I.    People are Hard:

August stared at the gathering. Family friends and extended families pushing, vying for her attention. 

To an observer, he would probably seem like an envious fiend who coveted from his sister all she had achieved.

Only he wasn’t.

But no one seemed to listen.

“It’s alright darling, with enough practice you can be just as good as her!”

(Okay? And? He didn’t really care)

“My child, you must let your envy of your sister go!”

(… But he was proud of his sister? Dumb monk)

Yes, no one seemed to listen, except, ironically, for her.

July was light and happiness incarnate, it seemed. Delighting with the attention she received, but was never haughty. Never arrogant. 

August saw the moment she saw him, and he smiled.

Whatever others might say, he loved his sister. 

She beckoned him to approach, and he took several huge steps and hugged her.

“Dearest sister, every time you come home, there always seems to be a feast waiting for you. You should leave more.”  

People gasped at this, for some reason. August internally sighed, weary that perhaps he would never understand others.   

But as always, July understood him best. She laughed and hugged him back. “Dearest brother, I need not leave more. I can bring you carts of food from all the corner of the Realms!”

August beamed, “Thank you.” 

Then without preamble, he ceased hugging and sat down next to her – pushing his sister’s lover a little bit away. 

Augustus felt everyone staring at him, the lover glaring at him. He stared blankly in return.

“I did not think the rumors true, July, but it seems justified to me.” 

His sister’s lover, Felix, spoke gently, but August sensed that his words were somehow aimed to hurt. Somehow. August praised himself that he could sense that much. 

July sighed, “Felix, stop it. He means nothing by it, I promise you.”

Felix raised an eyebrow, looking dubiously at August.

“What?” August asked, his eyes blank, concealing his bewildered thoughts. 

Felix rolled his eyes. 

‘Based on what I read, there seems to be only one conclusion to his bizarre behaviour. I should probably ask him to confirm’

Resolute, August faced Felix and asked, “Are you attracted to me?”

Absolute silence reigned. July was choking on her mana wine, her impeccable composure broken. Felix, stared – horrified – at August. 

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‘Oh dear, what did I do now? Were those books wrong?’ August felt embarrassed. He didn’t like to feel embarrassed. He decided to be honest.

“Sorry, if I asked something wrong. It’s just that your stare made me feel hard.”

More sputtering. A couple of glasses shattered. His sister’s mouth was unhinged. 

August sighed, was he unclear still? Or perhaps his answer was unsatisfying?

“Felix you’re hard. Does that satisfy you?”

August felt a couple of thuds, and saw that a few people fainted – he felt a little giddy, seeing that one of them was that bad aunt, Theodora. ‘Serves her right’

August tries to repress a smile, but can’t quite do so.

People started to whisper, the stares were back. August hated this attention. He looked at his sister, and saw her shaking her head. August started to flush in embarrassment, and decided that a tactical retreat was in order.

“So, um, good talk. I’ll be in my room if you need me. Thanks for the food!” With that he scurried away, all the while cognizant of the loud whisperings and angry voices.

“What a disgrace, to ruin his own sister’s homecoming.”

“What an envious bastard.”

“He covets his own sister’s lover, and a prince no less.”

"Did you see the way he smiled? How shameless."

August reached his room – he went inside and locked the door.

He sighed, lamenting the huge probability that he would never understand how other people thought.

He replayed the entire conversation, looking at possible ways that he might be wrong.

He found none. Which was frustrating since, clearly, he did something wrong. 

August pursed his lips, shrugged, and went to his closet, slipping into his bedwear.

People are hard. Harder than his books; harder still than his philosophic studies. 

And if so, why pursue the effort?

July would probably forgive him for his unknown transgressions. His parents would shake their heads, but do the same. And Felix didn’t matter to him.

August sighed, lied on his bed, and closed his eyes. 

People are hard. 

That's why he preferred himself. 

That's why he preferred his World.

He felt his awareness of the world slipping away, and once he opened his eyes again, he was in his World. 

Here, there were no whispers, no incomprehensible stares. Only him. No one else. Finally alone. 

August smiled.