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EMMA picked up the fountain pen and bookmark, then resettled in her seat. At that precise moment, the carriage jolted, throwing her off balance. Just as she was about to disgrace herself with an unfortunate pratfall, Glen caught her shoulders and helped steady her.
“Tha…”
“I apologize.”
Before she could finish thanking him, he apologized first, which left her at a loss for words. It must have been for touching her. While Emma fumbled for a response, Glen muttered something under his breath.
“Oh!”
Immediately, the rough rocking of the carriage stabilized. She realized he must have cast a spell to control the coach’s movement.
“I believe this should allow us to converse without issue now?”
“I… Thank you.”
Emma couldn’t handle a swaying carriage. Even though she had never mentioned this to him, Glen matter-of-factly took care of the problem. She admitted to herself that his action surprised her. This is the first time I’ve met someone so considerate.
When she lifted her head, her eyes met his. But she detected a note of sadness in them. He should have been staring at her, yet she sensed his mind was focused elsewhere, seeing something only he knew. Unable to say anything to dispel the strange sensation, Emma tilted her head curiously at him. To her greater befuddlement, Glen laughed.
“Would you care to explain the joke?” she asked.
“It’s nothing. I was just thinking of someone who also appreciated this magic.”
“I…see.”
Compared to his gentle chuckle, his response was unexpectedly brusque. It made her restless when she considered that the softness in his laugh had been for the person on his mind. Then she mentally scolded herself for her wayward emotions and firmly resolved to shelve the topic.
“Right… Back to our discussion,” he began. “You wanted to know why I went back in time, too, even though you were the one who initiated this reversal, yes?”
“That’s right. Um… You mentioned a ‘link’ to my ability…and you bestowed your power on me… What does all this mean?”
“Hm, right. Well, to start, you went back in time on the night of the dinner party, yes? The fact is, I did, too. That evening, I cast a time-delayed spell on you, one that would transfer my power of time to you.”
What in the world…? His amethyst eyes captured her, refusing to let go. There wasn’t a hint of mischief in his tone or attitude.
“Is… Is such a thing possible? Then, Lord Glen, you’re the reason why I traveled back in time to my first year at the Academy?”
“Correct. Advanced magic can be accomplished when two time travelers’ abilities are combined. And… The you I know obeys laws stringently, not to mention your logical mind. That meant you wouldn’t use my power even if I granted it to you, so I bypassed your will and forced the time leap on you.”
The you I know? What does he mean? Emma nibbled on her lower lip as she considered the significance of those words. The more he talked, the more questions her mind produced.
“Wait… You said you gave me your time magic. So you can’t use it anymore yourself? Why would you do such a thing?!” she shouted.
“Because you touched my heart.”
“I have no idea what you mean by that. I don’t understand any of this…”
Try as she might, she could not figure out what she had done or said to him to warrant his actions. Though they had been at the Academy together for her last year in her original life, they had never spoken. The first time she’d met him was at the royal function in her honor. So when could she possibly have touched his heart? He’s not referring to my disparagement of Bernard that night…is he? No, highly unlikely.
“Miss Emma… Would you like to know then?”
Before she could even say, “Of course,” Glen went on.
“Frankly, I should be asking myself the same question. Because I don’t understand much whenever I involve myself with you.”
Having said his piece, he rested one of his arms on the window frame and cupped his chin in his hand. Emma couldn’t see his expression, since he was turned away from her. But she knew this much—his usual, unwaveringly relaxed poker face, one she thought she’d never see undone, had crumbled.
She understood that there was a profound meaning to Glen’s conferring his time magic on her. In the Monarchy of Reauxvil, her power alone was enough for the country to secure her future, even after her ability disappeared and her work ended. Again, the gravity of his action hit her. While she remained speechless, Glen spoke, still gazing out the window.
“In any case, I’ve been contemplating broaching the subject with you for some time, so…it might as well be now. Your time magic is limited in substance and number of uses, yes? In contrast, mine has neither of those restrictions.”
“But…how is that possible…? Reauxvil has never…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Emma cut herself off with a gasp as she remembered something important. No, that’s not true. There is a special case in time travel history. I learned about it a few years ago. Since her time ability awakened at nine, Emma’s education had focused tremendously on time travel while she worked for the monarchy. She recalled a piece of information.
Direct descendants of the Empire of Ulster’s royal bloodline possessing an affinity for time have no constraints on their ability or the frequency with which it can be utilized.
