Lili gulped and gathered all the courage she could muster. The eerie pitch-black door creaked open. She marched despite her shaky limbs. With every step, the pressure also grew. She gasped but continued to tramp forwards.
If this was the test from the magus, then she mustn't disappoint, both for her and the old headmistress's sake.
"Hoho? An exceptional mental strength," said an old wearing a long pitch-black robe. The skittering quill pen stopped as he watched the guest standing near the door. He had a well-combed beard, mirth flickered in those wizened unfathomable eyes.
"Not everyone could withstand my presence. And even though I'm holding it back, many still faint." The old man threw a curious stare, watching Lili in a scrutinizing light. "So you're the lass Anna has been hiding from me. Interesting. I never thought she'd hide nothing from me until today."
The young lady shuddered in response. Though the old magus had a lax tone, she sensed the irrita
"Please provide better accommodation and education for the orphans." Lili lowered her head, waiting for the response of the old noble magus. She originally wanted to ask for the orphans' freedom, but immediately double-take after she realized that it’d be a big mistake and would only make things more difficult if she did that.The old noble magus's influence, through the old headmistress, was probably the one shielding the orphanage from other forces. Perhaps it was also the reason that fake fat noble limited his actions and could only act as much as the old magus had allowed.After meeting the old magus, Lili determined that every child in the orphanage was the old powerful man’s possession. Thus her wish for the orphan’s freedom would only set the children to a far worse scenario. The old noble’s protection in exchange for the orphanage’s freedom. That was the price the orphanage had to pay, and that included her.And so, she wish
“Lass, I’ve done the part of the deal. I’ll make sure that your potential suitors would be practitioners of the word decency.” The old magus chortled. He then counted with his fingers and it stopped at eight before gazing at Lili. “Decent nobles. ‘Pfft’. They exist within the Antacastian nobility, but most of them have weird quirks. Eight of them. That’s all I could do. Are you fine with that?”“I couldn’t ask for more, old master.” Lili’s crimson dress swayed as she bowed towards the old man.“It’s decided then, I’ll write the letters. Your luck would depend on whether they’ll accept my invitation or not.” The old magus waved his hands. He took the ringer bell on the large table and shook it. “The same people will guide you back. Ready yourself for tomorrow and make your presentable for the masked ball. If you wish for the best, you must first make the bes
Lili opened and closed her mouth as her brain shut down for a moment. She rubbed her ears, wondering if she heard it wrong. She felt muddled and confused. Her face slowly turned ashen white. Not only her but also the middle-aged lady and the guard who wore full-plated armor had a flabbergasted expression on their faces. Slack-jawed and floored after hearing the incredulous proposal coming from the mysterious noble.And then… there was silence.Lili had read a lot of romance novels about knights from the books in the orphanage’s attic. She even read a few ones with bizarre plots just like this one from an author named Ms. Carman. Still, she never thought that it’d actually happen to her in reality, especially when she’s not some princess like the main female character in those stories.‘This noble is probably playing with me.’ Lili shut her eyes, recollecting her thoughts. A stiff smile slipped out of her lips as she thought a
For an orphan who lived a simple life like Lili, an opportunity to experience the nobility’s luxury, like sitting on a velvety crimson couch while having tea and sweets served to her, was nothing but a dream. She once wished for it after reading a rare novel about the nobility in the orphanage’s attic.The book’s vivid description of the nobility’s pastime in that book made her envious. She even imagined what would it feel like to be in those tea parties. Lili was sure that it would be an exciting experience. Still, she never thought that one day, she would indeed experience its novelty, but with a twist.With the newly served tea and sweet treats in front of her getting cold, and old magus staring like he was planning to punch a hole in her face, she didn’t feel relaxed at all. Lowering her head, she couldn’t even let out a squeak as cold sweat dripped down her brows.What’s worse? With the strange man who turned out to
The pitch-black door swung wide-open, and soon closed with a loud bang as the shadows of the duke left the room, leaving Lili and the old magus alone once again. Lili felt giddy as she felt the old man staring at her like he was planning to dig a hole in her face.“Do you know of the Duke, lassie?” The old magus asked, and his eyes shone with a glint of curiosity. His pupils slowly turned into a snaky slit as he tried to smile. It was as clear as day that he was nothing but curious about Lili’s relationship with the infamous Duke of Avalon.“I have not, old master.” Lili took a deep breath and answered. The duke’s strange interest in her had also made her puzzled. “Truthfully, today was the first time I have met him. I, myself, know nothing why the duke reacted like that to me.”Lili suddenly remembered how the Duke went to his knees and asked for her hands as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Her chee
