The World Has Become Kinder to Her

Meanwhile, Frederick’s expression became something impossible to describe.  

In the past and even now, he was a man whose true thoughts were always hard to grasp. His current expression irritated Lotus, so she decided to add one more comment.  

“Of course, setting all of this aside, Lord Abran is not my type.”  

At that, Lotus noticed the Marquis and Hession’s faces relaxing slightly, and she inwardly clicked her tongue.  

‘Is there really nothing I can say that’ll annoy all three of them at once?’  

If only she were a little smarter. Why hadn’t the gods given her a sharper mind?  

‘That’s not all they withheld,’ she thought bitterly.  

In her past life, the only thing she’d ever managed to gain was the fleeting favor of men blinded by lust.  

“…Regardless of how you feel, it’s a fact that Lord Abran was lurking near the Marquisate without a valid reason and trespassed into the estate. He will have to be held accountable,” the Marquis declared.  

To hold someone accountable meant formally informing the Abran Duchy of Frederick’s actions and pursuing repercussions.  

Lotus was surprised by the Marquis’ unexpectedly firm stance. She tilted her head in confusion.  

‘Why is he acting like this? There’s nothing to gain from antagonizing the Abran Duchy.’  

She glanced at Frederick.  

If he explained now that he was only trying to stop her suicide attempt, he could easily escape this predicament—and possibly even turn the situation in his favor.  

“Sigh… Since the Marquis is being so insistent, I suppose I’ll have to reveal the real reason. But once you know the truth, you’ll have to take responsibility for it. Can you handle that?”  

Finally, Frederick broke his silence. The Marquis, Hession, and Lotus all looked at him with tense expressions.  

“If this turns out to be nonsense, you’ll still be held responsible, Lord Abran,” the Marquis warned.  

Frederick nodded. “Indeed. The truth is that I detected an unusual sign while conducting research for the Mage Tower.”  

“An unusual sign?” Hession asked with a frown. He didn’t know what Frederick meant by an unusual sign, but it didn’t sound like good news.  

Lotus also frowned. In her memories of the past, nothing related to the Mage Tower happened around this time.  

‘Is Frederick lying to escape this moment? Or was there something that happened in the past that I simply wasn’t aware of?’  

As an illegitimate child of the Marquisate, Lotus had often been kept in the dark about important matters, so it wouldn’t be strange if she had missed something.  

“I can’t go into detail, as it’s a confidential matter, but I was investigating this sign near the estate. That’s when I happened to find Lady Estelle in danger and stepped in to help,” Frederick explained.  

Mentioning the Mage Tower added weight to Frederick’s words, giving them a veneer of credibility. Yet, neither the Marquis nor Hession, and even Lotus, found it easy to fully believe him.  

He had conveniently left out the most crucial details.  

For someone with Frederick’s influence at the Mage Tower, it wouldn’t be difficult to fabricate such a story if he wished.  

‘Still, now that he’s invoked the Mage Tower, it’ll be difficult to press him further. If this story is a fabrication, he’s certainly clever.’  

As Lotus was thinking this, Frederick continued speaking.  

“In any case, I’ve now exposed myself while rescuing Lady Estelle, and even revealed that I’m conducting a secret investigation…”  

“Are you suggesting you’ll hold my daughter accountable for that?” the Marquis interrupted, his voice sharp.  

Frederick waved his hand dismissively. “Of course not. I’d never hold the lady responsible. However, now that the situation has been disclosed, I would like to request the cooperation of the Estelle family. Could you provide me with a room to stay in for a while?”  

A heavy silence fell over the room. Frederick’s request, from defending himself to making such a brazen demand, was shocking. Both the Marquis and Hession looked at him in disbelief, and even Lotus found herself at a loss for words.  

The night grew late. It was clear that three men arguing in a noblewoman’s bedroom could not go on indefinitely.

Since the doorknob to Lotus’ bedroom was broken, she had to relocate her sleeping quarters for the night. She was moved to one of the guest rooms, which had not been fully prepared. Meanwhile, the three men—Frederick, Hession, and the Marquis—headed to the drawing room. Lotus considered following them but ultimately decided against it.  

No doubt, Frederick, with his silver tongue, would spin some twisted logic, while the stubborn father and son duo of the Estelle family would stick to their own perspectives. A resolution was unlikely to come anytime soon.  

‘I’m exhausted,’ she thought.  

On the outside, she acted as if nothing was wrong, but she had just attempted suicide, and her failed attempt weighed heavily on her mind.  

Lotus felt her body sinking, as if she were soaked in water. As soon as she collapsed onto the bed, she didn’t want to move a single finger.  

‘…I wish this was all just a dream,’ she thought. That Frederick had appeared at the Marquisate at this hour.  

‘If it were, I’d be dead. I wouldn’t have to think about any of this.’  

It felt like she was sinking into an endless swamp. Her eyes closed, and soon, she drifted into a sleep that felt like death.  

***  

The next morning, Lotus used illness as an excuse not to go down to the dining hall.  

Since she had fainted at the ball last night, her claim was easily accepted.  

