Chapter 1321

Not long after Rita left the flower shop, a sheet of paper was blown toward her by the wind and landed against her.

She picked it up. The moment her fingers touched it, she knew—this was a proper letter. It had gone through the full process: written, sealed, delivered, received.

A Postman's instinct.

Which meant everything written on it was true.

Another gift?

Curious, Rita unfolded the letter and read it.

A few seconds later, her expression remained unchanged as she kept walking. When another gust of wind came, she casually loosened her fingers and let the letter be carried away again.

It was indeed a gift.

The letter explained that a senior in Zoey's family possessed a Postman skill that could glimpse the future. He had seen that on this very day, Rita would take Lynx Duke's letter and awaken an SS rank Postman skill.

So they had acted first, letting Zoey seize the opportunity.

With that letter, everyone had been assigned their roles.

Rita was the knight.

Zoey was the dragon.

The SS rank Postman skill was the treasure.

Rita glanced at the sky and slowly made her way home.

The road was long, long enough for her to weigh every plan forming in her mind, calculating risks and chances of success.

One by one, the more dangerous ideas were discarded.

At some point, the notification about the dark fairy tale progress stopped appearing.

But most of her thoughts were no longer about Zoey or the skill.

She was thinking about the story itself.

She didn't care what Lynx Duke thought of her. She didn't care whether Lynx Duke liked her.

All she cared about was whether Wrathful Moon could be upgraded. That was the reason she came here.

Zoey, the SS rank skill, two people taking letters on the same day yet walking different paths—

It all felt like a return to her past life.

Back to where she and her first true rival had once stood.

And yet, she treated all of it as fog.

If she was the protagonist of this fairy tale, then—

What kind of story did she want to tell?

If the past few days were condensed into a story, what parts would be omitted? What parts deserved to be told?

Perhaps that would determine the title of the fairy tale.

And if she was right, finishing that story might be the key to comprehending her skill.

Her situation wasn't terrible.

After all, she wasn't really a fifteen-year-old girl.

From the moment she left the flower shop, ideas came to her almost every minute.

If she chose a dark path, she could hide in District 21 and use Deprivation to steal one Postman skill after another until she became the strongest.

If she chose a technical path, she could follow her earlier plan, using Wealth Management to cooperate with other Postmen and make money. The Deprivation skill Lynx Duke gave her would serve as both protection and leverage.

If she chose a political path, she could invest in the nobility of the capital. Though first, she'd need enough money to buy a title.

But all of these would take too long.

She didn't have that kind of time.

So she reviewed everything about Postmen again.

For example, Deceitful Bloom had once warned her, "Do not open the letter."

That rule existed.

But in the official rules she learned after becoming a Postman, there was no explanation for why.

Rita pushed open the door. "I'm back."

The air smelled of food. From the kitchen came Deceitful Bloom's gentle and relieved voice, "Did it go well?"

Before the words even finished, she had already rushed out, still holding a ladle, as if she needed to see for herself that Rita was unharmed.

Rita's mouth twitched as she looked at Deceitful Bloom wearing a cartoon apron. She tried very hard to erase this image from her mind.

If only her thoughts could be projected, she would show this scene to Byme and watch him collapse on the spot.

Her gaze briefly passed over the SS rank marker floating above Deceitful Bloom's shoulder.

"…Yeah. I need your help with something."

"With what?"

"I want to send a letter to my parents, as a Postman."

"???"

Deceitful Bloom froze, her face blank in confusion.

Rita frowned. "Don't make that expression with that face."

She could tolerate her friends or pets acting foolish.

But not someone she considered an opponent. Even if it was fake.

Dark Fairy Tale Progress: 8%

"…."

Rita forced out a sorrowful smile and began carefully persuading her.

If she didn't inform Deceitful Bloom, it would break character and push the dark progress even further. Otherwise, she would have left immediately.

Eventually, Deceitful Bloom nodded, still worried.

Rita immediately took out paper and began writing.

She didn't stop Deceitful Bloom from reading. As the scratching of the pen filled the room, Deceitful Bloom's brows slowly furrowed tighter and tighter.

"Why are you writing this letter in your parents' voice?"

"Maybe I'll get to see them," Rita said, her tone filled with anticipation.

The writing stopped. Wax melted. The letter was sealed.

Sender: Rita.

Postman: Rita.

Recipient: Rita's parents.

Destination: the same place where her parents had delivered their final letter.

They had died on the same route.

Rita didn't even rest. After a quick wash and a change into black clothes, she picked up her bag and prepared to leave again.

Once more, she sat at the entrance to put on her shoes.

Once more, Deceitful Bloom leaned against the wall, watching her.

"What exactly is your Postman skill? Are you sure you can do this?"

"My skill?" Rita stood up and smiled. "It ensures every investment I make will never lose."

She patted the bag holding the letter.

"This is an investment in myself."

At the flower shop, she had only completed the negotiation. She hadn't actually made the investment yet.

And the rule said: after delivering a letter, the next investment would return ten times the input.

It never specified that the investment had to be money.

Just before stepping out, Rita spoke seriously.

"I know you didn't tell me before because you thought I was too young. But I already know everything. I will inherit their Postman skill. I will become the greatest Postman in history. I will avenge them."

Deceitful Bloom: What do you know? What revenge? When did this happen?

Before she could respond, Rita turned and declared,

"I will bring Postmen out of District 21."

Deceitful Bloom: What did District 21 ever do to you???

She opened her mouth again, but Rita cut her off once more.

"If I can't, then I'll die in the wilderness.

"You must stay alive and wait for me to come back."

And with that, Rita left without looking back, heading toward the road out of the city.

Deceitful Bloom stood at the doorway, watching her figure stretch long in the sunset. By the time Rita truly departed, night would fall.

But the new Postman's steps were light.

The perfect night for death.

A hidden conspiracy.

A letter written in the voice of the dead, sent to the dead.

A dangerous investment.

A naive dream.

The beginning of an adventure.

Every debuff and every element of risk stacked together.

She had even sacrificed her "aunt."

And more than that—

At the most dangerous moment, she planned to open the letter.

A fairy tale didn't need to be long.

It only needed to end at the right moment, leaving endless imagination behind.

She shouldn't waste time on grudges, reality, or long-term planning.

She should use the nature of a fairy tale to maximize everything—

Take the risky path.

End the story as soon as possible.

So who said a dark fairy tale…

Wasn't still a fairy tale?