The Reason Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion

When she raised her head, what she saw were golden eyes gleaming through the sway of black hair.

Noah?

“When…”

As she made to ask when he came, Noah put his face forward. Surprised, she leaned back and distanced herself.

Unfazed, Noah came forward to pick out a leaf from her bangs.

“If you need jewels, I can get you anything. So don’t just put anything on your head.”

Blushing slightly out of embarrassment, she fumbled with her bangs.

He says every, single, word in a mean way.

Noah lightly leaped through the windowsill and entered inside. He was holding a large bouquet of flowers.

“But what brings you…”

Noah smiled like a gentleman and held out the bouquet.

Flowers? Why flowers…

As Raeliana instinctively put out her hands to accept them, the man gracefully evaded Raeliana’s hands and put the bouquet on the windowsill.

Hah, that bastard.

Puffing at her bangs, Raeliana soothed her anger.

I’ll be the bigger person.

Though Raeliana McMillan may be eighteen, the soul inside was an adult.

I can laugh off such childish pranks.

Such a child. Scoffing silently inside, Raeliana smiled as if nothing had happened.

“Long time no see, Your Highness.”

“Everyone has been applauding what a flawless bride you are.”

Why the sudden respectful tone?

As she looked around to see if anyone else was watching, he sat across from her with his legs crossed and haughty eyes.

“I thought you had no desire to be a perfect fiancee. Did I miss something?”

Noah spoke, leering at the highlighted history book.

“Oh… that.”

He wouldn’t mistakenly think that I was trying to do well to impress him, would he?

Because, I’m not. This is… a bad habit or let’s say professionalism gone wrong…

Flustered, Raeliana blurted out.

“It’s an independent study for my own good to build literacy. It’s got nothing to do with you, Your Highness.”

“Noah.”

“Yes, it’s… got nothing to do with you, Noah. Besides, you never give me a chance to step outside the mansion, so I have no other way to spend the day other than studying.”

It’s all because of you. As Raeliana put on a smug expression, finally having found a good enough of a reason, Noah spoke out.

“So it is my fault.”

“Yes, indeed.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that there’s a ball scheduled for tonight. Come with me.”

“Ah… um, okay. Since I have nothing else to do.”

It was sudden, but she was bored, so Raeliana answered without hesitation.

“And I’m going to announce our engagement tonight.”

“Huh? Why all of a sudden…”

“I can’t delay it any further. The engagement ceremony is only a week away.”

Goodness. Raeliana stared at him blankly.

“Geez, what kind of engagement announcement is it if even the fiancee didn’t know about it until today?”

Noah spoke proudly as if to ask how she did not know.

“This kind of engagement.”

Um, I see…… 

“Do you mind?” 

“No…”

“Good. Because it doesn’t matter even if you did mind.”

Um, I see…...

At this point, nothing is surprising or maddening. She could reach enlightenment this way.

She was surprised at her own adaptation.

“Then I must start getting ready…”

As Raeliana made to say that she needed to start getting ready now since she had to get dressed and do her hair, he stopped her.

“Don’t worry. I’ve already called someone.”

As he told them to enter, the door opened and a great crowd shuffled in.

“Nice to meet you, nice to meet you. Young Lady Raeliana McMillan. My name is Nick Maddocks. I’m the magician that will make you shine at tonight’s ball! Call me Nick.”

“Oh…”

The man calling himself Raeliana’s magician was a large bear of a man with meticulous makeup and wore a man’s dress suit with lots of frill.

His eyes with gradiated shade of red and purple eyeshadow scanned Raeliana.

The end of Nick’s eyes were sharp, his small irises gave him a savage look and struck significant fear in the onlooker as his looks alone seemed enough to gain him a high profile in the backstreet.

Who is this person?

As her trembling eyes that spoke ‘this must be a joke’ looked at Noah, he stood up while saying that he also needed to get ready.

“Wait, Noah…”

But Noah held Raeliana’s shoulders softly and told Nick.

“Well, Nick. Please take care of my fiancee.”

“Of course…”

“Wait…”

Nick answered in a girlish voice, and Noah cut off Raeliana’s words.

“I look forward to seeing your beauty, Raeliana.”

“No… Noah…!”

When Noah exited regardless of her calls, Nick’s large, manicured hand touched Raeliana’s face.

“Oh dear, my lady. Is it because you’re so young? See how mochi your cheeks are…”

Hey! Where’re you going without me?! Noah!

Raeliana shouted in her head at Noah’s back as he disappeared like the wind.

“My lady? Are you well? Your eyes are… trembling like an old man’s chin at his deathbed.”

