Chapter Two: My Life is Ruined
---
Seeing Yohan's grim and darkened face, Francia asked hesitantly,
"Um, is there something wrong…?"
Her voice was tinged with concern, trembling slightly.
"No, not at all. I was just lost in thought for a moment."
Yohan smiled awkwardly and gently stroked the back of Francia's hand.
"That's a relief if it's nothing serious."
Francia clasped Yohan's hand and smiled brightly. Her radiant smile was, without a doubt, befitting a heroine.
'If I stay like this, I'm going to be completely enchanted.'
Yohan discreetly let go of Francia's hand and got up from the bed.
Perhaps because he drank too much the previous night, his balance was off, and he staggered. When he was about to fall, Francia hurriedly caught and supported him.
"Are you okay?"
"..."
Yohan's entire body stiffened at the soft sensation pressing against his back.
"…I'm fine, do you mind if I take a quick shower?"
"Sure, I'll wait here."
'Now I can finally focus', Johan thought, showing her an awkward smile once more before heading into the bathroom.
Using a magical device, he filled the bathtub with hot water and slowly sank into it, resting his back against the edge.
His body stung faintly from all the scratches Francia had left, but he quickly got used to the sensation.
"Phew..."
As steam filled the air, a deep sigh escaped him, heavy with worry.
'Let's start by organizing my plans.'
It was already decided that he would spend his life with Francia. At this point, running away like a scoundrel with a "Thanks for everything" wasn't an option.
"First, earning Duke Fervache's approval should be my top priority."
He had to prove his worth to the duke. Otherwise, he was certain the man wouldn't hesitate to cut him down.
His status was already vastly inferior compared to the duke's family. To gain the duke's approval, he needed to demonstrate his abilities at all costs.
'And to do that…'
He would need to join The Saint Rozino Imperial Bureau, where Francia worked. Only by leaving overwhelming results there could he even hope to earn a passing grade.
The Saint Rozino Imperial Bureau was an armed organization that included elite knights and mages, the empire's specialized forces.
Yohan stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Whether I want it or not, it's clear I'll inevitably get involved with those maniacs."
In this world—this work of fiction into which Yohan had been reincarnated—there were several people he needed to watch out for. Among them, three individuals demanded the highest level of caution.
'Crown Prince Fedelian Rozino.'
With his flowing golden hair that resembled instant ramen noodles, the guy had been appointed crown prince the moment he came of age, making him arrogant and insufferable and he walked around like he owned the world.
Raised with constant pampering, his arrogance was off the charts, and since he could have anything he wanted, his self-esteem soared sky-high.
'And he is obsessed with Francia.'
In short, he was the most insane of the bunch. And to top it off, he was highly capable, making him Priority #1 on the danger list.
Next is…
'Cassis Lenokhohnen.'
Just from how difficult his name is to pronounce, you can tell he's a tricky one to deal with.
This guy underwent rigorous successor training from a young age, forced into strict self-restraint, which left him with a highly twisted personality. On top of that, he has a terrible temper, making any involvement with him extremely troublesome.
'As proof, it's because of him that Francia faces her greatest crisis later on.'
Driven by his desire to possess Francia, he even resorted to forbidden dark magic, banned both by the Empire and the world itself. He was a creepy, insane person.
'The third is Rudella Bismarck.'
She was the future empress and fiancée of the ramen-haired crown prince.
Upon discovering Crown Prince Fedelian's love for Francia, she schemed endlessly.
'At least she's slightly better.'
Unlike Crown Prince Fedelian or the young duke Cassis, she lacked direct power to wield. While her future as empress was assured, this was largely due to her marquis father's influence.
Saaaaa—
The gentle sound of flowing water filled the room.
The magical device emitting water, imbued with water attributes, had filled the tub to the brim.
Yohan deactivated the device and tilted his head back, exhaling deeply.
'There's so much to do.'
The only silver lining was that this body he'd been reincarnated into had exceptional magical talent.
On top of that, he had consistently worked on building his physical strength and endurance, His physical abilities aren't too bad either.
'Whether as a knight or a mage, I wouldn't seem out of place.'
The only reason Yohan hadn't joined the Bureau was simple.
He just wanted to live a comfortable life.
What kind of wealth or glory was worth risking his life fighting monsters on the front lines as a knight or mage? Born a noble, he had hoped to live a comfortable life, enjoying just enough to get by.
But now, if he didn't aim higher, Duke Fervache would surely cut off his head.
"Tsk."
Yohan clicked his tongue. He wanted to blame someone, but there was no one to take the fall—it was entirely his own fault.
'Time to get up.'
Splaash—
As Yohan rose from the bathtub, water spilled over the edges. He dried himself with a towel hanging on the wall, put on a robe, and stepped out of the bathroom.
Francia was still lying down, her eyes closed, seemingly tired.
"My Lady?"
"Y-Yes?"
"I've finished washing up. Don't you need to wash as well?"
"Oh, right. I should wash too. Haha."
Francia let out an awkward laugh and got out of bed. Her completely bare body was revealed.
"..."
Smooth skin, soft curves flowing sensuously along her body, and a large but perfectly proportioned chest.
Yohan's eyes darted around uncontrollably, shaking like an earthquake as he lost all sense of where to look.
"Oh my?"
Francia, noticing his gaze, smirked playfully.