Jane, who had somehow become her personal maid, brought her a light meal fit for someone unwell. As she slowly sipped the warm soup, Lotus asked,  

“Any news?”  

“News? Oh, come to think of it… well, I don’t know the details, but Lord Abran will be staying here for a while for some important matter.”  

“What?”  

This unexpected news made Lotus’ eyes widen. She hadn’t imagined the Marquis or Hession would agree to Frederick’s brazen demand.  

“Is that true?”  

“I overheard the Marquis mention it at breakfast. Wait—Miss! Where are you going?”  

Before Jane could finish speaking, Lotus had already gotten out of bed.  

Determined to confirm whether this was true, Lotus made her way down the stairs and headed to the dining hall.  

“Good morning, Lotus!”  

As she entered, she immediately saw Frederick sitting at the table with the Marquis, the Marchioness, and Hession.  

Frederick’s ethereal beauty, like that of a fairy, made the room seem brighter when he smiled, but to Lotus, his appearance was infuriating.  

The more he smiled, the more her blood boiled.  

‘Frederick! This shameless man actually managed to stay…’  

What kind of deal had he struck with the Marquis and Hession?  

Having dated Frederick in the past, Lotus knew all too well that he wasn’t just skilled in manipulation and eloquence—he was also a master of negotiation.  

He must have offered them something they couldn’t easily refuse.  

“Lotus, I heard you weren’t feeling well. Are you all right?” The Marquis’ voice interrupted her thoughts, pulling her attention away from Frederick.  

“Yes. I came to ask about something. Is it true that Lord Abran will be staying here for a while?”  

“…It seems that the matter Lord Abran is handling is of great importance, so that decision has been made,” the Marquis replied.  

Next, Lotus turned her gaze toward Hession. Her silent, reproachful stare made him fidget uncomfortably before he spoke.  

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he doesn’t cause you any trouble.”  

Finally, Lotus and Frederick’s eyes met. His silver gaze glimmered faintly, both beautiful like the moon in the night sky and dangerous like a predator.  

“I look forward to staying with you, Lotus.”

“Please don’t call me by my name. We’re nothing to each other.”  

Lotus was not pleased with the fact that she had to face Frederick, who had become even more persistent than before.  

Moreover, one unsettling realization hit her—if Frederick continued staying at the Marquisate, the chances of her suicide attempts failing, like the night before, would remain high.  

***  

After the uncomfortable exchange with Frederick, Lotus finally finished breakfast, albeit with difficulty, and sat down with a pen in hand.  

She wanted to write down the changes between her memories of the past and the current reality, hoping it would help clear her mind.  

‘Let’s start with the Mage Tower and Frederick…’  

Who could have predicted that she would travel back to the past?  

Lotus soon realized that she had far less knowledge about the past than she had thought, and she couldn’t help but feel frustrated.  

After two hours of wracking her brain and transferring what little she remembered to paper, the results were minimal.  

— *Tsk, that old man is too cautious. Or maybe I should call it laziness. But he sure does nag me a lot, so he must be naturally gifted at that.*  

From her unofficial conversations with Frederick, she had learned that the current Master of the Mage Tower was meticulous and extremely cautious.  

“The only officially known facts are that Frederick and Kenneth both play key roles in the Great Monster Subjugation two years from now and that six years later, Frederick becomes the new Master of the Mage Tower.”  

That was why the position of head of the Abran family would be passed down to Frederick’s younger brother, Francis.  

It was a decision that benefitted everyone since Frederick, with his free-spirited and unpredictable nature, was hardly suited to be the head of a noble house.  

‘With this information alone, I can’t figure out what this strange omen is. Could Frederick be lying after all?’  

As Lotus pondered deeper, her frustration grew, and she ended up tugging at her vibrant red hair.  

‘Come to think of it, why did Kenneth and Frederick both attend the Harvest Festival ball? In the past, neither of them did…’  

Setting aside the changes in her family and the household staff, this was something particularly suspicious.  

Frederick never liked large-scale events filled with high-ranking nobles and royalty, and around this time, Kenneth was entirely focused on his duties as commander of the knights, rarely attending social events.  

In fact, he didn’t start appearing at such gatherings until he was granted his title of count.  

Perhaps there was a clue to be found there.  

‘If it’s not a secret matter, I might be able to get some answers from Father or Hession.’  

Unlike before, both men were somewhat willing to answer her questions.  

Lotus was so absorbed in analyzing Frederick’s words and actions that she didn’t realize she had unconsciously started referring to Hession as “brother” even when no one was around.  

‘Frederick probably won’t intrude on breakfast again tomorrow. I’ll ask them then.’  

Having organized her thoughts somewhat, Lotus tossed the paper filled with notes into the fireplace, where it quickly turned to ash.  

‘A proper noble would have at least one or two private safes or secret places to store important things, but I don’t have that luxury.’  

It was better to destroy sensitive information immediately.  

As she began tidying up her writing tools, a hurried knock sounded at the door.  

“Miss!”  

“What’s the matter?”  

“I have urgent news!”  

With a sigh, Lotus opened the door for Jane, noticing her slightly flushed cheeks.  

“Someone’s here to see you, miss!”