“Eeep!”
The moment Emma registered the soft sensation on the back of her right hand, the background noise increased. But the din sounded far away to her. Even the panicked Bernard and sobbing Annette barely registered in her peripheral vision. Curiously enough, Victor made no attempt to stop the kiss, despite his puzzled face clearly stating he couldn’t discern if the kiss was one of affection or allegiance.
And finally, there was the self-professed Lester himself, who stood before her, yet to say a word. Fierce determination illuminated his eyes, seizing her heart in a vice grip. Within the smoldering depths of his gaze, Emma detected tenderness and kindness. She had never been so intensely scrutinized by a man.
“Um…”
For the briefest moment, she considered apologizing for her behavior and reclaiming some measure of dignity by donning her ladylike facade again. In reality, she rejected the thought. It would be futile now to keep up appearances, no matter what she did.
“How…how dare you do such a thing without warning to a woman… No, a person! Have you no manners, you boorish oaf?!”
Emma angrily shook off his hand, her sanity returning to her. Not bothering to conceal her flaming-red cheeks, she raced out of the hall. Bang! The door to her private room in the palace slammed shut behind her as she took refuge inside. She dove onto her bed and screamed bloody murder.
“You’re a disgrace, Emma Grace Seagrove!”
Cursing someone to high heaven was unladylike behavior, yet she had done just that, and in front of a great many people to boot.
“But I couldn’t help myself! It was impossible to maintain control in such a…well…impossible situation!”
She sat up on the bed and tried to convince herself that she’d been justified.
“And then there was…that odious man.”
When her eyes skated over the back of her right hand, she unwittingly recalled the sensation of his lips. The act wasn’t what troubled her. She had received a kiss on the hand many times from those she trusted. No, it was the fact that he’d so forcibly commandeered her hand. Her face warmed again, remembering the incident. Emma angrily shook her head to dispel the thought. Just because we’re acquainted doesn’t…doesn’t mean he can do something like that without a word!
Determined to consign him to a dark, forgotten corner of her mind, she focused on the most important thing—starting tomorrow, she would be a free woman. She didn’t give a fig about Bernard forcing her into such an untenable position, nor did she care whether the Sagden family fell into ruin. The only thought on her mind was leaving this palace chamber and going home to Seagrove Manor. She focused on this silver lining.
At least she intended to…if not for the unbidden recollection that Annette was the next time traveler. Which meant she would be responsible for teaching and transferring the responsibilities accordingly. Emma slumped and buried her face into the bedding.
Many manuals and rules governed time travel. Because only the individual’s mind traveled into the future, they needed to memorize all the necessary information taken from their temporal destination. A child would have been easy enough to train since they would be malleable.
But Annette was already nineteen. Incompatible with the four elemental magics, her friend had specialized in life magic during their three years at the Magic Academy, from which they had graduated a year ago. In hindsight, she couldn’t attune to the other elements because her affinity for time had lain dormant until now.
Taking into account Annette’s personality, Emma wondered if she would even be able to fulfill her role as a time traveler. She ruminated in silence. Training Annette would be tremendously difficult; she could predict that much. Her expression darkened with foreboding as she mulled over her impending plight. Raising her torso from the bed, she turned toward the bathroom and snapped her fingers.
Fsssh. The sound of hot water rushing into her tub filled the room. Then and there, she decided to bathe and sleep. Tomorrow’s problems could be dealt with tomorrow.
She admitted to being grateful for one thing and one thing only. The incontrovertible fact that she would no longer be marrying into the Sagden family. Ergo, and with all due respect to her grandmother, who had taught her so much, there was no need for her excessively ladylike act anymore. Emma considered herself well and truly done with the role of a good, docile little girl.
Technically, I stopped being a little girl a long time ago, what with the years I spent serving the country as a time traveler while simultaneously fulfilling my duty as Bernard’s betrothed. Heh. She let out a dry, self-deprecating laugh at the thought. Strangely enough, she was unbothered by it. From now on, she would live her life the way she wanted to, and nobody could stop her.
“Even so…there isn’t much I’m actually capable of!”
Submerged in the tub, Emma faced the reality of dissolving her engagement. Her face paled as she considered her circumstances.
Fact one: She had spent three years as a student at the Magic Academy.
Fact two: She had naturally mastered using life magic through the everyday process of, well, living.
