The ending of the manga

When I first finished reading the manga, I was like “That’s it? What’s next?”

To my disappointment, we didn’t even see a tearful embrace or something like that. We readers know that Albert had just revealed his last secret to Candy, and after her initial shock subsided, she dashed towards her prince with euphoria.

I think the author Mizuki deliberately left the ending vague, making us wonder what would happen to these two. A lot of questions were unanswered too, such as

• Was Candy really over Terry?
• Now that Candy knew that Albert was her prince, how would she respond to his yet another identity?
• Did it mean that Albert had confessed his love for Candy?
• What would Albert do to their adoptive relationship?
• How would Albert deal with the gossips or rumors resulting from the fact that he used to live with Candy for more than a year?
• What was the ultimate reason why Candy had decided to return to Pony’s Home?
• etc.

Later, I had a chance to read the spoilers of the old Candy Candy Novel published by Mizuki soon after the manga had been finished, and I believed I got the answers to some of the questions above. However, I still felt I wanted more. Therefore, I let my imagination run loose and started writing a short story called “It Must Have been Love” last May. For those who haven’t read it yet, you can find it in

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8150116/1/It-Must-Have-Been-Love

Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of this story, and to congratulate myself, I have drawn a picture based on the scene in chapter 3 (the excerpt shown below).

As tears were streaming down my face, I heard a familiar voice, “Little girl, you are much prettier when you smile.”

That sounded like… Albert?

I stiffened, utterly dumbstruck to hear someone repeat this statement that had been long buried in my mind. My pulse raced as I cautiously turned to the source of the voice. I was right! Through my tears I could see Albert standing with his hand on a tree that was some distance away. He was dressed in his regular, casual outfit, fixing his affectionate gaze at me.

While he remained silent and motionless, letting his words sink in, my head was in a whirl! Staring at his smiling face for a few more seconds, all of a sudden I could envision in my mind how his face morphed into that handsome face of Prince on the Hill! It all made perfect sense now. Albert was an Ardlay, and his sweet voice, his shiny blond hair, and his beautiful blue eyes all matched with those of my prince!

Oh God! Oh my God! Albert was Prince on the Hill!

The refreshing breeze on the hill was caressing my tear-stained cheeks. Under the beautiful blue sky, Prince on the Hill was here once again, smiling at me. An ecstatic grin soon found its way to my face.

Albert… Uncle William… Prince on the Hill!

After taking a couple of shy steps, I finally sprinted toward my prince. Instantaneously, he understood my intention, and his face illuminated at once. His strong, loving arms were then outstretched, ready to welcome me into his warm embrace, which caused my heart to leap.

The picture is far from perfect, but I hope you will like it. You’re welcome to share my post, but not the drawing on its own.