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
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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
“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.”
Thunder fell from the skies, the winds raged, forcing all the denizens of the slums to find an abode. And whatever it would be, it’ll be better than nothing.Soon, a few pieces of debris fell from the upper district, hitting the slums’ poorly made shanties. It battered the makeshifts, testing whether or not they’d stand tall until the end. There was no mercy in the wind, thus a perfect storm, especially for the hungry and poor of the old city.Unlike those nobles and rich merchants in the upper district, the people of the slums could only grit their teeth and bore with what nature would bring. A thin flickering silhouette slowly enshrouded the towering mansion in the upper district. The flickering magic barrier deemed exclusive for the individuals who called themselves nobility.The old people of the slums, unlike the children, ignored it. They had seen it many times in their life. They cared little about the magical barrier. Instead, they shud
The old lady’s visage quivered in despair. But after hearing the familiar titters of the smelly brat hugging her from behind, she closed her eyes, gritting her teeth. She held her heaving chest, calming the hammering beats of her heart. Damn it, she almost thought it was a thief. She almost had a heart attack thinking it was some old robber from the slums. “Lili!”“Yes, headmistress!” The young lady stood ramrod straight like a soldier. Mirth dancing on her lips after she successfully pulled off her mission. She had the smile of a sea navigator who conquered the seven seas.Plap!“Ow.” Lili yelped.The old mistress had thrown a slap on the young lady’s head. Huffing, she threw a sharp gaze at the frivolous young lady, roaring at the top of her lungs. “Where the hell is the things I taught you, brat!? Where’s the ladylike stuff, huh!? I almost thought it was a damning thief! Y-you crazy b
Lili’s primary job was to take care of the little brats while also keeping them in line. Aside from that, Lili also had cooking and baking to spice out her life. Though it was part of her job, it didn’t feel like one to her. Oh, there was also the book reading part that the headmistress had forced her into.Lili also loved to be in the kitchen for some odd reason. In the kitchen, she felt close to the flames. The peace and warmth it gave were akin to a caring mother to her. She liked the feeling the flames gave her very much.She lifted her eyes and gaze at the flickering fiery embers. The warm flames had somewhat provided her the little comfort that she needed. “In the future. No, I’ll make sure that I will meet them again.”She giggled a little, finding herself silly. Who would talk to warm flames and flickering embers, right?“Lili. Is the food ready? I’ll wake the little brats now?” The tired voice of th
The crackling sounds of the carriage wheels echoed outside the doors of the orphanage. Its gem-studded wheels crushed the scattered pebbles blocking its path. It was time. The patron of the orphanage had finally arrived again to take the children at the right age to help in his business. A pudgy man wearing an English mustache stepped down from the luxurious carriage.The old mistress was already waiting outside for the great noble. She wore a fake smile as she stared at the carriage.He came a bit earlier, but they had already expected it. The boisterous little kids were already out, studying in the nearby building.The old mistress bowed towards the pudgy man and said, “Thank you for visiting, noble. We welcome you as always.”“It’s been a long time, Anna.” The pudgy noble nodded, eyeing the old mistress with satisfaction. His chin raised to the heavens, a smile filling his face. He threw a glance at Lili, making the lass f
“What is your name again?” The great noble’s tune shifted hues, turning affable once again.However, Lili felt something else from that seemingly amiable tone - it was seething anger. It made her step back a little, but soon recovered after she remembered what she did to the noble.“Lili, please call this servant Lili. S-Sir noble.” The young lady lowered her head, refusing to raise it unless she received a verdict. Despite hearing the friendly mood of the great noble, she still felt the threat of death laying above her head.“What a pleasant name you have.” The noble nodded, he slipped a glimpsed at the paling headmistress and smiled. No one knew what was running through his head.Cold sweat trickled down from Lili’s brows, her voice trembling. “I have no excuse, please punish me!”Instead of replying, the noble turned toward the old mistress. A dark-colored seal appearing on his palms. S
Half a day of preparing was not enough to say the goodbyes, especially to the little ones. Truthfully, Lili felt wretched after seeing the toddlers crying, after hearing the news about her eventual departure. But even though the pain stung, she had to hide it with a smile. She held her breath, stopping herself from crying.“Dun’ go! Dun’ go Lili!” A young girl held the hems of her skirt tightly. Her round eyes became moist. “I’ll be a good girl. I’ll help you wash the dishes. J-Just don’t go.”“Wah! Lili doesn’t want us anymore!” One little lad cried, warm drops rolling down from his eyes.“Hide her things! She mustn’t go!” A few capricious bunches skittered around her things. The little ones couldn’t stop themselves from pulling her things back to her room. They only went back to their room after one of the noble’s guards checked her out.Lili giggled at
“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