Fact three: She had only studied elemental magics in the Academy because it was the only place where one could learn how to use it. Lamentably for her, aside from the element of time, water was the only other attribute she was compatible with. Even then, just barely. It frustrated her that she still had such a difficult time utilizing it.
On a fundamental level, most people only had an affinity for one element. In that sense, Emma proved exceptional by demonstrating her aptitude with two. However, it seemed difficult to make a living by undertaking work using elemental magic.
Glub, glub, glub. The water frothed as she sank deeper into the tub. She felt like she’d been dragged out of a fairytale and into the real world. Glub, glub, glub, glub. Emma slipped further into the water until it covered her chin. Then she exhaled heavily. Glub, glub, glub, glub, glub.
Surrounded by hot water, she lost herself in a trance as she stared unseeingly through the misty, distorted atmosphere. A childhood memory surfaced in her mind. Countless soap bubbles floating in the garden at Seagrove Manor. White flowers blooming everywhere. An image of Sunny’s face: a warm, gentle smile curling on her lips.
I can’t believe it’s been seven years since Sunny went back to her hometown to marry…
The silence lengthened. And then.
“A maid!”
Before Sunny’s round face disappeared from the forefront of her mind, Emma jerked upright, water splashing.
“That’s right… I can still become a lady’s maid! It’s not too late!”
She was free now that the specter of marriage to Bernard no longer marred her life. In the Monarchy of Reauxvil, nineteen was the age by which citizens graduated from the Magic Academy and took their first step toward independence. A fair number of aristocratic young ladies chose to wed immediately, but nineteen was still young enough to be employed as a lady’s maid. The itch to start right away elicited a ticklish excitement within her. The feeling fizzled almost as soon as it erupted when she took a second to think rationally.
“Perhaps it’s too late to become an incredible, powerful maid like Sunny… If only I could enroll at the Academy again.”
To be employed as a lady’s maid by the royal family or nobility in this country, a woman needed to fulfill certain conditions. In addition to normal skills like literacy and needlework, she also needed to be able to use elemental magic. Although soldiers were hired separately, at the minimum, a lady’s maid had to be capable of protecting her charges.
As people aged, it became more and more difficult to hone their elemental magic. During her time at the Magic Academy, Emma had been so busy with her job as a time traveler that she often missed lessons several times a week. On top of that, her government-mandated engagement put a strain on her time. In light of all this, at this juncture, it would be virtually impossible for her to obtain power equal to that of the maid she idolized as a child.
I’m glad my power’s gone… With everything that had happened, Emma felt faint of heart today. If the opportunity to time travel presented itself again, she was weak-willed enough to surrender to temptation and violate the forbidden rule. Putting an end to her despondent musings, she finished in the bathroom, burrowed into her bed, and settled between the sheets and blanket.
Darn it, I missed my chance to eat dinner. Considering how abysmally I failed at playing the lady, I should have enjoyed the food at the party. Her vision of those scrumptious hors d’oeuvres was followed by one of Sunny’s face. A dazzling memory, steeped in hope and brilliance. She wanted to touch those magic bubbles. It was her last conscious thought before she fell asleep.
✦ ✦ ✦
🍵🍵🍵
THAT night, Emma had a strange dream. She couldn’t pinpoint the exact timeframe, but she estimated it took place a little over a year ago, during her third and final year at the Magic Academy. She was walking with the self-professed Lester… No, Glen, in town. He carried a great many things and refused to let Emma ease his burden, though she offered. She wondered why Ian and Glen’s valet weren’t present in this dream.
After strolling together for some time, the two of them boarded a carriage. Inside, Glen beamed happily at her. He looked different than he did at the dinner party. His eyes had been sharp and brooding when he’d kissed her hand.
I’ve never even had a proper conversation with Lord Glen. It makes no sense that I’m even having this dream. Even though Emma knew this was a dream, she couldn’t resist investigating the contradiction. It was almost as if what happened in real life influenced the dream, her mind conjuring a version of him she didn’t know. When Glen’s smile vanished in her dream, the world immediately went dark.
A familiar sight expanded before her. In the deep, inky darkness, countless red numbers twinkled. Usually, she aimed for the number she wished, and it would diminish, disappearing from view. But this dream was different. So many numbers floated everywhere, flickering, tumbling, and weaving all over. I think I’m getting dizzy. The moment she had that thought, the dream ended as abruptly as a string being snipped.