The World Has Become Kinder to Her

The weight of the books from the bookstore and the Imperial Library combined felt substantial—almost like a large boulder, Lotus thought with a touch of exaggeration. Yet Kenneth carried them effortlessly.

“Are you sure you’re alright, Sir?” Lotus asked, concerned.

“I’m perfectly fine,” Kenneth responded.

“But carrying books is cumbersome, and it’s partially obstructing your view.”

“My sight is not compromised to a degree that affects my awareness,” Kenneth reassured her.

“Still, how about I carry two of them? That way, you won’t be as burdened, and your view won’t be blocked as much,” she insisted.

“Really, it’s not a problem,” Kenneth said with a soft smile, one that implied he felt no burden whatsoever. His extraordinary physical abilities made carrying the books feel like nothing more than holding empty boxes.

Lotus was peculiar, Kenneth thought. Others rarely worried about him in this way. Most accepted his strength and efficiency as a given and never offered to share the load. They would express gratitude, but none had ever considered easing his burden.

*Why are you so special?* Kenneth mused. She was beautiful, intelligent, and beyond that—exceptional. He remembered that not even the powerful Mage Tower Master or the famously wise Sage had been able to win her over entirely.

Yes, those men, highly esteemed as they were, had failed to keep her by their side.

*—Lotus is kind, but distant. She’s gentle, but she builds walls—high, impenetrable walls.*

*—That’s what makes her even more alluring. The harder she is to grasp, the more captivating she becomes.*

Kenneth finally understood what that unsettling feeling in his chest was. It was jealousy. Despite everything, the only memory he had of her initiating contact was from that one night. Beyond that, there was nothing.

Even when he had been robbed of his rightful place by his undeserving half-brother, even when the Marquisate of Zahard was stripped from him, he hadn’t felt this kind of resentment.

*“Don’t you want to get rid of them? With your power, you could, you know.”*

A seductive voice whispered in his ear, a dark suggestion curling into his thoughts. Kenneth’s inner values began to crumble as the voice dug deeper into his mind, threatening to corrupt both his heart and his reason.

“Sir?” Lotus’s gentle voice broke through his thoughts, pulling him back. Her tone was careful, her eyes watching him with concern. It was strange that the man who normally responded with lightning-quick reflexes had remained silent.

Lotus hesitated. Should she reach out and tug at his sleeve? She was considering it when a familiar voice interrupted.

“Lady Lotus.”

“…Lord Hycen,” she responded, a knot forming in her chest as she faced the one person she least wanted to encounter.

Rikheus Hycen’s golden hair gleamed in the soft light of the setting sun, and his emerald eyes, catching the red hues of dusk, appeared both dangerous and captivating. 

For a moment, her heart pounded heavily, and she felt her mouth go dry.

“I’m glad to see you in good health,” Rikheus said smoothly, his words as sweet as his expression.

“I didn’t expect to run into you here, my lord,” Lotus replied, keeping her voice steady.

“I’d like to think it’s the work of the gods, allowing me to ease my worry by seeing you with my own eyes,” he said, his smile soft and inviting.

His words were everything the Lotus of the past had longed to hear. She had once dreamt of having a single day, even just one, where she could go on a date with Rikheus. She had wished, even if only once, to see him smile at her like this.

And yet, it felt strange. Her heart wasn’t fluttering with joy as it once would have. Instead, she felt discomfort, a quiet anxiety gnawing at her.

*Is it because there’s someone beside me who claims to like me?* She wondered, glancing at Kenneth. His eyes, normally so sharp and focused, seemed hazy.

“Sir Kenneth?” Lotus called, noticing the strange expression on his face.

Rikheus, catching the change in Kenneth’s demeanor, shifted his focus. “Now that I think about it, this is quite an unexpected pairing. What brings Lady Estelle and Sir Zahard here together?”

Lotus, trying to calm her racing heartbeat, replied casually despite her internal anxiety. “I needed to borrow some books from an acquaintance. What brings you here, Lord Hycen?”

Rikheus smiled warmly, as though he could sense no awkwardness in the air. “I was just on my way back from meeting with the Crown Prince.”

The Hycen Duchy had long been close to the imperial family, and its immense power was well-known throughout the empire. The duchy had produced many empresses for the empire, and it wasn’t until Frederick’s absurd magical prowess emerged that the other ducal houses, including the Abran family, were able to even out the balance of power against Hycen.

*Something feels off,* Lotus thought. In the past, she had loved Rikheus. It hadn’t been a burning, all-consuming love, but she had harbored feelings for him for a long time. Only yesterday, she had felt her heart waver when reading his letter.

But the unease she felt now—what was it? Was it the usual nervousness of standing before someone she once loved? Or was it because this situation, standing so close to him and engaging in one-on-one conversation, was something she had rarely experienced in the past?

*I don’t know.*

The man standing before her was beautiful and seemed angelic. Her heart pounded, and a faint dizziness clouded her mind, making her believe that it must be love, while the unease whispering at her senses warned her to be cautious.

The only thing Lotus knew for sure was that she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

“Sir Zahard, are you feeling unwell?” Rikheus asked, turning to Kenneth in a voice laced with concern. There was a slight, suppressed agitation in Kenneth’s slow response.

