Chapter 17
Chapter 17. The Next Day
Having seen him since he was in his late mother’s womb, the butler had never seen the duke act so strangely before.
Could he really be preparing to sleep in such a formal outfit?
“Are you really not going out?”
“Yeah.”
While someone was deep in thought, almost as if their head might explode, the other just casually answered.
After picking a pin, Nox now looked at himself in the mirror, having used hair oil to comb back his bangs. He looked sharp, like a handsome gentleman of the city, but something about looking a bit too proper seemed off to him. He shook his head side to side.
As his jet-black hair fell messily, the maids, who had been attending him, all turned red-faced as they watched.
“So… now…”
“Enough. Everyone, leave.”
Once Nox felt there was no more to be done, he began to scan through the dozens of necklaces displayed on the desk. The housekeeper sighed inwardly.
Nox had suddenly ordered all the jewelry in the house to be brought to him, and had even sprayed the perfume he had previously avoided because of its artificial scent. Now, he was dressed in an uncomfortable outfit that looked like he was preparing for a ball, yet he was staying alone in his room.
Who would have guessed that someone almost thirty would suddenly start doing such strange things that even teenagers wouldn’t?
But, feeling relieved that it wasn’t a pointless outburst like last time, the butler left the room with the maids and attendants, who were looking at him with hearts in their eyes.
Once the door closed, Nox was left alone. He seriously studied the necklaces, each of which appeared identical to him except for the color.
Which one would make Ariane happy? The one that caught his attention the most was the necklace with several blue diamonds, though…
‘If I picked it because it’s similar to her eyes… would it be too cliché?’
Before he knew it, Nox had fallen asleep next to Ariane. However, upon waking, he quickly realized he was in his own room.
A mix of feeling a bit disappointed and still excited that she would call for him again filled his thoughts.
Though he felt a little disappointed, perhaps understanding the circumstances, there was no overwhelming feeling like before.
Having only slept for a few hours, he felt more refreshed than usual. As soon as he regained his senses, he sent a letter about the peach and the method to deal with the mutant wolves.
He wasn’t sure if the peach could really kill the mutant wolves, but it seemed that when the burned stinging nettles were on the front lines, those ferocious mutant wolves not only didn’t attack but even fled, wagging their tails.
He intended to give Ariane a necklace as a reward for this.
Unlike usual, Nox was seriously considering his options, but the more he thought, the more it gave him a headache.
If he had just a couple of choices, it would have been easier, but with dozens of necklaces, it was hard to decide.
If only he had asked the maids earlier which one seemed the most beautiful.
“Huh? What…?”
Before he realized it, it had turned midnight, and his body began to glow. Nox quickly grabbed the large blue diamond necklace he had noticed earlier, before his body completely froze.
In the brief moment of blinking twice, everything changed.
Now, this dazzling light, the chaotic scribbles, the fierce props, and even the chick charging at him like a bull were all things he eagerly anticipated.
“Nox!”
Thud!
‘Mhm…’
A heavy collision caused a dull thud in his chest. He felt fine, but he wasn’t sure if Ariane was okay.
Looking down, he saw Ariane, smiling brightly despite her red forehead. It seemed that unlike most mages, Ariane was stronger than expected.
“Welcome, Nox. You’re fully dressed today.”
Ariane looked him up and down, her gaze lingering on his neat appearance. She seemed pleased, unable to stop smiling.
“You really look like a prince from a fairy tale. So handsome! Did you trade peaches for this inside the magic circle?”
Nox couldn’t help but chuckle at her innocent question. Even though the fruit wasn’t in season, this cravat alone wouldn’t be worth the price.
But to Nox, Ariane’s misunderstanding was more important than the truth, so he nodded as much as he could.
“Wow! The magic circle is even more amazing than I thought. I’ll bring you more things later, okay? By the way, what’s that you’re holding in your hand?”
Thanks to Ariane infusing her magic, Nox could move his arms a little bit. He reached out, revealing a beautiful necklace adorned with dozens of blue diamonds.
Nox had chosen it simply because it reminded him of her eyes, but this necklace alone could buy five grand estates.
“It’s beautiful. Is it for me?”
He nodded.
He wanted to put the necklace on her himself, but his arms still couldn’t reach that far.
Ariane received it with both hands carefully and looked at it, blushing.
“Thank you. I’ve never seen a tiny, cute necklace with so many little jewels hanging from it before.”
A tiny, cute necklace, huh.
He hadn’t expected anyone to describe a necklace—one that even he found breathtaking—in such a humble way.
Nox turned his gaze slightly and looked at the pile of raw gems beneath the window. Each unprocessed stone was about the size of a sack of flour, and there were a lot of them.
Come to think of it, he remembered hearing that to a mage, jewels weren’t beautiful treasures or expensive assets, but merely one kind of tool.
Maybe I should’ve brought something other than a jewel.
What should he bring next time? It was starting to nag at him. Should he seriously just ask one of the working maids?
“Don’t worry. I’ll never use this as a magical ingredient. I’ll keep it with me always.”
As if she’d read Nox’s thoughts, Ariane proudly clasped the necklace around her own neck.
