The World Has Become Kinder to Her

“I appreciate that you’re worried about me, brother, but isn’t having three personal knights a bit excessive? I think it would be enough to just have two from the knight order who are free at the time accompany me.”

At those words, Hession responded in the same firm tone he used when dealing with the members of the Sixth Knight Order.

“No, it’s not excessive at all.”

“……”

“In fact, I think it’s far too little compared to the scoundrels trying to approach you.”

It seemed like the “scoundrels” he was referring to were Frederick and Kenneth.

‘There’s no one in the world who could match those two as guards, though.’

Lotus thought about replying but kept her mouth shut. Hession surely knew that as well. He was probably just doing this for show.

“As you said yourself, it’s inadequate protection anyway, but it feels like I’m just being watched all the time. Also, I find it uncomfortable being around unfamiliar men, especially muscular knights.”

“That’s why I chose ones with gentle appearances… but it seems that wasn’t very effective.”

No wonder the knights assigned to her seemed rather slender; it appeared to be an unintended consequence of Hession’s “consideration.”

“That aside, it’s also inefficient in terms of cost.”

“The ones I brought this time are being managed with my personal budget, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“But it’s still your budget, brother, how could I not be concerned?”

“I spend most of my time with the imperial knight order anyway, and I don’t have much else to spend money on.”

He wasn’t one to indulge in luxury, enjoy entertainment, or have any romantic entanglements, so it wasn’t a baseless statement.

Now that she thought about it, even in her past life, Lotus had never seen Hession express interest in or date a woman. His marriage, too, was arranged for political reasons.

‘His wedding was scheduled for a few months after the day I took my own life. I wonder if it went off without a hitch.’

Lotus suddenly felt sorry for Hession. He hadn’t been the best brother, but she hadn’t been a good sister either.

“But didn’t it cost a significant amount to use the portal for the journey?”

“Well…”

As he started to respond, Hession’s brows furrowed once again. He didn’t want to get too entangled with the Mage Tower, especially because of Frederick, but using the portal required permission from the tower.

Thus, he had to approach the nearest magician, Manores, to discuss using the portal.

─ “What’s your reason for using the portal?”

─ “Is that something I have to disclose?”

─ “We record all portal usage. There could be inquiries from the royal family later for crime investigations.”

─ “…I’m heading to the estate to urgently replenish our knights.”

─ “Hmm, is this for escorting Lady Estelle?”

─ “I don’t think you need to know that.”

─ “I’ll issue you one ticket for the trip there and four tickets for the return.”

─ “What about the cost…?”

─ “No need. I’ll take it from my yearly quota. Consider it a favor for the young lady.”

What was it about that response that grated on him so much?

The last remark left Hession feeling uneasy, so he had insisted on paying for it. However, Manores had quickly issued the permit and then practically pushed him out of the room.

Not wanting to relay the full story, Hession came up with a plausible explanation.

“Young Lord Abran is staying at our estate, so the Mage Tower likely extended this favor to us. Since we used the portal for free, you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Oh, I should thank Lord Manores for that, then.”

“In my opinion, that man is still…”

Lotus completely ignored Hession’s muttered comment.

In her past life, there hadn’t been another man as calm and as respectful of boundaries as Manores.

But now what was she going to do? She had planned to use the costs as an excuse to refuse the knights, but Hession’s counterargument was proving difficult to dismantle.

‘I’ll bring it up again once Frederick and Kenneth leave the mansion. He’ll probably calm down by then.’

“By the way, Lotus, your face looked a bit troubled earlier… who was it?”

Hession, his tone calmer now, began the interrogation he hadn’t managed to start at the front gate.

“…It’s a misunderstanding. While I was having a snack at the duchy, I accidentally got some chocolate powder on my face. When I rubbed it with the hand wearing a ring, it probably just looked that way.”

It was a rather far-fetched explanation, but no other excuse came to mind.

Hession was dumbfounded by her poor excuse, but he knew that no amount of scolding would get him a better answer, so he tried to calm himself down.

“Is it because I’m still not a reliable enough brother?”

“…”

“It’s something I’ll have to work on. I’m sorry.”

Lotus sighed inwardly. Since her return to the past, the men around her had started acting weak and pitiful, and it was becoming a problem.

“Even as things stand now, it feels like a dream.”

In the end, Lotus managed to avoid mentioning the slap, but she couldn’t convince Hession to retract his decision to assign knights to her. She left his office feeling somewhat defeated.

Without wasting time, she headed straight to Frederick’s room.

*Knock knock.*

Manores, who had been reading a book, responded to the knock by opening the door with magic.

“Hello, Lord Manores. I’m sorry to interrupt your reading.”

“It’s no problem. Are you here to see Frederick? Quite the delicate care for someone like him.”

“I’m just here to check on his condition. You must be having a hard time.”

“Actually, this is the most comfortable time for me. It’s quiet, after all.”

Manores adjusted his glasses as he spoke with his usual cynical tone, and Lotus let out a small laugh.

Frederick lay there, pale as a corpse. The smile that had been on Lotus’s lips vanished without a trace.

“It’s been almost a week since he collapsed. Is he really going to be okay?”

“Yes, there have been cases where exhausted mages took a full month to recover. Don’t worry.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise to talk more today. The tea party took longer than expected, and I had to discuss the knight situation with my brother.”

“It’s fine. I’ve been organizing my thoughts while reading, anyway.”

