The World Has Become Kinder to Her

“Frederick, that young lady… I’ve heard she’s, um, seen quite a few other noblemen as well,” the Duchess said, trying to choose her words carefully. As a refined noblewoman, she didn’t want to use vulgar expressions.  

To her surprise, Frederick nodded easily.  

“Yeah, probably. Loti once asked me if she could see other men, and I told her it was fine.”  

“W-what?”  

The more their son spoke, the more shocking his words became. If it weren’t for the Duchess’s composure, she wouldn’t have been able to voice such concerns. The Duke was frozen, unable to speak, while Francis sat dumbfounded before finally regaining his senses.  

“Brother, what do you mean? Most people would hate the idea of their woman seeing other men,” Francis asked, his question grounded in common sense. The Duke, who had just managed to break free of his shock, nodded in agreement.  

“I see other women from time to time, so it seemed only fair to say yes. I’m a big fan of equality and fairness, you know?”  

*Oh, heavens.*  

Both Francis and the Duke and Duchess mentally appealed to the gods for help. The Duchess even began to wonder, *How did I give birth to a child like this?*  

She had been a well-behaved and sensible young lady from a noble family, so she began to suspect that this must be the Duke’s doing. Her gaze turned sharp as she directed her frustration at her husband.  

“Frederick, darling, maybe you should reconsider proposing to that young lady?” she suggested, trying a gentler approach.  

“Wasn’t it you who kept telling me to marry quickly?”  

The Duchess sighed, thinking, *I assumed you had someone serious in mind, not just the women you’ve been idly seeing.* She had never imagined Frederick would consider Lotus Estelle as a marriage prospect.

“She’s a girl who’s been with many men, like… like a woman of the streets. Don’t you think she’s unsuitable as your partner?”  

The moment those words left her lips, the air in the room grew noticeably colder. The Duke, Duchess, and Francis all felt it.  

Frederick’s silver eyes, usually calm and impassive, barely blinked, and one side of his mouth lifted slightly. It was clear to anyone that he was displeased.  

However, unlike others who might face Frederick in such a mood, the Duke, Duchess, and Francis didn’t fear for their lives. Even though their eldest son had a mercurial personality and immense magical power, he had never once turned his magic against his family.  

Sure enough, Frederick’s sharp expression quickly returned to his usual relaxed look. He smiled, though there was a hint of mischief in his voice.  

“I’ve been with plenty of women like a man of the streets myself,” he said.  

“Frederick!”  

“So that’s not really a reason to oppose the marriage, is it? What other reason do you have?”  

The Duchess looked like she might faint, and the Duke cleared his throat, taking over the conversation.  

“A noble’s marriage is not just a union of two people; it’s a union of two families. And there’s also the matter of children. Given her history with so many men, it’s likely that she’s been taking contraceptives for a long time, which can sometimes make it difficult for a woman to conceive or carry a child.”  

Women who had been on contraceptives for extended periods often found it hard to get pregnant or maintain a pregnancy.  

Frederick shrugged. “I’m not continuing the family line, though, am I?”  

“Still, the joy and fulfillment that comes from raising a child—”  

“No thanks.”  

“What?”  

“I don’t want kids. From what I hear, once a woman has children, the husband is pushed to the side. I’m not interested in that. Loti already said I’m like a child myself, so I’ll play both the husband and the kid for her.”  

The Duke’s hand, which had been gripping the edge of the pristine white tablecloth, trembled violently.  

Francis glanced at his parents, shaking his head. It seemed both had lost the will to speak.

“Brother, I just have one question,” he said.

“What is it?”

“Have you asked the young lady about this, or are you just informing us of your decision?”

In other words, had Frederick actually proposed yet, or was he assuming Lotus was on board with the idea? Francis watched as Frederick’s expression stiffened, his gaze shifting slightly to avoid meeting his brother’s eyes.

“This is the first time I’m sharing my plan with the family…”

“…”

*Does he think marriage is something you do alone?* Francis could feel the corners of his lips twitching in disbelief.

“I mean! I wanted to move quickly, so I’m letting the family know first. Obviously, I still have to propose to Loti personally, but I also need to send an official proposal from the Magic Tower to the Marquis of Estelle. The problem is, the mages at the Tower are hopeless at that kind of stuff. They’re only good at magic and have no social skills whatsoever.”

Francis bit his tongue, suppressing the urge to point out that Frederick wasn’t all that different from those “hopeless” mages.

“And I bet they’d choose something strange for the engagement gift. That’s why I’m asking the family to handle it. I want to get everything sorted quickly and have it all ready in three days. Why? Because I’m planning to propose to Loti in three days, and wouldn’t it be great if the personal and official proposals happen at the same time?”

