The World Has Become Kinder to Her

**Chapter 31**

Lotus didn’t like knights, be they common knights or those serving her family.

There was a time when she harbored romantic ideals about knights, like other noble ladies, but she soon realized that such dreams were nothing more than fantasies, far beyond her reach.

One well-known knightly code was respect for ladies, but the “lady” referred to by that code was limited to noblewomen of “true” noble lineage—not a half-blood noblewoman like her.

It wasn’t just the young, hot-blooded noblemen or the scheming old aristocrats who posed a threat. The knights, who were stronger and more enduring than the average person, were several times more dangerous. The phrase “like letting a cat guard the fish” fit this situation perfectly.

Knights, too, would leer at her with lascivious eyes. However, due to their positions, it was rare for things to escalate into truly dangerous situations.

— “I didn’t become a knight to protect some street woman.”

— “Hey, you’ve got to follow orders. But, isn’t she way more beautiful and curvier than the other noble ladies?”

In her previous life, Marquis Estelle and Hession would often assign family knights to accompany her whenever she attended official events or large gatherings.

The problem was that even her family’s knights had no intention of protecting her, treating her like a woman of the streets despite her reputation as the “Queen of the Night” in high society.

There was a moment in the past when she felt an intense sense of betrayal upon overhearing the whispers of her family’s knights, but that time had long passed.

Even though she told Jane she didn’t need an escort, two knights guarding the main gate approached her as she was about to leave the Marquis’s residence.

“Miss, are you heading out?”

“Is there a problem?”

“It’s dangerous outside. You should take an escort with you. I’ll prepare three knights.”

The face of the deputy commander, who spoke with such gravitas, overlapped with the sneering expression they had shown her in the past.

A wave of disgust welled up inside her.

Even though it hadn’t happened in this timeline, as a human, it was impossible to avoid being swept up in emotions.

Lotus responded with a faint smile.

“Sir Peyton, isn’t it?”

“The fact that you remember my name, my lady, is an honor.”

“I wouldn’t want someone like you, who values your knightly pride, to be burdened with the task of guarding an inadequate noblewoman like me. You understand my feelings, don’t you?”

“Ah, my lady…”

Lotus’s voice was soft, but her words carried a sharpness, like a bone hidden within a blade.

Peyton’s face turned pale, as did the knight standing beside him.

“H-How could you say such a thing, my lady? You are, after all, a member of the Estelle family…”

“A disgrace and a blemish you’d prefer to hide, not a noble Marquis’s daughter in need of your protection. Now, could you step aside and let me pass?”

She lowered herself, crafting a spear of words to throw at others. Though she had no way of knowing how the one receiving the spear felt, there was one thing she was sure of: the one making the spear might be smiling on the outside, but they were weeping tears of blood within.

‘This much pain shouldn’t hurt. It’s nothing.’

In the past, she had belittled and wounded herself far more severely, pushing herself to the brink. This kind of pain should only cause a slight sting in her heart and nothing more.

“My lady, I don’t know which knight dared to spout such nonsense, but I swear on the honor of the knightly order that I will punish them severely. Please, calm your anger…”

Peyton hurriedly knelt down. The other knight also dropped to his knees.

Their faces had turned white, likely out of fear of the Marquis and Hession’s reaction in the future.

Lotus pressed her hand to her head, feeling the onset of a headache. Ever since she’d returned, these men knelt at the slightest rebuke, and it was becoming quite troublesome.

“Gentlemen, please calm yourselves. No one has actually said such things yet.”

“But surely someone must have acted in a way that made you feel that way, my lady.”

“It wasn’t said outright, so there’s no one to punish. If you were to punish someone just for harboring such thoughts, you’d have to punish over 90% of the knights, wouldn’t you?”

“…”

“You know as well as I do that even if they said it outright, I have neither the power nor the right to punish any of you. I didn’t bring this up to punish anyone; I just don’t want us to waste our energy on unnecessary behavior. If His Excellency or the young master questions you about my lack of an escort, I’ll explain everything myself.”

“That’s not the issue, my lady!”

“Then what is the issue? You’re not truly worried about me, are you? If anything, taking up my time like this is only making me more upset.”

“Whether you believe it or not, we are sincerely concerned for your safety. Please, allow someone—anyone you wish—to escort you.”

“Ah, I’m tired. Since my primary purpose for going out is just to visit the bookstore, I suppose I can bring anyone along,” Lotus thought. Instead of a knight from a noble family, who would be too prideful and difficult to handle, taking a knight of common birth would cause less trouble. 

As Lotus was about to ask for any knight from the commoner ranks to accompany her, a familiar voice interrupted.

“My Lady.”

“Sir Kenneth.”

“I noticed you seemed to be in a difficult situation, so I intervened. Please forgive my intrusion.”

Ever since he had entered the Marquis of Estelle’s residence, Kenneth’s attention had been focused on Lotus, so he could generally guess her whereabouts inside the mansion. Once a person reaches the level of a *Master*, their senses expand beyond what a normal person could imagine. For instance, if Kenneth focused his hearing, he could clearly pick up conversations happening in the garden even if he were three floors up. 

Thus, it was inevitable that when the window was opened for ventilation, he overheard the conversation between Lotus and the family’s knights. 

Although Lotus’s voice was calm, there was an underlying vulnerability when she spoke to the knights. Listening to it made Kenneth’s heart ache.

‘Is this how you’re feeling right now as well…?’

No, it must be worse—far more painful than what he felt, which only deepened Kenneth’s frustration. 