“Oh, and thank you for granting permission to use the portal. The Estelle family hasn’t been much help in Frederick’s treatment or recovery…”

“It wasn’t a favor to the Estelle family, but to you, my lady. So don’t worry about it.”

“What?”

That was even more burdensome. But Manores’s expression and tone were so straightforward that Lotus could guess it was simply a favor for someone Frederick cared about.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Manores approached Lotus and gently placed his fingers on her cheek. A soft white light emanated from his hand, suggesting he had cast a healing spell.

“It looks like you were stung by an insect.”

“Oh, thank you.”

It was rare for Manores, who usually spoke so bluntly, to phrase something so elegantly, which left Lotus somewhat intrigued.

“I hope Frederick wakes up soon. That way, you won’t have to struggle so much.”

Lotus murmured, gently placing her hand over Frederick’s cold one. She hoped it would warm up quickly.

“Well, when he wakes up, I’ll be dealing with another kind of struggle.”

Manores responded sarcastically, but Lotus knew he genuinely cared for Frederick, so she merely smiled softly.

Since it was late, Lotus soon left the room. Neither she nor Manores noticed the slight movement in Frederick’s fingers as she departed.

***

A surge of water violently enveloped her body. Why had she jumped into such a dangerous place?

‘I couldn’t breathe. It felt like my very existence in this world was a sin…’

In her dream, Lotus was trapped in the moment when she had been suffocating. Slowly, through her dimming vision, she saw a figure.

‘Is that… a child?’

A child, with their whole future ahead of them, shouldn’t be drowning. Lotus tried to extend her hand toward the child when a clear voice echoed in her ears.

─ “It’s unfortunate that you harmed yourself, but it’s admirable that you tried to save another in that situation. As a reward for your good deed, I will grant you one wish.”

‘A reward for a good deed? A wish?’

The voice and situation felt unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar at the same time.

Lotus mulled over the words from her dream as she woke up. Perhaps it was because she had seen the Venus River yesterday. The dream, where the situation of her drowning had somehow changed, left her feeling unsettled.

Today, she had no outside engagements, so she moved leisurely. After finishing a simple meal, Lotus went to see Manores. They continued their unfinished conversation from the other day, and he lent her two books: *The Voice of God* and *49 Demons Who Tempt Humans*.

“Skim over the praises of the gods in *The Voice of God*. It was written by priests, so for someone without deep faith, every sentence might feel like a mental attack,” Manores remarked.

“Pfft, that’s a funny way to put it,” Lotus chuckled as she gently ran her hand over the cover of the book.

Humans are one of the weakest species, except in rare cases. However, their experiences and knowledge are recorded in writing, allowing them to navigate and overcome fears and trials. In that forest of records, Lotus hoped to find at least a small compass.

The rest of the afternoon passed quietly and peacefully. *49 Demons Who Tempt Humans*, which chronicled stories of demons, was an entertaining read. The stories of Gaap, a demon who sowed discord among humans, and Mephistopheles, who cunningly manipulated people, gave her a slight chill as she read.

“Soup, stew, or risotto is fine, but as humans, shouldn’t we eat meat sometimes?” 

Lotus, who had been engrossed in the book, was halfway through eating the hamburger steak that Jane had cautiously brought for dinner without a single complaint when trouble appeared.

“Milady?”

As Jane was on her way to bring Lotus a glass of warm milk, she ran into Hession, whose face was twisted with anger. He entered Lotus’s bedroom with a stiff expression.

“Brother?”

Lotus, sensing another presence, lifted her head from her book. Her gaze met Hession’s sunken, green eyes. For some reason, a chill ran down her spine.

‘Just like the moment in the past when he slapped me…’

Hession, who looked at her as if he were confronting the enemy who had killed their parents, reached out with his strong arm and grabbed her slender neck.

“L-Lord Hession! What are you doing?” 

Noticing something amiss, Jane rushed back into the room and screamed when she saw Hession. But he didn’t seem to hear her. In fact, he only tightened his grip around Lotus’s neck.

Lotus, her face turning pale, tried to push him away, but overpowering a strong knight like Hession was nearly impossible.

“P-Please stop!”

Jane, summoning her courage, tried to pry Hession’s arm off, but with a violent swing, he threw her into the corner of the room. Jane let out a faint groan as she collided with the furniture. It was clear Hession was not in his right mind.

“I’m not going to let myself die quietly… not at the hands of a brother who’s lost his sanity.”

Hession’s eyes wavered. Lotus once again tried to push him away with all her might. At that moment, Frederick’s mana stone bracelet on her wrist emitted a soft glow.

*Ping!*

A translucent shield formed around Lotus, pushing Hession back. Although red marks were left on her white neck, Lotus had survived.

*Cough, cough.*

Lotus was coughing harshly from the choking, but Hession, who had been thrown back, steadied himself and approached her again. Even though the shield was still active, she couldn’t feel safe. Hession was a Sword Expert capable of manipulating sword energy freely.

Should she run? If she could just make it to where Kenneth or Manores were, they might be able to solve this somehow.

As these thoughts raced through her mind, something miraculous—something rare in Lotus’s life—occurred.

“H-how…?”

A shadow appeared, blocking the path between Lotus and Hession. The man who had been lying like a corpse just that morning was now standing with Manores beside him.

“You… how are you here…?”

Under the bedroom’s light, Frederick’s silver hair gleamed brilliantly.