As Nick twiddled his finger left to right to describe her trembling eyes, Raeliana turned her trembling eyes as far as possible to avoid the gaze and answered that she was alright.

“No, it’s… never mind.”

Raeliana was in turmoil.

However little experience she may have in romance novels, even she knew that in this case, normally, she would be visited by ‘Madame so­ and-so’ who is well known in the society.

A person who knows everyone at social events and is well-versed in the latest makeup, hair and dress trends.

But this man is supposed to be that person? How open-minded was this world’s society?

She grieved her own underestimation of this world.

Raeliana stuttered and asked the man.

“Um, Nick? So, are you like… the husband of a famous madame?”

To be fair, he looked more like a hitman rather than a madame’s husband.

“Oh, Monsieur. I’m Monsieur Nick.”

“Oh.”

Monsieur. Raeliana mumbled and nodded when Nick suddenly opened his eyes wide to examine her face and…

“Excuse me.”

Holding Raeliana’s chin with his thumb and forefinger, Nick turned her face from left and right, fussing.

“Oh my, oh my, oh my… Baby, look at this.”

“Baby? Did you just call me ‘baby’?”

“Don’t fuss about the small things, baby. Look at this, the dark circles under your eyes.”

Nick took Raeliana in front of the mirror and pointed at the dark shadow below her eyes.

“Oh, it must be those all-nighters I pulled to study.”

“Come here. I’ll cover it like magic with concealers. My goodness, your skin is rough, too. All-nighters are the archenemies of beauty. You can’t look so tired when you’re going to be a new bride soon. But don’t worry. With Nick’s magic hands, your skin will be reborn as smooth as porcelain!”

He flapped both hands as if motioning a sparkle.

“Oh…”

Raeliana gulped.

Can I trust him?

Nick Maddocks seemed like he was a result of Noah’s mean pranks.

Of course, the duke was sane and wouldn’t do anything to hurt his reputation, but…

Concerned as to whether she would make a debut looking like a clown made by Nick, Raeliana let the man lead her to the vanity table.

Nick lifted his own professional makeup kit box brought in moments later by the maids. Then he began to lay out the makeup tools on the table.

After checking the makeup products, brushes, and such, with a very professional touch, he began to doll up her face.

After busying himself with puffs and sponges for various facial parts, Nick soon relaxed his face and asked Raeliana.

“You do it like this, and ta-da! How does it look?”

Raeliana saw herself in the mirror and let out a surprised wow.

“Oh, my. Monsieur Nick…!”

“Just call me Nick.”

“Nick… what have you done to my skin?”

As if unable to believe what she was seeing, Raeliana examined her face in the mirror from different angles.

Raeliana’s face in the mirror looked like smooth porcelain as the man had promised. The base was flawless with no visible pore at sight no matter how closely she looked in the mirror.

Smiling at his satisfied client, Nick spoke.

“Trust me and I’ll make you the perfect star of tonight’s ball, baby.”

Raeliana rebuked herself for judging the man by his looks and nodded fervently.

Nick organized the maids to bring up an enormous number of dresses and jewels. Then, he chatted with Raeliana while looking for items that did not deviate from the current society’s trends.

With Nick’s experienced leadership, the preparation finished quicker than expected.

Raeliana stood in the middle of the room like a mannequin and let herself be led by the maids, raising her head or moving her arms when asked.

The dress Nick had chosen for Raeliana revealed her shoulders with fabric clinging tightly from her breasts to thighs to emphasize her figure and spread out luxuriously below.

In addition, it had a unique design with a transparent veil covering the whole figure, emphasizing the feminine beauty.

“Wow…”

She had worn various dresses since becoming Raeliana McMillan, but never one like this.

Raeliana spun around once and exclaimed. The veil fluttered like a butterfly’s wings as she moved.

Nick covered his mouth with both hands and showered her with praises.

“Oh my, oh my, oh my! I knew this would fit you perfectly!”

Raeliana laughed, saying that it was thanks to Nick that she got to try on such a beautiful dress.

Afterward, during the boring hours of filing her nails and masterfully braiding her hair, one by one, into a lady-like bun, Nick began a crash course on the essentials of social life.

“The most important thing you need to know for high society is how to smile. These days, there are two trendy ways of smiling. One is what you would call a ‘Noah Wynknight Style’ smile.”

Nick curled up his lips like Noah in a… gentlemanly way.

“It’s a smile that’s fair to everyone. But it means, ‘Are you talking words or gibberish?’ Only Noah Wynknight can use this so let’s move onto the next.”