‘If I don’t get rid of those knights soon…’

It was clear to anyone that they were the cause of her distress. So despite worrying that his actions might seem presumptuous or rude, Kenneth stepped in.

“If you would allow me, my Lady, I can assist you in leaving the residence swiftly.”

“So, may I propose that I act as your escort instead?”

“What?”

“What do you mean by that, Sir Zahard?” 

Lotus was taken aback by the unexpected offer, and the family knights seemed equally surprised. Peyton, with a stiff expression, voiced his objection.

“Our family’s knights are present, yet if we allow an outside guest to escort the Lady, won’t people mock our order and the Marquis of Estelle?”

“I happen to be heading out myself, and since I’ll already be going, it wouldn’t be much trouble to escort her as well, would it?”

…Could that be true? Lotus doubted Kenneth’s words more than anyone present, but she wasn’t tactless enough to show it. 

Though Kenneth’s offer was burdensome, it was preferable to accompanying the family knights. However, if she were to accompany Kenneth, she would need to make sure that his request didn’t cause a diplomatic issue between the Estelle and Zahard families.

“I’ll have to decline, Sir Kenneth, even if the offer is appreciated.”

Lotus noticed the flash of surprise on Kenneth’s face and the relief that washed over the faces of the family knights. Perhaps they were comforted by the fact that she refused not only their protection but also that of the empire’s greatest knight.

“I’m simply not used to receiving protection. However, if it’s just companionship, that would be fine…”

The expressions of both Kenneth and the family knights changed. While Kenneth, as a guest, could easily ask to accompany her, the family knights could not.

“Then, my Lady, would you permit me to accompany you on your outing?”

“Just a moment.”

Turning her gaze from Kenneth, Lotus looked toward Peyton.

“Sir Peyton, the gentleman offering to accompany me seems to be quite capable. So, would it not be acceptable to forego the knights’ protection for today?”

Unlike her earlier refusal, this one had a clear justification. Even at the mere age of twenty, Kenneth was rumored to be on the path to becoming a *Master*, a level of strength that even Peyton and the other knights could not dispute. 

In the end, Peyton had no choice but to yield.

“…Understood, my Lady.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Just as Lotus was about to move with Kenneth’s escort, someone stepped into her path.

“Hello, Lotus.”

“Good afternoon.”

It was Frederick, a handsome mage with silver hair, who greeted her with a gentle smile.

“Is this about what happened yesterday? Don’t worry about it. I was in the wrong.”

“…I’ve been thinking I went too far as well.”

“No, no. As you said, I’ve already checked all the places where the summoning magic was applied yesterday. Three cases were from nearby restaurants, and one was from a couple of other residences. The restaurants weren’t much of a problem since they had extra food. But one of the homes, well… unfortunately, it was Count Karma’s, and you know how ill-tempered he can be.”

“How did it go?” Lotus asked.

“When I showed up, the Count turned as meek as a rabbit, so I decided to treat him kindly,” Frederick replied with a playful tone.

“I’d like to hear more details,” Lotus pressed.

“Well, most nobles who get involved with me are interested in a connection with the Mage Tower. They want to have a favor to call in when the time comes. So, I offered him that.”

“You just offered that so easily? You need to consider the Mage Tower’s position.”

“It’s fine. If any requests come through the Mage Tower, I’ll handle them myself.”

“…For some reason, I feel like I’m causing trouble for everyone.”

“No, no! Absolutely not! If the Count knew the whole story, he’d probably thank you profusely. Besides, the kind of requests nobles make aren’t a big deal. Most of them just want mana stones.”

As Frederick passionately tried to explain and justify himself to Lotus, Kenneth couldn’t help but smile wryly to himself. She likely had no idea. If Manores, the former Vice Tower Master, and Theodore, the former strategist, had received such detailed explanations from Frederick in the past, their blood pressure would have been cut in half.

Frederick finished his explanation and took Lotus’s hand. Rather than being flustered, she gave him a soft glare.

“What’s this about?”

“Sorry if I startled you. But I won’t be able to accompany you, so please forgive me just this once.”

“I never said you could come with me anyway.”

Frederick then carefully kissed the back of Lotus’s hand. A pale blue sigil briefly appeared on her hand and then faded. Lotus’s emerald eyes flashed with understanding.

“…A shield spell?”

“Yeah, just in case.”

“I’m only heading to the bookstore for a brief visit, but with the First Knight Commander’s company and a shield spell, I feel like I’m prepared for a dungeon raid.”

“You can’t afford even a single hair on your head to get hurt,” Frederick responded with a faint smile.

For some reason, Lotus felt a small sting in her heart. She calmly asked, “Why do you care so much, my lord?”

“Because my heart tells me to,” Frederick answered in a way that was so characteristic of him.

Lotus decided not to push further. There were too many eyes and ears around. She wanted to test whether he remembered their past lives, but that was a conversation for when they were alone.

“Kenneth, make sure to keep her safe.”

“Stay out of it,” Kenneth replied curtly.

With that brief exchange between the two men, Lotus and Kenneth finally exited the mansion through the main gate.

“If you walk around with me, you might become the center of rumors. Are you alright with that?”

“I’d be honored, though I worry it might cause you trouble, my lady,” Kenneth replied.

“As long as you don’t propose to me, it’ll be fine.”

Their gazes met, and the corners of Lotus’s eyes curved slightly into a teasing smile.

“I’m not sure I could handle anyone right now.”