At the same time this tidbit floated into her mind, so too did the memory of him restraining Reauxvil’s second prince, Victor, just by raising his hand. Then there was the fact that the attribute determination form had turned black in class. He introduced himself as an exchange student from the Olano Kingdom… But that’s obviously a disguise. Which means…I should address him as…Prince Lester?
“May… May I continue calling you Lord Glen as I have thus far?”
“Just Glen is fine, actually.”
Her question subtly probed to verify his real name and title, but his unexpected reply had her fumbling for words. If he insisted on avoiding the question, the direct method would be better.
“Then… Glen. You’re a member of Ulster’s imperial family, aren’t you?”
“It isn’t as if I was actively hiding the fact. I just find that particular title unnecessary in my life, is all.”
“A while ago…you mentioned you had turned back time for your own ends… Were you referring to this?”
“Yes. Including our current reality, I would say I’ve reversed time twice… No, thrice, I believe.”
“That many?!”
Those were the only two words she could squeak, stunned by his revelation. Glen, unfazed, kept talking.
“A normal person with an affinity for time can’t change the past. No matter how hard they tried to do so, the power of history would correct the timeline. But my magic is different. I have the power to change history. I just never had a need to use it.”
Emma mulled it over in silence. The night she called off her engagement, she remembered her childhood dream of wanting to become a maid. She had wished from the depths of her heart to return to the time before she enrolled in the Magic Academy. But now didn’t feel like the right time to thank Glen, so she said nothing.
She couldn’t deny that this was exactly the development she had wanted in her life. Glen thought much too highly of her character because if her own power had still remained that night, she would have used it without hesitation to go back in time. His compulsory magic wouldn’t have been necessary at all, in her opinion.
Despite it all, one major question remained. Glen had yet to disclose his intentions behind transferring his power to her. She was ecstatic about the renewed opportunity to carve out her future, yet she sensed he wasn’t telling her everything, so uncertainty plagued her.
“The truth is…I am quite grateful to you,” she said. “But I’m also confused because there’s no reason for you to go this far for me.”
“Does one need a reason to help another?”
“Well, no, except your power is one-of-a-kind incredible. That’s not something to give to others so easily.” Emma dug in her heels, wanting an answer since she remained unconvinced.
So Glen replied, his voice low, “You turned back time for a dear friend… Lady Rashida, did you not? Is my act so very different?”
His simple yet sound argument ended her dogged persistence. Despite her desire to refute it, she couldn’t formulate the necessary thoughts. Except Rashida was so special to her because she’d never had a friend like her before. So she found it hard to believe he could discuss his reasoning and hers in the same breath.
Especially when I consider everything else he’s said thus far. It almost makes me think he sees me in a certain light… Uncomfortable with the thought that sprang to mind, Emma chose not to finish it and changed the topic.
“Even though you did so much for me… Don’t you think you’re being a bit too unyielding with me, Glen?”
“Really? If anything, I thought I was being too soft on you.”
“Hardly, good sir. Seems we’ll just have to agree to disagree, won’t we?”
Glen smiled broadly at Emma’s flat denial. “You only believe so because Ian spoils you silly.”
“Well… I certainly won’t deny that!”
“Speaking of the Stephensons… They’re a family specializing in protecting and attending to time travelers, yes? In the not-so-distant future, a day will come when you and your protector Ian will have to go your separate ways.”
An image of Annette floated into Emma’s mind. The future… Ian will be assigned to Annette, won’t he?
“Honestly…that night, I regretted not pursuing my dream to be a maid. So I will thank you for this second chance. I didn’t focus on my academics as much as I could have the first time at the Academy.”
“Really? You could have fooled me.”
“I may be terrible at wind magic, but I’ll have you know I’m doing my very best.”
“Oh, I apologize. I didn’t mean to come off as glib.”
Glen smiled again as Emma huffed angrily, cheeks puffing out. She scrutinized his expression, realizing his smile was genuine. She cocked her head curiously at him, puzzled by the lack of sarcasm or teasing.
Still…I have a feeling he learned about my dream much earlier than he’s letting on. I sensed as much the day he taught me to use elementary wind magic as if he were instructing me with the express purpose of helping me achieve my ultimate goal…
“What troubles you?”
Glen returned her unfocused, unblinking stare with his own intent one. The overt gentleness in his eyes made her shy, so she reflexively broke her gaze from his and looked down. They spent the rest of the carriage ride in silence. It should have been her first experience alone with him in one, but Emma couldn’t escape the nostalgic feeling that it wasn’t.