Francis was at a loss for where to even start pointing out the problems with this plan. As the eldest son of the Abran family, Frederick should know better. Although he was now officially part of the Magic Tower, having the Abran family handle the proposal on behalf of the Tower could raise issues. Plus, it took at least ten days to prepare an engagement letter and a proper gift for a noble marriage.

“Brother, you’re part of the Tower now, and if our family prepares everything, it’ll go against tradition.”

“I’m only borrowing some resources. Just help me get some high-quality paper and an impressive gift ready. I’ll pay well for it.”

“Even if that’s the case, it still takes at least ten days to properly prepare the letter and gift.”

Frederick shook his head.

“No, if you throw enough money at it, you can get it done faster.”

“…”

“Tell them I’ll pay triple for meeting the deadline. I don’t mind offering ten times the amount. But warn them—if the quality is bad or they try to scam me, they’d better be prepared to face the consequences.”

“…Let’s assume that works. But what if Lady Estelle rejects your proposal?”

At this blunt question from his brother, Frederick’s enthusiasm faded, and his mouth snapped shut. Even the Duke and Duchess looked satisfied at the question finally being raised.

“R-right. Shouldn’t you at least get the lady’s acceptance first?” the Duchess chimed in. Though her tone was concerned, her face looked like she expected Frederick to be rejected.

Frederick muttered quietly, sounding a bit deflated, “Well, even I think she might turn me down…”

Last night, Frederick had been focused solely on how to make the proposal itself. But after hearing Francis’ question, he realized that Lotus had always been someone opposed to marriage. She had once said she’d rather die than be forced into a marriage.

*Could she see my proposal as forcing her into something? She could totally think that. What do I do?*

Frederick’s fingers and toes twitched as he sat in silence, visibly distressed—a rare sight. The more confused and foolish he appeared, the more lenient the Duke, Duchess, and Francis became toward the woman who might become his wife.

*Sure, the illegitimate daughter of the Estelle family is quite beneath us, but with Frederick now in the Tower, does it even matter?*

*This doesn’t seem right… But if we keep opposing him, this idiot might pull something even worse.*

*Brother may be exceptional in looks, talent, and background, but someone like him would be hard for any woman to handle. Maybe Lotus is actually a good match for him.*

Though they kept suggesting the possibility that Lady Estelle might reject Frederick, deep down, none of them truly believed she would.

Despite Frederick’s half-crazy personality, he lacked nothing in terms of appearance, skill, or status. If his temperament were just a little more manageable, the Abran family and the Tower would have likely received numerous marriage proposals from noble families, much like those addressed to Kenneth or Theodore, both considered top-tier bachelors.  

In truth, none of the Abran family members believed that Lotus Estelle would turn down Frederick’s proposal.

Frederick’s notoriously difficult personality was something Lotus had probably grown accustomed to after spending several years by his side. And given her position, it would be hard to find a better match than Frederick. After all, being the first wife of a young, capable Tower Master was much more appealing than becoming the second wife of an aging noble.  

While his family rationalized things to suit their own view, Frederick—who knew Lotus better than anyone—remained visibly distressed.

“Aaaagh!”  

Frederick yelled, pulling at his hair, before vanishing once more. His family, who had been summoned early in the morning only to receive a bombshell announcement, let out a collective sigh as they watched him disappear yet again.  

***

Manores, who had emptied not only the wine bottle Frederick had brought but also a few more, was sound asleep. That is, until someone broke through the protective wards around his quarters and roughly shook his shoulder.

“Hey, get up! Now!”  

“Ugh, what the hell? Who is it?”  

“It’s your Tower Master. Now wake up!”  

*Why is that idiot here?*  

Manores grudgingly pried open his heavy eyelids. Standing before him, looking like a storm cloud personified, was Frederick.

“This isn’t a midnight ambush. What do you want now?”  

“It’s not midnight. It’s morning.”  

“…7 a.m. is still the middle of the night for a mage. And how did you get through my wards?”  

“Huh? I broke them, obviously. How else was I supposed to get in?”  

*Why does he sound so proud of that?* Manores struggled to calm his rising blood pressure before asking, “…Can I swear at you now?”

Frederick pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“I was raised in high society, so I’ve never been cursed at. But if you promise to listen to my problem afterward, I’ll grant you immunity.”  

Knowing Frederick, he would undoubtedly follow Manores around, pestering him until he got the advice he sought. If that was inevitable, Manores figured he might as well secure the right to vent his frustration in the process.

“Fine. You fucking bastard.”  

“…”

“The more I think about it, the angrier I get. You break through someone’s carefully set wards just to wake them up? What’s wrong with you? You can’t live like this!”  

“…”

“You’re worse than the most vicious dog I’ve ever known! Grow up! Stop giving people stress and heart problems!”  

If any other mages had been around to witness Manores’ bravery, they would have given him a standing ovation. Unfortunately, it was early morning, and most mages, having stayed up all night, were fast asleep. Because of this, Manores missed his chance to become a hero in the Tower.