Reincarnated in the Astral World

"Get out of the way!" A tall man with white hair exclaims harshly as he walks ahead of a woman in her mid-twenties with blonde hair; his clothes are simple, but she wears a luxurious dress and several jewels adorning her body, flat as a board.

The woman walks as if she were a queen parading through the streets of Lakeview; commoners bow and make way for her to pass, while even other nobles show respect for her, making her confident expression even more snobbish.

As the woman and her bodyguard walk, a girl runs towards them, "Young Lady, young Lady Anastasia..." The girl stops, trying to catch her breath.

"Did you reserve my dress?" Anastasia asks in an impatient tone, and the girl nods quickly. "Yes, I did, but there's something..." The girl's eyes shone as if she had found a treasure. "There's a guy in Madame Drummond's store... you really need to see him!"

"A guy?" Anastasia shakes her head with a disapproving expression. "Did you forget I'm engaged, you idiot? Why would I want to see any random guy?!"

"Hehehe..." The girl giggles. "This guy is on another level; seriously, after you see him, all other men will become crap, including your fiancé."

"You bit-" Anastasia almost slaps the girl in the face, but she stops and thinks. "You're not talking nonsense, right?"

"Of course not! I want the best for my Young Lady!!" The girl exclaims and grabs Anastasia by the hand. "Come on, let's go; when the other Ladies find out about this guy, it's going to be a war between the families for sure!"

"You'd better not be exaggerating..." Anastasia lets the girl pull her through the street to Madame Drummond's store while her bodyguard follows. Arriving at the place, the girls look through the window and see Arthur playing with Eve inside the store.

"Oh my goddess!!!" Anastasia has the same reaction as any girl seeing Arthur for the first time. "Where did this guy come from? He is heavenly handsome!! Which family does he belong to? I've never heard of anyone like him…" She runs out of breath and loses her words.

"I told you, he's in a completely different league," the girl exclaims excitedly. "But I have no idea who he is. My friend thinks he's a prince from a distant Kingdom…"

"A prince?" Now, it's Anastasia's eyes that sparkle. "This is my chance to get out of this damned dirty hole!" She checks her clothes and jewels while looking at the girl. "How do I look? Damn, I should be wearing that dress already!!"

"My Lady looks great!" The girl brushes off any tiny speck of dust from Anastasia's clothing. "But it's better not to throw yourself at him, you know, men like nice and elegant women."

"Of course, I know that!" Anastasia kicks the girl, who just backs off with a smile on her face. Then, she turns to the white-haired man. "Stay here; I don't need a dog by my side but that prince."

"Yes, my Lady," The man bows and stays on the sidewalk while Anastasia enters the store.

*Ding-Ding* The sound of the bells above the door echoes, but Arthur doesn't bother to look at Anastasia, making her a bit disappointed. The receptionist appears with a wide smile on her face. "Lady Isambard, we've been expecting you!"

Anastasia can't stop staring at Arthur, mesmerized. Then her maid pulls on her dress and whispers softly. "My Lady, the dress… buy the dress to impress him."

"Ahem," Anastasia looks at the receptionist. "What are you waiting for? Go call Lady Drummond, now!"

"Of course, My Lady!" The girl dressed like a doll runs to the back of the store.

Arthur continues to ignore the small commotion caused by the girls as he tickles little Eve on a couch in the corner of the store. He hears Anastasia whispering with her maid as they both glance at him and after a minute, the receptionist returns, running with a concerned expression.

"My Lady, I... I'm sorry..." The girl begins to stutter, and Anastasia becomes confused until she sees Josephine Drummond emerge with a girl by her side wearing the dress she wanted so much. The worst part is seeing how that beautiful girl with black hair looks so stunning in the dress. "Who..."

"Oh dear," Arthur is impressed with Margaret's look, not just because the black and white dress fits her perfectly, but she's also wearing light makeup that leaves her face slightly rosy and a white bow holding her hair in a stylish bun.

He approaches Margaret and takes a good look at her from top to bottom. "You look so beautiful!" He says and places his hands around her waist, pulling her into a gentle kiss.

Margaret feels extremely happy and proud, while Anastasia feels the opposite. 'It should have been me in that dress, impressing the prince who would take me away from here... who is this bitch?!'

Anastasia questions her maid, who pulls the receptionist closer to them. The girl quickly begins to whisper. "I don't know who she is, but I overheard her conversation with Lady Drummond... this girl is not a noble; she's like us, commoners."