After escorting Lili back, Loth and Zaab gave Lili the key and quickly bid their goodbyes. According to Loth, the old magus asked her to give the key to Lili. Apparently, it was also part of the gift given by the old magus, a reward for entertaining the bored old man.Without further ado, Loth and Zaab didn’t waste time and excused themselves, since they still had to tend to their other responsibilities in the auction house. From the looks of it, Lili was sure that they had quite a high position and the old magus valued them for their skills.With a smile, Lili thanked them and then bid them goodbye. She didn’t want to delay them any further, realizing that she might have wasted a lot of their time by simply accompanying and waiting for her.After assuring that the Loth and Zaab had already returned, Lili let out a tired sigh and deemed that her luck today had been in the dumps. She threw a glanced at the intricate key given to her and slowly turned
“Lili… Lili… Wake up.” A voice rang, waking up Lili from her deep slumber, cutting her off from another strange dream of hers. Feeling dizzy from the light nudging she had received from the owner of the voice, Lili groaned. With difficulty, she squinted and tried to open her rebellious eyelids. She felt like her eyes still wished to lengthen their rest. She squirmed out of the embrace of the warm quilt and glanced sideways, searching for the origin of the familiar voice. The old mistress sat on the side of the bed. She wore a warm, but tired smile on her face as she stared at Lili. There were also dark lines forming under her eyes, a good proof that she possibly hadn’t taken even a wink yet. “Old mistress,” Lili said. She yawned as she rubbed her eyes. Sleeping there on a fluffy bed really made it easier to enjoy sleep as compared to when she was still in the orphanage. She stretched and hugged the old lady’s waist, something that had always calmed her down when she
Thinking that there was a quite huge possibility that the cold-blooded butcher would buy her, Lili felt like a fishbone had been stuck in her throat. Even though the Duke looked handsome and fresh outside, it wouldn’t matter if his insides were rotten. Lili bit her lips and waited for the old lady’s reply. She hoped that the old headmistress could think of a solution for her current source of trouble. The duke. The man that had been dubbed as the ‘Butcher of the North’. She didn’t wish for a bloody duke as a sponsor, especially if the man was someone infamous for killing young ladies… like her. She wished some dragon would just swoop her away and be done with it. A few moments of stillness passed. The old lady kept her eyes shut and soon sighed. Her shoulders sagged. She wanted to find a solution for Lili, but soon lost the energy after realizing how impossible it was. “You.. all you can do is hope for the best. Hope that the Duke’s only jesting yesterday. That he’s
“H-Headmistress?” Lili tilted her head, confused. She shifted her gaze to the left and saw the fake noble who dragged her into this. The once prideful fake noble was shuddering on the side. But unlike the last time, he didn’t dare to show courage and just lowered his head. He kept silent as he slumped on his knees. He was sweating like a pig under a roasting blaze. “What is happening?” His pudgy chin trembled, and if a pit suddenly appeared somewhere, he looked like he’d be more than willing to jump. And after seeing Lili, the fatty lowered his head, his quivering lips paling. On the other hand, the headmistress’ eyes lit up after seeing Lili. She stood up from her seat, circling around Lili, making sure she was safe and sound. Assured that Lili was fine, the headmistress let out a sigh of relief. She then gave the confused Lili a deep hug. “Thank god you’re safe. Lili, listen to me. Please wait for me in the other room. I will need to talk to the old master.”
Lili jumped out of her feet and almost tripped on her crimson dress in shock. The intricate butterfly mask she wore slipped out of her face. Fortunately, Loth immediately stepped forward and caught the mask before it could even hit the floor. With a hand on her chest, Lili sighed in relief after seeing the butterfly mask safe. It was a unique artifact personally crafted by the old magus, and if the butterfly mask broke because of her carelessness… She would owe a debt. Just the thought of it was enough to pull a grimace out of her. She glimpsed at the nobles within the wide halls. Even those nobles invited by the old magus seemed to take extra care in handling those magical artifacts, almost as if they were taking care of babies. From that alone, she already surmised that the masks were something quite costly and rare, even among the nobility. Lili threw a glance at Loth, staring specifically at the butterfly mask on her hands. The middle-aged
From the balcony of the auction house, an old man wearing a full-white magus cloak watched how the infamous duke caught a few bad eggs, acting like a knight in shining armor that was out of his character. Instead of someone’s savior, he appeared like a visiting reaper instead. There was also the lass. Even though she wasn’t the target of the duke, the little lass still sprinted away like a scared rabbit. She didn’t even know that she was sitting at the young duke’s reserved seat without his permission. The old magus couldn’t help but chuckle after seeing the funny sight. “Anyway, what do we have here? It seemed the stupid duke brat really liked the lassie for him to waste time like this.” The chief magus of the Antacastian royal court frowned and shook his head. “He’s not joking. He’s dead set for that little lassie. Anyway, his old fossil of a grandfather will surely love this news. Who could have thought that his grandson who usually hates women would suddenly beco
