❈.❈.❈

Back inside G6’s bedroom, Tina completed the final adjustments to the crimson dress while G6 studied herself in the gilded mirror.

The transformation was impossible to miss.

The gown left her shoulders exposed and followed the shape of Reise’s body rather than burying it beneath layers of fabric. The high slit allowed considerably more freedom of movement than the pastel dresses she had endured since waking, while the dark crimson looked almost severe against her pale skin and rose-gold hair.

For the first time since arriving in this world, G6 seemed genuinely pleased by what she saw in the mirror.

Tina, meanwhile, was caught somewhere between reluctant admiration and the terrible certainty that Duchess Worthon might personally blame her for this.

“What do you think, Tina?” G6 asked. “Do I look stunning?”

Tina sighed.

“I dislike admitting it, but yes, Lady Reise. You look remarkably beautiful.”

G6 smiled, and for once the expression was entirely genuine.

A knock sounded at the door.

“Forgive me, Lady Reise. May I enter?”

Lilia stepped inside and froze almost immediately.

“You… You are so beautiful, Lady Reise!”

G6 smirked.

“Tell me something I do not know.”

A gasp sounded behind Lilia.

“It looks so… rebellious!”

An older man stood in the doorway.

G6’s expression immediately flattened.

Boomer?

Then Edmund placed one hand dramatically against his chest.

“But you look like a goddess descended from the heavens themselves. The gown is audacious, certainly, yet the effect is nothing short of elegant.”

G6’s smile returned.

“You know your style. Who are you?”

The man straightened.

“Allow me to reintroduce myself, My Lady. Edmund Saiden, butler of the West Villa, appointed by Her Majesty to oversee the residence and assist you directly.”

He bowed perfectly.

“I like you, Edmund,” G6 said, turning back toward the mirror. “Keep it up, and we will have no problems.”

She paused.

“And drop the ‘my.’ I do not like the sound of it.”

“As you wish, Lady Reise.”

Edmund’s smile warmed.

“Whenever you are prepared, we may proceed to Her Majesty’s residence.”

G6 turned.

“I am ready. Let us go.”

She strode through the doorway.

Tina, Lilia and Edmund followed.

Servants throughout the corridor stopped what they were doing as Reise Worthon passed.

For years, they had known their lady through pale fabrics, delicate silhouettes and the careful image expected of the future Grand Duchess.

This woman wore crimson like a challenge.

Her heels struck the floor in a steady rhythm as she walked.

“Goddess Nyxoria,” someone whispered.

The deity of temptation.

G6 ignored the comment.

“Edmund, how far is the Queen’s chamber?”

“No more than ten minutes, Lady Reise. Her Majesty’s private residence lies beyond the gardens in front of Annex-Uno.”

G6 acknowledged the answer with a brief glance.

I just need to talk her into giving me a Professional Card.

Her attention shifted toward the path ahead.

The Queen was not merely a future mother-in-law. She was political authority, which meant barging in and demanding what G6 wanted would probably be less effective than choosing her words carefully.

Play the cards right.

A faint smile appeared.

The open corridors of the West Villa stretched around them in polished stone, carved arches, high ceilings and carefully arranged greenery.

You call this a villa?

More like a palace. Those royal fancy-asses.

A breeze passed through the corridor and shifted the slit of G6’s dress.

Tina stiffened.

Edmund discreetly redirected his attention toward the architecture.

Lilia’s face turned red.

G6 either failed to notice or simply did not care.

In her old life, people would have called Akira Gemstone a baddie based on her style alone. She had never understood why practicality was supposed to mean dressing badly, nor why looking attractive had to mean being helpless.

What she hated was restriction.

Here, surrounded by noble fashion built around modesty, rank and convention, she stood out without making the slightest effort.

They crossed the connecting bridge into Annex-Uno.

The moment G6 entered unfamiliar territory, her attention changed automatically. Her gaze moved over doorways, staircases, windows and intersecting corridors without lingering long enough to make the assessment obvious.

She stored the layout instinctively, noting where routes converged, where sightlines failed and which passages offered the quickest access in or out.

The annex itself was quiet, but the quality of its furnishings made the status of its residents obvious.

At the grand staircase, Edmund stepped forward and offered his hand.

“No need, Edmund,” G6 said. “I can manage.”

She descended without difficulty.

Edmund looked toward Tina.

Tina gave him a small nod that clearly meant do not argue.

He understood.

Beyond Annex-Uno, the path opened into another stretch of palace gardens. Trees shaded the walkways, flowering vines climbed stone arches and carefully maintained greenery occupied nearly every available patch of ground.

G6 looked around.

“Why is this place full of greenery? It is like the whole palace is a garden.”

“It helps maintain the circulation of natural mana throughout the palace grounds, Lady Reise,” Lilia answered happily.

G6 glanced toward her.

Natural mana.

The novel had mentioned mana constantly, but it had never bothered distinguishing much between the energy inside a mage and whatever existed naturally in the environment.

Rather than ask for an explanation Reise should already know, G6 phrased her next question as confirmation.

“So the gardens are maintained partly for ambient circulation?”

Edmund nodded.

“Precisely. Natural mana gathers more readily in places rich with living growth. The palace gardens were designed partly for that purpose. Their presence creates a healthier environment for the many mages who live and train within the capital.”

