding the estate. But the cottage also served another purpose—it was his haven when he was in a low mood and needed to escape from the world. He never allowed anyone to step foot into the place (except for Stellar, which Natarle recalls one or two occasions when he brought her there with him), and even the servants aren't permitted to enter and clean up the place. The place is a tragic mess: wine bottles, tattered clothes, and all sorts of discarded items—it is not a pretty sight, and Natarle says I should count it as my good fortune that I don't have to see how the place looks like. If it wasn't for Stellar's insistence, Natarle would've had someone clean it up already—not that she could without Stellar's permission; there are only two keys to the place: one is with Stellar, the other with Muruta—but given what the place means to the girl, it is only understandable why Natarle would let her have it her way.

Never mind, it isn't a great deal that I don't get to see the cottage. I suppose it is best that I don't disturb that place as well, for I might risk upsetting Stellar again by doing so. Let's just leave it as it is, and let her memories sleep for now.

Author's note

Thanks the-peculiar-matchmaker for your reviews and PMs, I really enjoy chatting with you :D I know you've been waiting long for this update and it's rather short, I promise I'll try to make my next one quick!