"You stared so much last night—what's there to be embarrassed about now?"
"Ahem…"
"You're surprisingly cute. It's a different charm from last night."
She chuckled lightly and slipped on a robe.
"From now on, speak casually with me. We're a couple now, right?"
"…Alright."
"Call me Francia."
"Francia."
"Perfect."
Seemingly pleased how he addressed her, she smiled brightly and headed into the bathroom.
Once her figure had disappeared entirely, Yohan finally let out a breath of relief.
He sat down on the bed and lowered his head.
"What's happening to me?"
For some reason, he was being unusually drawn to Francia. It wasn't just because of her beauty.
'It feels like I'm under a spell.'
Was this what they called love at first sight?
'It feels strange.'
In truth, Yohan had never experienced love, not in his past life nor in this one. He had always lived by prioritizing efficiency.
The idea of pursuing a relationship out of loneliness had seemed irrational to him. He had calculated that the inconvenience outweighed the benefits and had never dated anyone.
But now—
'That mindset is being violently shaken.'
When he looked at Francia, he felt his face heat up.
'That's probably why I hit on her when I was drunk.'
Suppressing his emotions, Yohan shook his head.
'First, I need to calm down.'
He had to regain his composure. This was a critical turning point in his life. If he didn't prepare carefully, he could lose his life—or worse, face a fate worse than death. He could be castrated or discarded in some filthy back alley.
Thud-!
With a sigh, Yohan leaned back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
'It's time to make use of the magic I've been self-studying for convenience all these years.'
Yohan knew how to use magic. Not only that, but he also possessed extraordinary talent in it.
Though he rarely used it for anything beyond personal convenience.
'Still, I've never learned combat magic, so I'll need to start there.'
Normally, learning magic at this late stage in life would be difficult, but Yohan was an exception. Thanks to his reincarnated body's innate talent, his affinity with mana was overwhelming.
"Phew. Stay calm. I can do this."
Taking deep breaths to steady himself, Yohan began to lay out his plans.
'First, I'll take the Imperial Bureau exam. If I join with exceptional scores, even that crown prince won't be able to ignore me.'
The Imperial Bureau of Saint Rozino was the Empire's most elite group of knights.
No matter how reckless and arrogant the crown prince was, he wouldn't dare look down on a top-tier mage within that prestigious order.
'Good. I have a direction now.'
Having solidified his plan, Yohan looked out the window. Morning sunlight poured in, warm and gentle.
With his path decided and bathed in sunlight, he felt a little more at ease.
Click.
As he basked in the morning glow with his eyes closed, the bathroom door opened, and Francia stepped out.
"..."
Yohan silently watched her. Her damp hair clung to her body, tracing the lines of her figure as it cascaded down. Her flushed skin was smooth and glowing.
She was mesmerizing.
"Yohan?"
"Y-Yes?"
"If you stare at me like that, even I will feel uncomfortable."
"Oh. My apologies."
Yohan quickly turned his gaze away, but Francia's image still lingered in his mind.
'Damn it.'
How did he end up like this? Was it just years of self-restraint finally breaking? Or could it be that Francia had genuinely cast some sort of enchantment on him to use him?
'…It's probably not the latter.'
It was more likely that he'd simply fallen for her at first sight. While he'd only read about her as the heroine of this story, this was his first time seeing her in person.
And Francia truly was a beautiful woman. Her breathtaking face and perfect figure could leave anyone speechless.
And her voice? It was like a seductive whisper that clung to his ears.
As for her personality, there was no need to even mention it.
Taking another deep breath, Yohan tried to steady his rapidly beating heart.
"That said, aren't we a couple now?"
He asked as Francia, drying her hair, turned toward him.
"Of course. We're even supposed to get married."
She nodded matter-of-factly, casually bringing up marriage as if it were the natural next step.
"Is your family's approval going to be okay?"
"Ah."
The moment her family came up, her mouth fell open.
'Could she really not have thought about this?'
He didn't take her to be the thoughtless type.
"…I'm sorry. I completely forgot about that. I was just enjoying my time with you so much…"
The way she still managed to slip in a compliment showed she was an experienced flirt—far beyond what a lifelong bachelor like Yohan could handle.
"Is there any way around it?"
Francia asked, looking at him with trembling eyes.
"…There is a way."
"What is it?"
"I just need to raise my value."
Yohan slowly closed his eyes and then opened them again, speaking calmly.
"Fortunately, I have a talent for magic. I plan to use that to convince the Duke."
"Oh."
"And I'll also join Saint Rozino's Imperial Bureau."
"Are you sure you can pass? As you know, Saint Rozino's Imperial Bureau is…"
Before she could even finish, Yohan smirked and replied.
"Don't worry about that at all."
The test was indeed known to be difficult. But from Yohan's perspective, it didn't seem all that challenging.
After all, he could decipher runes used in magic on his own—it wasn't something he found difficult.
"First, I'll meet with the Duke."
Yohan stood up, picking up a pile of clothes scattered in the corner.
"I'll take care of getting permission from your father, so don't worry too much, Francia."
What's done is done. He'd already decided to take responsibility for it.
'Fine. I'll just go for it.'
He'd offer a deal to the Duke, become a top-tier mage in the Imperial Bureau, and gain approval for their relationship.
And protect Francia from any insane guys who dared to threaten her.
He could do both.
Because Yohan had the ability to make it happen.