First of all, have a blessed Easter, everyone! May God bless you all. ❤ ❤ ❤
Have you seen this poster before? It’s little Candy with her prince. Originally, it was one of the inner posters published in the last volume (Volume 9) of the manga version, and the other inner poster shows a grown-up Candy leaning against Albert, both dressed up for an occasion, as shown in http://www.ub-carrot.com/detail.comic.candycandy9.html.
According to my admin friend of the Facebook page, William Albert Andrew (el príncipe de la colina), this poster displayed below was re-published in the artbook of Mayme Angel and Candy in 1980 (long after the ending of Candy Candy). The major difference was the words near the top. In addition to the word “Dream” (top left corner), there’s a line of Japanese words. Too bad I can’t read a particular word near the end (the word that’s covered by Candy’s ribbon), but as far as I can see, the words are
どんな夢でも叶うような気がしたあの頃にも…れたら
which can be translated to “I felt like whatever dream will come true. Also, back at that moment…”
In other words, it’s about a dream that came true for Candy. What do you think her dream was? 😉 Of course, she had dreamed that her Prince on the Hill would show up again! 😝
Nevertheless, Candy probably had never expected that her prince would fall for her. Yet, there are hints everywhere in the manga and/or Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS) that he was in love with her. In a nutshell, it’s a story of how a girl and a boy fall in love with each other over the years. 💕
According to the article I mentioned in Overwhelmed with emotions (Part 2), 10 Signs a Guy Loves You Though He doesn’t admit it yet, if the guy would do anything just so he can spend more time with you, then he is sending you a big clue that he sees you more than a friend. If he would change his schedule just so he could see you, then he’s falling for you. Not only that, if the guy remembers special occasions and things that you say or care (trivial or not), then he’s into you. 💞
No doubt Albert in CCFS epilogue had done precisely these for Candy after his Important confession. He remembered the details of his very first encounter with the little orphan girl on the hill just as much as the girl. He deliberately picked a spring day with a similar weather, coming all the way to Pony’s Hill despite being terribly busy, just to confess to her he had been that mysterious teenager who had dropped his badge. Moreover, when she told him that her birthday was coming up, he revealed that he had already planned a party for her in Chicago; besides, he had prepared the birthday presents that put tears in her eyes. She had been wondering about the horses that she used to take care of, and he had kept her words in mind, bringing Caesar and Cleopatra back to her during her stay in Chicago.
Not to mention that Albert had taken a day off just to spend the entire day with Candy after his business trip to São Paulo! If you were Candy, you should have already sensed that he had deep feelings for you. ❤💞 Therefore, it’s understandable why she felt overwhelmed with emotions… that she and her prince were in love.
Now, let’s go back to Candy’s letter to Captain Vincent Brown, Anthony’s father, which I have discussed in length in two earlier posts, Candy and Prince on the Hill (Part 9) and Granduncle William (!). Many thanks to all of your comments and feedback! Now, we are inclined to believe that Candy was already married, living in the principal mansion in Chicago.
First, apparently Vincent had sent a Christmas card to Candy, but is it really to Candy herself?
Think about it. Vincent hardly showed up in the Ardlay’s family gatherings. He had only appeared twice in the manga, once after Anthony’s death and once in Stear’s funeral. This is seemingly the same in CCFS. Even in this letter Candy mentioned the time she had met Vincent at Stear’s funeral. Therefore, it’s highly likely that was the only time she had met Captain Brown, or else she should have written “the first time we met”.
If it’s true that they had only met once, then don’t you think it’s inappropriate for an uncle figure to directly send Candy a Christmas card? Consider the following. It’s awkward if your parents’ friends or your friends’ fathers send you greeting cards directly, right? 😅
Hence, it makes much more sense that Captain Brown sent a Christmas card to Albert. After all, Albert was both his brother-in-law and Candy’s adoptive father. Therefore, the card might be addressed to Albert alone or both Candy and Albert. Just like an uncle will send a greeting card to a family as a unit.
Do you see what I mean? If it’s the case, it’s odd Candy was the one who replied to Captain Brown, unless she replied on behalf of Albert… as Mrs. Ardlay. 🙂
Now, that explains why she invited Captain Brown to “visit us” in Chicago!!
ぜひ、シカゴのお屋敷もお訪ねください。
The way Candy wrote using ぜひ conveys her strong and sincere desires and enthusiasm for Vincent to “visit us”. In other words, Vincent must be aware that Candy now lived in the mansion with Albert. Besides, she mentioned Albert like it was only natural she would talk about him. Come to think of it, since when she and Albert had become “us”? 😍😀
Last but not the least, Candy wrote in her letter, asking Vincent to walk around the rose gate in Lakewood with her one day in the rose season. That is, she implied she could go to Lakewood whenever Vincent was free. We all know that Vincent was traveling most of the time, and it’s unpredictable when he would happen to drop by Lakewood during the rose season. It could be spring the following year, or it could be a summer two or three years later. This is a strong hint that Candy was now leading a stable life with the Ardlays. You see what I mean? If Candy was single and not in a steady relationship, that she might eventually marry another man (say, Terry), how could she be so certain that she could go to the Lakewood villa anytime in the near future? 🙂
My guess is Candy was at least officially engaged to Mr. Ardlay, but because she signed the letter as Candice W. Ardlay and she invited Vincent to “visit us”, it makes more sense that she was already married. ❤ ❤ ❤ But why did Candy address Albert as Granduncle William Albert? Well, it’s a title as I have explained before. For example, even a queen addresses her husband as King or His Majesty in public, right? 💕💗 I’ll continue in Part 5.