A Shameless Magical Boy

Rhine: “Call the landlord.”

Daniel: “Snatch the landlord.”

Colette: “Snatch the landlord!”

Rhine: “I’ll snatch it!”

Surveying the game, Rhine flashed a confident smile, seeing the four threes in his hand.

Little did he know, while he held four threes, Daniel possessed four Aces, and Colette was secretly clutching a bomb of jokers.

The ensuing flurry of moves utterly demolished Rhine’s composure, leaving him stunned.

‘Damn it, are they playing dirty tricks on me?’ he fumed.

‘Are these really ‘peasants’? Can peasants be richer than the landlord? They’re all secretly making a fortune!’

“This isn’t scientific! It’s not even magical! Did you two swap cards?”

“What right do you have to accuse us, you who cheat and renege on bets every single day?” Daniel retorted.

“Exactly,” Colette added, “and you’re constantly spouting nonsense like, ‘Either you win or you lose, just rush it all!'”

“You made a bet, now pay up. You owe us a performance.”

“Fine,” Rhine muttered, a twitch playing at the corner of his lips. “What kind of performance are you talking about?”

Colette covered her mouth, stifling a delicate laugh, yet to Rhine, she appeared no different from the most malevolent of witches.

“Could you perform that one thing…?”

****

While the trio secretly indulged in their card game within the room, Audrey and her father, Philip, were still enduring what felt like an interrogation outside.

“Father, the mass is about to begin. I’ll go find Rhine and the others. You stay here and hold the fort; don’t wander off.”

“Go quickly and return soon; don’t abandon your father.”

“Then, good luck, Father.”

Having received permission, she fled with the speed of a startled rabbit.

‘Daniel mentioned he and his sister were in the waiting room,’ she thought. ‘Given Rhine’s disdainful, world-weary expression towards everyone, it’s a certainty he’d be hiding there too.’

She quickly gathered her skirt, weaving through the crowd until she reached the wooden door of the waiting room, then pulled down the handle.

“Fluffy~ Pure~ Miracle~ Heart-fluttering~ Become delicious~ Chu—”

Pushing the door open, she was met with the sight of Rhine forming a heart with his hands and blowing a kiss.

Audrey’s mind went blank.

“You—you—you shameless magical boy!” she stammered, her face flushing crimson all the way to her ears, the words tumbling out almost incoherently.

‘What kind of creature is this? He’s utterly adorable—’

‘Like a delicate black chocolate cake, one couldn’t help but crave a bite, yet feared causing him the slightest harm;’

‘Dressed in a servant’s uniform, he resembled a clumsy, adorably down-on-his-luck young master.’

‘One wrong move, and he might overturn a tea tray, splashing his thin clothes and revealing a hint of alluring skin.’

‘He would then sob, repeatedly bowing to apologize to his master, who would, in turn, lovingly ruffle his soft, wonderfully tactile little head, murmuring blissfully, “You only need to be cute.”‘

‘And that subtle, unspoken hint of playful resistance, inadvertently revealed, only fueled further endless fantasies.’

“Ahem, ahem, this is merely forced labor, wouldn’t you agree, Daniel?”

Daniel’s mind had also gone blank.

“Hey, say something! What do you think?” he demanded, turning his gaze to the seemingly innocent girl.

“Oh, I know nothing at all,” Colette feigned ignorance, sitting elegantly with a slight, veiled smile behind her hand.

“Damn it! Damn—”

Now, even jumping into the River Styx wouldn’t wash away his shame; Green’s reputation, built over a lifetime, lay in ruins!

Once again, since Rhine had taken up residence in the ducal manor, he had fallen victim to a woman’s machinations.

Based on someone’s bitter lesson, one could deduce: never provoke a woman.

****

“So, while this young lady was suffering torment outside, the three of you were holed up in here secretly playing cards?”

Having regained her composure, Audrey sat in Rhine’s former seat, speaking with her legs crossed in precisely the same manner he had.

“I’m sorry, Sister…” Daniel, feeling embarrassed, proactively admitted his mistake.

“Don’t listen to her,” Rhine scoffed, standing indignantly beside his seat. “She’s just green with envy because we didn’t include her in the card game.” He mercilessly exposed her petty thoughts.

“No one would mistake you for a mute if you simply kept quiet.”

“Cousin, have you been well recently?” Colette inquired, offering her greeting a moment later.

“So-so.”

She uttered the phrase casually, then, realizing her words were somewhat inappropriate, quickly corrected herself: “I’m doing quite well, and you?”

“I’m also doing fine, though I’m graduating soon, and I feel a certain reluctance to leave my alma mater.”

Colette spoke with genuine sentiment, but Audrey’s expression was far from pleased.

“Ah, please allow me to retract my words. I know you’ve never been fond of school, Sister.”

“It’s nothing,” she replied, shaking her head. “School simply doesn’t suit me; I’m more accustomed to self-study.”

“But Aunt often insists you attend school,” Colette pressed on. “As a noblewoman, a complete school education is considered essential…”

“Please, Colette, let’s not discuss school, alright?” Audrey said with a wry smile. “You’ve changed since you started attending.”

“I am merely diligently fulfilling the duties of a daughter of the Cavendish family,” Colette countered, her tone composed yet utterly resolute.

“Cavendish?” Audrey scoffed. “It’s merely a surname; why do you feel the need to contend with it?”

“Sister—please allow me the liberty of addressing you as Sister.” Colette’s words grew even more resolute. “As the eldest daughter of the family, you ought to set an example, which is only reasonable.”

She sat with graceful poise.

“You have enjoyed your freedom for too long, and the entire family has spoiled you. Allow your younger sister to speak frankly, even if it’s unpleasant to hear—Have you perhaps forgotten your obligations?”

Audrey’s face paled further, her lips parting as if to offer a rebuttal, yet ultimately, she found herself with nothing to say.

‘A thick, sorrowful barrier had indeed grown between them.’

“The mass is about to begin,” she said, standing up and clumsily changing the subject. “Rhine, let’s go.”

Rhine remained silent, returning his chair to its original position.

He glanced back at a bewildered Daniel, then turned his gaze to the still-elegant Colette.

Indeed, he could likely grasp Audrey’s feelings—that desolate, inexpressible lump in her throat.

When one’s pride is placed upon a scale with a clear price tag, they are faced with only two choices:

To submit, or to resist.

Submission entails brutally stripping away the most authentic part of one’s inner self, whether good or bad.

Resistance means stubbornly forging one’s own path, enduring the incomprehension and veiled mockery of others, only to look back after venturing too far and realize one has long since become a misfit.

Of course, there is also a third option: evasion, shameful but effective.

Yet, ultimately, where can one truly escape?

Even if you hide far away, the scale of choice will inevitably return to your hands, forcing you to relinquish one side.

Hopefully, before the scales begin to teeter precariously, we will all still have time to make our choice.

****

“Lord, for your supreme glory, we praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

“He was with God in the beginning.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

“Almighty and merciful God, we ask you to grant us faith, that through the baptism of the Mass, our hearts may continually turn to you, deepening our trust in you.

“For this, we offer you our prayers:

“Please pray for world peace: May the Lord sow seeds of joy throughout the world and grant universal peace and tranquility.

“We pray together.

“Please pray for those in hardship, poverty, and illness: May the Lord comfort them, assist them, transform their sorrow into joy, and allow them to celebrate this consecrated festival with all people.

“Please pray for all beings: May good be repaid with good, and evil with evil.

“May the righteous return to holiness, and may the debts of wickedness be settled.

“Amen—”

“Amen—”