The Acolyte of Spirits and Curses

Evelyne stood in front of the full-length mirror in her room, staring at her reflection for what had to be the tenth time in the last few minutes.

Her hands slowly moved over the sides of her dress, smoothing out wrinkles that weren’t even there as she examined herself from different angles.

She was wearing a teal floral midi dress decorated with soft pink blossoms.

It was elegant without being overly formal and looked feminine without appearing like she had tried too hard.

Evelyne turned slightly to the side and looked at herself again "Is this too much?"

She frowned at her reflection "No... it’s fine."

She turned the other way "Maybe it’s too simple?"

"...No, no. A first date isn’t supposed to look like I’m attending a royal banquet."

She sighed and covered her face with both hands "This is ridiculous."

It was only a date.

Yet her heart has been beating strangely ever since she woke up that morning.

Evelyne lowered her hands and looked at herself again. This is her first date...

She has gone to formal gatherings before and attended family functions, but those were because of obligations.

This is different.

She personally asked Klein to go out with her.

Evelyne quickly reached toward the small table beside her and picked up her mobile.

The screen lit up, revealing a note she had prepared earlier.

"First date checklist..."

"Step one: Choose an appropriate outfit."

Her gaze slowly moved down to her dress "Completed."

"Step two: Choose a location where both people can comfortably talk."

"Completed."

"Step three: Avoid overly expensive restaurants because it might make the other person uncomfortable."

"Completed."

"Step four: Don’t spend the entire date talking about yourself."

Evelyne nodded seriously "Obviously."

She continued scrolling.

"Step five: Ask questions about his interests."

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she read the examples she had written down.

"What kind of food do you like?"

"What do you normally do when you’re not training?"

"What kind of places do you enjoy visiting?"

"What are your hobbies?"

She quickly added another note beneath them "Don’t make it feel like an interrogation."

She scrolled further.

There were several more notes.

"Don’t constantly check your mobile."

"Don’t talk too quickly when nervous."

"Don’t overthink every response."

"Don’t try too hard to impress him."

"Don’t bring up marriage."

Evelyne froze and quickly deleted the last line.

Then she stared at the screen.

After a few seconds, she added it back.

"...Just in case."

She spent an embarrassing amount of time researching what people were supposed to do on a first date.

The more she researched, however, the more complicated everything became.

Some people said the first date should be casual.

Others said it should be memorable, and some recommended dinner.

Some said movies were good because they gave couples something to talk about afterward.

Others insisted that movies were terrible for first dates because the two people spent most of the time sitting silently beside each other.

Eventually, Evelyne gave up trying to follow everyone’s advice and decided to plan everything herself.

Since she was the one who had asked Klein out, she prepared the entire day.

First, they would meet at the entrance of the Treyhn district.

Then they would walk through the old market street, where there were several small shops and cafés.

After that, she had reserved a table at a quiet restaurant overlooking the river.

After lunch, they would take a walk along the riverside before visiting a small art exhibition that had recently opened.

And if everything went well...

She had one final place planned.

A quiet observation terrace overlooking the city.

She specifically chose it because she thought the view would be beautiful around sunset.

Evelyne stared at her notes for a while and bit her lower lip.

"What if he thinks I’m weird?"

The thought immediately made her nervous again.

What if Klein didn’t enjoy any of it?

What if the conversation became awkward?

What if she ran out of things to say?

Evelyne’s fingers tightened around her mobile.

"No."

She shook her head firmly "Stop."

She took a deep breath and looked directly at her reflection "You asked him out. You can do this."

A small smile appeared on her lips.

"...It’s just Klein."

That thought actually helped.

Klein isn’t some terrifying noble she needs to impress.

He isn’t an unknown stranger.

He is simply Klein.

Evelyne glanced at the time, and her eyes widened.

"Ah!"

She immediately grabbed her small handbag from the table "I’m going to be late!"

She hurried toward the door, then stopped halfway.

Her hand went to her hair.

She quickly checked herself in the mirror one last time.

Everything looked fine.

Evelyne took one final breath and then smiled at her reflection.

"Alright."

Her hand tightened around the strap of her handbag "Today is going to be a good day."

---

The Treyhn District entrance was already bustling despite how early it was, with cars and taxis moving through the wide avenue while people passed beneath the towering archway.

Klein was already there.

He leaned against one of the stone pillars beside the entrance as he watched the flow of people around him.

He arrived considerably earlier than the agreed time, mostly because he had no intention of being the one who arrived late for a date.

He glanced at his mobile again "She’s probably on her way."

Just as he slipped the mobile back into his pocket, a taxi pulled up near the entrance.

The door opened, and Evelyne stepped out.

She adjusted her handbag as she paid the driver, then turned toward the entrance.

She also arrived thirty minutes early.

But the moment her eyes landed on Klein standing near the entrance, she stopped.

"Huh...He’s already here?"

A strange warmth spread through her chest ’He came this early too...?’

For some reason, that small detail made her nervousness ease slightly.

Evelyne took a slow breath before walking toward him, her heels making soft sounds against the pavement.

Klein noticed her approaching and straightened slightly.

His eyes moved toward her and for a brief moment, he simply looked.

Evelyne immediately became conscious of herself and instinctively touched her hair.

"Is something wrong?"

Klein shook his head "No."

He looked at her dress again, and a faint smile appeared on his face "You look beautiful."

Evelyne was startled and a faint blush colored her cheeks "Y-You think so?"

"Yeah. It suits you."

Evelyne lowered her gaze, trying to hide the smile that was slowly forming on her lips "Thank you..."

She lightly touched the edge of her dress "You’re early."

With a chuckle, he replied "So are you."

A quiet laugh escaped her lips "So we both spent thirty minutes worrying about being late."

"Seems like it."

She smiled and adjusted the strap of her handbag "Well then..."

She looked toward the district entrance.

"Shall we begin our date?"

"Let’s go."

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