The day her life changed (Part 4)

As explained in More than words (Part 1), Candy’s mental letter to Anthony in the epilogue of Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS) might occur before she wrote a long reply to Albert after her day trip to Lakewood with him. Please read the aforementioned post for details, but this time, I’d like to focus on Candy’s letter to Anthony (CCFS Vol II, pp. 324 – 328). I’ve paraphrased her words in English, but at times I’ll show the original text in Japanese. 🙂

The tone of this letter is overall happy. Candy first began by telling Anthony that she could finally write to him, despite mentally. After asking if he had met his mother and Stear, Candy asked,

アンソニー 、(Anthony,)
わたし、レイクウッドに行ってきました。(I have gone to Lakewood and returned.)
誰とだと思う？(Guess with whom?)

At that very moment, she lost her words because only then she realized Anthony had never met Albert in London like Archie and her other friends. (I suppose she was ‘talking’ to Anthony in her head, possibly while lying down in bed not long after bidding Albert goodbye. She sounded like she was still reeling from the day trip, and she hadn’t really organized her thoughts yet. 😉 😛 )

Hence, Candy started introducing Albert to Anthony, telling Anthony that if he had met Albert in London, he might have found that Albert looked somewhat like his mother, Rosemary. Then Candy said Albert was actually Granduncle William, Rosemary’s younger brother. She then asked,

びっくりしたでしょう、アンソニー。(Isn’t it astonishing, Anthony?)

Right after that, Candy revealed that Albert was Prince on the Hill. (I believe only Anthony had known about Prince on the Hill other than Albert himself. Candy hadn’t told anyone else about this mysterious Scottish teenager.)

Hence, Candy said Anthony could imagine how shocked she was to discover that Albert was indeed Prince on the Hill. In fact, she recalled Anthony’s last words about a boy just before his fatal accident. Then Candy said, Anthony, you’re right, he’s your uncle, so of course you two looked alike. She went on to explain why she had mistaken Anthony for her prince for a moment by the rose gate (Candy’s first encounter with Anthony).

She told Anthony that Albert had the same hair color as his. They both had sandy blond hair. Then she explained Albert had looked very different from her prince back when they had met by the waterfall, so she had never associated him with Prince on the Hill. Yet, right now, she realized that Albert and Anthony shared the same eye color, the clear blue color like a new morning sky.

Anyway, Candy continued to describe how Albert had changed his appearance over the years before talking about entering into the family memorial room in Lakewood for the first time in her life. Albert showed her many portraits of his ancestors and family members, and one of them showed Rosemary with baby Anthony. Candy hadn’t seen Rosemary this beautiful before, and Candy was tremendously touched by the love portrayed in the drawing, so Candy told Albert about Rosemary’s last words to Anthony, comparing flowers that have withered to people who have died. Those who passed away would live in their loved ones’ memories even more beautifully. Apparently, Albert hadn’t heard of this, and after some moments of silence, he related to Candy about Rosemary’s fight for her love with Vincent Brown. She’d rather give up her name and status. Rosemary said,

人の幸せは家柄でもお金でもない。愛する人と生きていくことだーーー。(Happiness is not about lineage nor money, but to live with the one you love…)

Albert said that Rosemary was tender yet very strong. Candy then ‘wrote’ that Anthony was like that too, tender but strong, and she wondered if Anthony had lived, what kind of man he would become.

After this, Candy mentioned how devastated she had been after Anthony’s death and later how she had been strongly attracted to someone who looked like Anthony in London. I don’t repeat myself here because I’ve already talked about this small part of the letter in The person I love…. The point is, Candy didn’t mention Terry’s name at all and yet she seemed to expect Anthony to know about this guy. She also indicated that she had learned that even though someone was alive, she wouldn’t be able to meet that someone again because of fate. Clearly, she meant Terry here. She then talked positively about being alive and hopeful. Before she ended this paragraph, she said

わたしは、あなたがすべてを赦してくれているのを知っています。(I know you will forgive me for everything.)

Have you ever wondered why Candy asked Anthony to forgive her for everything? 🙄

In fact, the word she used, 赦してくれている, is a heavy word to ask someone to “forgive me”. It’s not a commonly used word, and this word is more for literature or religious use (like asking God to forgive our sins). For daily use, people would rather use 許し instead of 赦し. They both pronounce the same way (“yurushi”), and if you search this word up on the internet, most results return 許し. 🙂

Anyway, my friend and I figure that Candy used such a heavy word probably because Anthony was in heaven. Nevertheless, we think Candy asked Anthony for forgiveness not because she had been attracted to someone in London. Why? She had talked about this unnamed person only briefly. On the contrary, whom did she talk about at least half of the letter? Albert. 🙂 More importantly, as mentioned in A love declaration, Anthony was upset and openly wondered if Candy liked him because he looked like a mysterious family member (Prince on the Hill), a Scottish boy who carried a badge with their family insignia? The thirteen-year-old Candy bursted out that she liked Anthony for Anthony. Then Candy ran away, feeling embarrassed and bashful.

However, in this mental letter, Candy (possibly in her early twenties) told Anthony she had gone to Lakewood with his young uncle, who had turned out to be her Prince on the Hill. She also explained in detail why she hadn’t realized that her prince had been with her all along. Not only that, Albert told Candy about the love story of Rosemary and Vincent Brown, and Candy said Anthony had been like his mother, tender but strong.

What was Candy alluding to? 😉

First of all, after writing so much about how Anthony resembled his young uncle, Candy wondered what Anthony would have been like if he had grown up to be an adult. Perhaps she gathered Anthony would grow up to be just like his uncle, which means that Albert was a tender but strong person too.

Hence, if Albert told Candy that his late sister had fought for her love back then, Albert was essentially telling Candy that he shared the same sentiments with Rosemary — to be happy was to live with the one he loved. In short, he would fight for his love as well if necessary, even if it cost him everything, including his name and social status.

As a side note, do you know that some years later, Candy repeated similar words to Anthony in her dream some time after getting married, that she was happy because she lived with the one she loved? Another time, she said her requirement to be happy was to live with the person she loved. The wordings in Japanese are quite similar, and please check The person I love for details. Do you think it was a coincidence that Candy and Albert had the same requirement to be happy? 😉 😛

Therefore, my friend and I have reasons to believe that Candy asked Anthony to forgive her because she was now in love with Prince on the Hill, her first crush, who had just spent an entire day with her alone. Moreover, he would fight for his love regardless of what it took.

At the end of the letter, Candy wanted Anthony to watch over her. To me, she expected there would be obstacles and oppositions from family members if she and Albert wished to get married, but she was asking Anthony for his blessings.

Last but not the least, it’s highly likely Candy’s trip to Lakewood with Albert took place before Susanna’s death, and I’ll continue in Part 5. Please stay tuned. 🙂