The way Albert revealed himself as Prince on the Hill was very different in Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS). Personally, I like the one in the manga version much more. If I have time in the near future, I will explain my preference by comparing them. This time, I will only focus on the one in the manga novelization (the old Candy Candy novel). Please note that the following excerpts of Candy’s letter are directly from the spoiler.
When Albert repeated his line, “You’re prettier when you smile than when you cry”, it implies that he had not forgotten his first encounter with that little crybaby, just like Candy had never forgotten her prince. She must have been shocked, but she readily accepted her prince had been Albert all along.
Then the manga ends at the moment when Candy sprinted towards her prince’s waiting arms, both wearing ecstatic grins on their faces. Yet we don’t know what happened after that. Did they embrace each other or what?
Throughout the manga, Candy and Albert had shared numerous hugs, so naturally this should happen after Candy found out that Albert was essentially the grown up version of that handsome teenager dressed in a kilt, her first crush.
I have imagined their reunion as follows when writing my short story, “It must have been love” (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8150116/1/It-Must-Have-Been-Love):
I had never forgotten about Prince on the Hill, and how could I not love that sweet smile on his face? The radiance of his smile was as warm as the sun rays, and it was so inviting that I threw myself onto him, wrapping my arms around his torso and nuzzling my head onto his chest.
My voice broke on a happy sob. “Albert, oh Albert! I didn’t know…”
“Candy…” His voice was hoarse with emotion too.
When I felt Albert hugging me so tightly as if he didn’t want to let me go, my body quivered with euphoria and my heart beat furiously within my ribcage. I felt so content being in the protecting circle of his arms once more as I had terribly missed his loving hug, especially after all these months of longing to be close to him again. His warm body, his strong heartbeat and his familiar scent told me that this was real.
The next thing I knew, Albert lifted my feet off the ground and spun me around, laughing in jubilance. I joined in his laughter nearly right away. I felt so happy for the first time in a long while.
Unfortunately, I believe their hug didn’t last very long. According to her first letter to her prince in the old novel, Candy complained that he had to leave in a hurry because George had come to pick him up.
‘… Prince on the Hill, you left immediately, leaving me just surprised. I heard that some urgent business matters came up… I was so disappointed to see George having come to pick you up that I couldn’t help glaring at him a little bit…’
Also, after her prince had left, she went back to join her friends at Pony’s Home. She probably looked like she was in a trance, so everyone was concerned, asking her, “What’s happened” or “What’s wrong?”. She didn’t explain herself because it seems to me that none of them knew about this little secret of hers (although she had told Albert when he had been amnesiac). Candy then wrote to Albert in her letter that ‘I didn’t know how I could tell them properly… and I also felt that it was too precious to just tell them… ‘
So that means that it was a precious secret between Candy and Albert only. How cute! In fact, since the moment she had found out her prince’s identity, ‘I feel somewhere in my body quivering with emotion.’ Besides, she couldn’t get rid of the feeling that she had been dreaming. She was worried that when she woke up the next day things would turn out to be merely illusions.
Do you think that Candy found that Albert having come all the way despite his busy schedule just to tell her who he actually was had been too good to be true? Not to mention the impact her new discovery had on her. She said in her letter that ‘I have been looking at the stars until now. I feel so happy for the first time in a long while… Would you please keep your promise for sure to come again and stay longer?…. I am longing to see you again at the earliest possible date…’
Didn’t she sound like a girl in love? Is that why she decided to write a letter to her prince? Below shows my drawing of Candy writing that letter to Albert but got lost in dreamy thoughts.
Want to read related posts?
“If you love somebody, let them go…”
Candy’s memory of Prince on the Hill