"What?!" Anastasia exclaims in shock, but no one besides her servants pays her any attention. "How can she be a peasant with that look..." Anastasia senses the aura from Margaret's Astral Energy but becomes even more confused because it doesn't seem like that of a commoner, nor does it seem like that of a noble, which makes her confident again.

"AHEM!!!" She walks toward the group with a cocky expression on her face. Josephine struggles to hide the disdain in her eyes while trying to be polite to the woman. "Young Lady Isambard, I didn't notice you there, my apologies..."

"What is happening here?!" Anastasia asks while hostility gazing at Margaret. "Why is this girl wearing MY dress?"

"Your dress?" Josephine asks in a sarcastic tone. "I have to inform you that this piece has already been sold," she smiles at Margaret. "And I must say it looks perfect on this adorable young lady here."

Arthur doesn't even look at Anastasia, but Margaret feels bad for putting Josephine in such a situation after being treated so kindly by the older woman. So, she steps out of Arthur's arms and stands in front of Anastasia with a sorry expression. "I-" She tries to bow and apologize, but Arthur holds her shoulder. "Don't apologize."

Margaret is perplexed. 'I don't want to offend these people…' She was raised by her mother to be polite to others, especially if they are nobles. Yet, her first instinct is always to trust Arthur, so she just smiles amicably at Anastasia. "Well, I was lucky to arrive first."

"YOU!!!" Anastasia's face turns red with anger, and she turns her gaze toward Arthur. "I don't care how you treat your servant-" "Wife." He interrupts. "She's my wife, and you may show respect to her."

"ARR!!" Anastasia clenches her teeth in frustration. 'I can't let this girl ruin my plans, not a stupid piece of trash!' She doesn't want to release her fury on her possible perfect future husband, so she focuses it on Margaret.

Without thinking, Anastasia just acts, swinging her hand toward Margaret's face with all her force. "YOU BIT-" Arthur sees her movement in slow motion and prepares to act, but Nyx quickly exclaims in his mind. 'Wait!'

He stops his movement and watches Margaret reacting instead; she's a bit faster than Anastasia, grabbing the Young Lady's wrist instinctively. "WHAT?!" Anastasia is shocked to feel the firm grip of Margaret, who looks at her with sorry eyes.

Margaret acted on instinct and wasn't even aware that her reflexes and strength were so heightened for a mage, which is also the case for Anastasia, who is an Apprentice Mage in eighth grade. "I didn't mean to-" Margaret begins to release Anastasia's wrist, but the spoiled young lady becomes even more upset and tries to punch Margaret with her other hand.

Seeing Anastasia's offensive move, Margaret strengthens her determination. 'I can't let this woman humiliate me in front of my husband; that would be disrespectful to him.' With such thought, she responds with violence, too.

*PAH* The sound echoes through the store, drawing looks of shock and some of amusement. "AAAH!!!" Anastasia lets out a scream as she's thrown to the floor by Margaret's hard slap, her face marked with a clear handprint in bright red.

"My Lady!!" The maid and the store's receptionist quickly rush to aid Anastasia, who is stunned on the floor.

Margaret is also astounded by her own actions and turns around, finding Josephine with an amused expression while holding a glass plate in her hand and Arthur with eyes full of pride and love. "I…" She doesn't know what to say.

"My beautiful cat finally showed her sharp claws," Arthur laughs while gesturing with his fingers as if they were claws, making Margaret laugh too. "This shouldn't have happened, though!"

"It's alright, dear," Josephine speaks in a gentle tone while showing the glass plate in her hand, over its shiny surface, a vivid image of Anastasia attempting to punch Margaret but ending up being the one struck. "See, I recorded it; it was Anastasia who attacked first; you were just defending yourself."

"Oh…" Margaret is still unsure how to feel, but Arthur's expression makes her feel proud, too.

Meanwhile, Anastasia recovers from the shock and yells loudly. "Old dog shit!!!" Her voice reaches outside the store, and the white-haired man quickly comes inside.

"My Lady?!" Seeing Anastasia on the ground with a face marked by a hand, the man gets furious and draws a sword from his sheath. "WHO?!" He asks, and Anastasia points at Margaret.

"You little bit-" He advances towards Margaret, lifting his sword. Lady Drummond begins to utter something in a different language, "FLAMM-" But Arthur acts more quickly, stepping in front of Margaret and kicking the man in the chest.

*Whoosh* *BAM!*

Even being a second-grade Elite Warrior, the man can't react to Arthur's agility and is sent flying through the still-open door, rolling in the middle of the street while spitting out a mouthful of blood.

As everyone looks on in shock, Arthur gives Anastasia a cold face. "Wrong decision."

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