“Most people simply benefit from it without paying much attention,” Tina added. “Reduced fatigue, eased tension, better physical recovery. It is part of why the grounds are maintained so carefully.”

That fit comfortably enough with what G6 already knew.

Characters in the novel had used mana as naturally as people in her old world used electricity. The story simply had not considered the mechanics important enough to explain unless someone happened to be casting something dramatic.

G6 looked toward the trees.

“Then that strange sensation around heavily wooded areas would be related to it.”

Edmund’s brow creased.

“A distinct sensation?”

G6 looked at him.

He considered his answer before continuing.

“For most people, natural mana is subtle. They experience its effects rather than consciously sensing the mana itself.”

G6’s brows drew slightly closer.

“Perhaps it was simply hunger, Lady Reise,” Tina suggested lightly.

G6’s head turned toward her.

Is she trying to be funny?

“Lady Reise, are you hungry?” Lilia asked with immediate concern.

“I am not,” G6 replied flatly, keeping her eyes on Tina. “And Tina, do not make it sound as though I am hearing or feeling things that are not there.”

Tina looked away.

I would not be surprised if you really did, Tina thought.

Lilia apparently sensed danger and hurried into another subject.

“Lady Reise, I always find the great elemental affinities fascinating. House Worthon has Wind, House Nocturne has Earth, House De Lune has Water, and the Royal Family has Fire!”

G6’s attention sharpened.

That much matched the novel perfectly.

She did not need Lilia to explain the great bloodlines.

What interested her was everything the book had omitted around them.

“And what about people without one of the four inherited affinities?” G6 asked.

The question sounded practical enough that neither adult reacted strangely.

Lilia brightened.

“They can still learn General Magic!”

There it was again.

Something the romance novel had barely bothered to explain.

“General Magic includes things such as PhyEn and Utility Magic,” Lilia continued eagerly. “Everyone possesses mana, but inherited affinities pass through particular bloodlines. General Magic can still be trained without one of those affinities.”

Edmund nodded.

“Many commoners rely heavily on General Magic, though nobles may learn it as well. Possessing an inherited elemental affinity does not prevent someone from studying other branches.”

G6 listened carefully.

So inherited affinities were hereditary, while General Magic could be developed through training.

That distinction explained far more about the world than the novel ever had.

The omission itself did not make the book inaccurate. It simply made it a terrible intelligence source.

“Yes!” Lilia said. “PhyEn can be improved through physical training. I do not have it yet because I am only eight.”

“Well, you are simply usele—” Edmund began.

Lilia suddenly darted away before he could finish.

Something farther along the path had caught her attention.

“Lilia—!”

Tina moved to stop her, but G6 raised one hand.

“Let her be.”

Tina stopped.

G6 continued walking.

“What about you two?”

“I am proficient in both PhyEn and Utility Magic,” Edmund answered.

G6 studied the older man more carefully.

I could have guessed that. You move like someone who knows how to handle himself.

“I possess Utility Magic,” Tina said. “My aptitude for Physical Enhancement is considerably poorer.”

G6 looked forward again.

“Most adventurers come from common families, correct?”

“Yes,” Edmund replied.

“Then PhyEn must carry them considerably farther than the name suggests if they are expected to fight monsters.”

Edmund seemed almost pleased by the question.

“You are correct, Lady Reise. Physical Enhancement should never be underestimated. With sufficient training, a practitioner may strengthen speed, endurance, reflexes and physical force far beyond ordinary limits.”

He smiled faintly.

“An experienced adventurer may possess no elemental affinity at all and still be extremely dangerous.”

That caught G6’s interest immediately.

Before she could continue questioning him, Lilia came running back.

She stopped beside G6 and gently tugged at the crimson fabric near her hand.

“Lady Reise.”

The child held out a small purple flower.

“I wished to thank you again for this morning.”

G6 accepted it with a faint smile.

“Do you know what this flower is called, Lilia?”

The girl shook her head.

G6 bent until they were closer to eye level.

“This is Belladonna. Some call it Nightshade. In an old language, its name means ‘beautiful lady.’”

She carefully turned the flower between two fingers.

“But it is also highly poisonous. It could make you sick… or worse.”

Lilia’s eyes widened.

“Lilia!” Edmund stepped forward. “You must never pick unfamiliar plants and offer them to Lady Reise.”

Tina moved closer as well.

“It is alright,” G6 said, her tone leaving little room for argument. “She did not know.”

Both adults stopped.

G6 looked directly at the child.

“I told someone something similar yesterday.” She paused and stood up.

“Not everything beautiful is meant to be touched.” She continued.

Lilia lowered her head.

“I am sorry, Lady Reise.”

“See that you are. Now raise your head.”

Lilia obeyed.

G6 stood and resumed walking.

Behind her, Edmund immediately began whispering a stern warning to Lilia while Tina quietly added one of her own. Their hushed argument became increasingly animated until G6 glanced back.

All three stopped.

She faced forward again.

“And take this as advice,” G6 said in her usual cold monotone. “Something can look beautiful enough to tempt you closer and still be the thing that drives you to your death.”

Then she continued down the path.

The three behind her exchanged looks before following.