Why Does Merely Invoking a Package in the Preamble Alter the Output?

My subsequent question is something I encountered today and is related to the post:

On Sizing and Positioning Drop Caps

Using the code

documentclass[12pt]{article}
usepackage{color}
usepackage{lettrine}
usepackage{lipsum}
%usepackage{accanthis}
input GoudyIn.fd
newcommand*initfamily{usefont{U}{GoudyIn}{xl}{n}}
begin{document}
large
lettrine[lines=3]{color{blue}{initfamily{W}}}{color{blue}hy} does this strange thing happen when a package is merely added to the preamble and never invoked? lipsum[2]
end{document}

produces the output

Whereas, merely adding the package accanthis to the preamble:

documentclass[12pt]{article}
usepackage{color}
usepackage{lettrine}
usepackage{lipsum}
usepackage{accanthis}
input GoudyIn.fd
newcommand*initfamily{usefont{U}{GoudyIn}{xl}{n}}
begin{document}
large
lettrine[lines=3]{color{blue}{initfamily{W}}}{color{blue}hy} does this strange thing happen when a package is merely added to the preamble and never invoked? lipsum[2]
end{document}

produces

I emphasize that I never called for the said font within the document, yet the output was changed anyway.

Does anyone have an explanation? Or better still, can relate how I may prevent such an occurrence from happening until I call for it in the document?

Finally, I remark that I have encountered similar problems before, but today I have a specific short example to relate. (This may explain, in part, the drop cap problem I posted yesterday On Sizing and Positioning Drop Caps although I do not know for certain what font was used to produce the paragraph containing the larger drop cap that I want to imitate.)

Thank you.

letsavedrmdefaultrmdefault
usepackage{accanthis}
letrmdefaultsavedrmdefault

This is in Latin/Computer Modern Roman.
{accanthis This is in Accanthis.}
This is Latin/Computer Modern Roman.