“Magicites? As grand as ever.” A black-haired man uttered. His lips twitched as he stepped down from his carriage. His emerald eyes zeroed on the infamous auction house’s show of grandeur. ‘That stinky Antacastian Magus truly splurge his money with no remorse. He spends like a madman.’ After taking one of the free masks lying nearby the entrance, the duke let out a sigh. He shook his head and turned towards his entourage. “Let’s go.” Soon enough, the duke’s arrival brought the entire party halls into a fresh bout of frenzy. All the eyes seemed to focus on the emerald-eyed man. Even though there was a mask hiding his face. The color of his eyes, his posture, and his aura alone were enough for the nobles to know who he was. It was a giveaway. It seemed like the old magus hadn’t lied to them about the famed man’s arrival. The Duke of Avalon had truly arrived. Despite the buzzing chatters, the duke simply ignored everyone. He even felt bor
The lady who wore a dazzling crimson dress felt her legs quivering. She wanted to rush back to the old headmistress… and, if possible, back to the orphanage. Unfortunately, the sharp gazes she felt from the servants behind her halted all those thoughts. Controlling her emotions, she remembered the teachings of the old headmistress. She gently curtsied towards the servants who escorted her. An unfathomable smile slid out of her inviting lips. “Thank you, good sirs and ladies, for guiding me here.” Her simple acknowledgment had those male servants flushing while the lady servants had their eyes turned into saucers. The servants looked intoxicated and spelled bound as they tried to peel away their eyes from the fairy-like existence before them. “Goodbye now.” She let out a sigh, leaving the tongue-tied servants standing like fools. Lili trudged, snail-paced, entering the conspicuously shimmering door. Soon enough, she heard the chatters and giggles comin
The night had come forth, and the masked ball hosted by the old magus was already about to start. The flickering lights coming from costly magic stones shone one after another as soon as the last rays of the sun fell to slumber. Like a web of multicolored rays, the rare magic stones lit up the road and the auction house like twinkling stars. All the noble guests who saw the beautiful scene as they stepped down from their glamorous carriages would usually stop for a moment to look around the grandeur of the auction house before proceeding with a pleased expression. Their nods of satisfaction showed how happy and proud they were to be invited into the old magus auction house. Some were fresh faces, while others were already old-timers in the auction. Nevertheless, both new and old treated each other with respect. Most of the nobility considered the invitation coming from the old magus' auction house as proof of status and power. After all, not all nobles or ric
Chapter 23: Behind the Shadows Darkness and silence loomed inside a mid-sized mansion. Just three days ago, this mansion was once the home of a local noble of Antacast. But for some mysterious reason, the prideful noble suddenly sold the mansion and brought all his liquid assets away as if he was fleeing from a deadly plague. He even brought his entire clan away as if a blight was after his entire household. He explained nothing, not even to his circle of friends, and simply ran away. A few gossips and speculations soon spread to the masses and in the aristocratic circles about what really happened. Some said that the mansion had become hunted, and that forced the noble to move away. Some believed that a demon had visited the mansion. They said that the demon cursed the mansion after the noble tried playing with some forbidden magic. Whatever the real reason was, they were sure that something eerie had happened to the mansion. After all, the once lively mansi
Thinking that there was a quite huge possibility that the cold-blooded butcher would buy her, Lili felt like a fishbone had been stuck in her throat. Even though the Duke looked handsome and fresh outside, it wouldn’t matter if his insides were rotten. Lili bit her lips and waited for the old lady’s reply. She hoped that the old headmistress could think of a solution for her current source of trouble. The duke. The man that had been dubbed as the ‘Butcher of the North’. She didn’t wish for a bloody duke as a sponsor, especially if the man was someone infamous for killing young ladies… like her. She wished some dragon would just swoop her away and be done with it. A few moments of stillness passed. The old lady kept her eyes shut and soon sighed. Her shoulders sagged. She wanted to find a solution for Lili, but soon lost the energy after realizing how impossible it was. “You.. all you can do is hope for the best. Hope that the Duke’s only jesting yesterday. That he’s
“Lili… Lili… Wake up.” A voice rang, waking up Lili from her deep slumber, cutting her off from another strange dream of hers. Feeling dizzy from the light nudging she had received from the owner of the voice, Lili groaned. With difficulty, she squinted and tried to open her rebellious eyelids. She felt like her eyes still wished to lengthen their rest. She squirmed out of the embrace of the warm quilt and glanced sideways, searching for the origin of the familiar voice. The old mistress sat on the side of the bed. She wore a warm, but tired smile on her face as she stared at Lili. There were also dark lines forming under her eyes, a good proof that she possibly hadn’t taken even a wink yet. “Old mistress,” Lili said. She yawned as she rubbed her eyes. Sleeping there on a fluffy bed really made it easier to enjoy sleep as compared to when she was still in the orphanage. She stretched and hugged the old lady’s waist, something that had always calmed her down when she