[My lady, if I may be so presumptuous as to ask,]
"My lady, if I may be so presumptuous as to ask,"
[Is there a flower like you, in the King's garden?]
"Is there a flower like you, in the King's garden? I have been there, and many reminded me of your poise and your beauty."
The woman in front of Jane blushed a little upon hearing his remark. She brought her hand up to her mouth, trying to hide the curling corners of her lips.
"You flatter me. Truly, I have never met a man who talks as smoothly as you do. I take it those rumors spreading around are false?"
Jane narrowed his eyes a little.
"How could they be anything but?"
"You're right. I was a little apprehensive about this meeting at first, but it seems secondhand opinions cannot properly describe the real article."
"I cannot wait to call you the next Madam Hortich. Do you feel the same as I do?"
"My, don't you think you're being a little hasty? Even if we were the ones to suggest this arrangement, you will still have to gain the approval of my father."
Jane held his hand against his heart, and bowed.
"Then that is what I shall do."
---
[I absolutely forbid... She's perfect... You already know how I am.]
Jane himself did not care whatsoever, so the end verdict was to go ahead with it. After getting so carried away flirting, it would be criminal to show her the cold shoulder.
'She's more educated, but at the same time, weaker as a mage. Well, she would've been stronger than Young Master Hortich, so her talent isn't bad.'
He stared absentmindedly out of his window, taking in the elaborate design of the garden. An endless maze of hedges and flowers lined stone walkways, leading one to spend hours there whenever they went. Jane himself was tempted to take a walk through it, but that would lead to too many inconsistencies in his act.
'Why was this guy in such a difficult situation? He might have even worse luck than me...'
After spending so long taming mana, Jane could now do it in parallel with other tasks. Even now, he was still drawing increasing amounts of mana into his soul core. At the same time, he was refining runes into as tiny and detailed forms as possible. It was somewhat of a habit at this point.
"Young Master?"
Jane looked down, and saw a large pile of dirt splayed across the garden.
"Yes?"
"Count Predio is here."
'Shit.'
Jane hurriedly reconstructed his illusion, and recreated some of the clothes from his memory. Stepping into the embrace of his dummy, he walked out to the leisure room where guests were usually accepted. Taking a route he had long since memorized, he easily reached his destination. He held back a sigh as he opened the door.
"You."
An sharp-faced man was glaring at Jane while sipping tea. He was wearing elegant black clothing, and exuded a sense of oppression. Jane knew why this man disliked him.
"What is it?"
Jane sat down across from the man, where his own cup of tea was waiting for him.
"I seriously doubt if someone like you is worthy to call me 'Father'. My daughter may have given you high praise, but you could just have easily been putting on an act."
"I see we are getting straight to the point. What do I have to do in order to be able to marry Melinda?"
Upon hearing his daughter's name, Count Predio scowled.
"The request we sent out was simply a show of goodwill. As you are now, I would never let you meet my daughter again. Think about this for a second. If you married her, my daughter's life would be over. Married to someone like you, it would be too shameful for her to even step outside."
"Then I will become a man who will uphold her honor."
"That is the bare minimum which I ask of you."
[Why are you even going through with this?]
'I'm bored.'
Jane, for the last decade, had done nothing but practice magic. He did not eat, he did not sleep, and he did not move. No matter how much he loved magic, he was thoroughly bored. And a little lonely too, although he would never tell anyone that.
[Ah, you're lonely.]
"I have no intention of stopping there. Father—"
Count Hortich lunged forwards, aiming to grab Jane by the neck. However, his hand was smacked aside.
"One day, you will be proud to hear me call you that."
[Ah ha ha ha! Is this the same guy that got embarrassed so often!?]
Vanessa's memories were actually crucial for Jane's flirting and demeanor, so she was essentially berating herself.
"If you do not make good on your promise just now... Do not expect to ever leave the Predio territory alive. Farewell."
With a statement like a death knell, Melinda's father left. Jane was still sat down, drinking his tea.
'What a serious guy.'
[...Shit, you've—]
'I feel bad, but what exactly am I supposed to do about it?'
Jane let out the sigh he had been holding in. Noble life was like that. Every moment was worthy of a sigh.
'Anyways, I can just show off magic to get his approval, right?'
Jane manifested a few runes inside of a 'Void', each smaller than the diameter of a hair. If he released them now, the entire room might be blown to smithereens, himself included.
[Don't forget.]
'Right, I still have to do that...'
He set down his now-empty cup of tea, and went over his plans. While his aerial strikes were powerful, they left him quite vulnerable to being found. If he used it in too close of a vicinity, there was a good chance of thousands of skilled mages attacking him at once. Thus, he had to think up a better option.
'Hold on. Couldn't I just teleport it? There's no way they know how to... No, it's still too difficult. What am I supposed to do about this situation?'
Jane stopped for a moment, and looked outside of his window. In the far distance, a colossal wall of stone prevented all entry and exit. He had never made it out of the Royal Capital.