“…I’m fine.”

“Patience is a virtue for a knight, Sir, but it’s wise to take care of yourself when your body is unwell. The Imperial Infirmary is close by. I could escort you there—and I would be more than happy to take care of Lady Estelle’s safety in the meantime. Would you permit me that honor, Lady Lotus?” Rikheus added, reaching for Lotus’s wrist gently.

The moment his hand touched her wrist, Lotus felt a sudden jolt, like static electricity running up her arm.

*Magic is activating.*

The hand Rikheus had touched was the same one where Frederick had inscribed the shield spell. The protective magic interpreted Rikheus’s approach as an attack, causing the light-blue sigil on her hand to flare to life and glow brightly.

Rikheus stumbled back a few steps, his expression briefly startled before he composed himself, flashing a graceful smile once more. His angelic face didn’t betray any frustration, only calm politeness.

“My apologies, Lady Lotus. It seems in my eagerness, I acted without waiting for your answer, and I’ve overstepped my bounds. I didn’t realize you had a shield spell in place.”

“My father and brother worry about me,” Lotus replied smoothly, lowering her eyes slightly. “I hope I didn’t alarm you.”

*—Don’t react to assumptions made by others.*

*—If a question is difficult to answer, offer a third, unrelated response.*

*—Or, better yet, give a response that plants doubt in their mind.*

Lotus had always been an excellent student of Theodore’s teachings. His advice had helped her navigate the treacherous waters of high society in her past life and continued to prove useful in this one as well. Though Theodore was infuriating in many ways, no one could match his skills in reading people and mastering conversation.

Following his guidance, Lotus had used her father and brother as a shield to deflect Rikheus’s inquiry while omitting Frederick’s involvement entirely. Though it was possible rumors about Frederick staying at the Estelle residence had already spread, rumors were one thing—confirming them with her own words was another.

As the mana fueling the shield spell began to dwindle, the glowing sigil on her hand faded. Rikheus’s emerald eyes gleamed briefly, but before he could speak, a voice colder than ice cut through the air.

Kenneth’s icy tone sliced through the tense air like a blade. “I’ve recovered from the brief discomfort. I know my own body better than anyone. So, please, there’s no need for further concern. You may continue on your way.”

Lotus turned her head slightly, her gaze locking with Kenneth’s piercing blue eyes. Unlike the dry throat and racing heart she had felt when facing Rikheus, Kenneth’s sharp eyes brought her a strange sense of calm.

***

There are three primary forms of shield magic. 

First, the direct form, cast by a magician in real-time. Second, the kind that is temporarily or semi-permanently engraved onto mana stones or gems by the magician. Lastly, the third form: temporary or semi-permanent engraving onto a human body.

While it is difficult to modify the conditions or strength of a shield spell inscribed on mana stones or gems, the shield magic engraved onto a human body is more flexible, though it requires complex magical calculations. Shield magic cast quickly isn’t particularly strong, which is why Frederick, when engraving the spell on Lotus’s hand, ensured that it would trigger and link directly to his mana when confronted by a powerful force.

The moment Rikheus grabbed Lotus’s wrist and activated the shield, the mana in Frederick’s body stirred violently.

The mana stone embedded with Frederick’s energy had been constantly draining him, and now, with the added strain of the shield’s activation, his life-sustaining mana began to deplete dangerously once more.

“Ugh…” Frederick’s chest ignited in a searing pain, as if his heart was burning from within. The sensation of his organs being wrung out violently coursed through his body.

“This…” he gasped. 

It was a force that couldn’t be recklessly ignored. Frederick gritted his teeth and forcefully controlled the turbulent mana inside him, pushing it back into the shield spell inscribed on Lotus’s hand. The more he funneled his energy into the spell, the greater his body’s suffering became.

Blood vessels burst in his eyes and on the back of his hands, tiny red lines spidering across his vision. His clenched fists had long since gone numb from the pressure, and his heartbeat was quickening dangerously. He was teetering on the edge—his heart could very well stop at this rate.

Frederick desperately wanted to cut off the mana flow to the stone, but the mana-hungry stone had grown into a semi-sentient, insatiable entity after absorbing his energy over the past few days. It continued to drain him ruthlessly.

*Thump, thump, thump.*

*I refuse to be remembered as the fool who was drained to death by his own mana stone…* Frederick thought bitterly as his consciousness began to blur.

Just when he was about to lose the last of his strength, a familiar voice echoed through his mind.

「Magician! Stupid magician! You’re not dead, right?」

The air around him shifted. He could feel the moisture in the environment reacting as if it had taken on a life of its own. There was a sharp, almost volatile presence beneath the coolness and softness—the unmistakable presence of the Spirit of Water.

「Ugh, how irritating! Theodore’s prediction was right again! Will I ever get to see him fail before our contract ends? I better, or I’ll be so disappointed!」

*Shut up!* Frederick mentally snapped, his forehead furrowing even more as the familiar, buzzing voice grated on his nerves.

Salia, the Spirit of Water, floated closer, her icy touch brushing against Frederick’s cheek.

「You’re having some very disrespectful thoughts for someone I’m saving. Try to be a bit more grateful to your benefactor.」

With that, she pressed her cold lips against his forehead.