Despite the distance, the magnolia turned its head towards me as if it heard my words. Our eyes unexpectedly met, but I didn’t avoid the gaze.

After staring at each other for a while, we both spoke simultaneously.

“Stay there.”

“Please stay there.”

The guys were sneaking away, but when we called them, the two of them abruptly froze.

No, they were about to attack.

“Ah!”

“What is this!”

As the magnolia casually waved his hand, a silvery rope appeared and tightly bound the two.

Perhaps they thought a rope suddenly appeared in the air, but through my eyes that could perceive the flow of magic, a completely different scene unfolded.

At first, sea-colored light particles flew up. Then, the light particles rapidly intertwined to create a single form.

‘Beautiful. It’s the manifestation of magic without even casting a spell. It’s evidence that he has reached a level of mastery.’

In this era, half of the magicians were swindlers, and the other half were mere tricksters.

However, fate allowed true magic to one bloodline.

They were called by various names.

The heir of a forgotten era, the guardian of magic. Or… the descendant of a dragon.

Any name used to refer to them would suffice.

By now, I had figured out the identity of the magnolia.

‘The Silver Roses, a family guarding the northern part of Nix.’

But why is the Duke of the North on my ship?

“Aren’t you surprised, my lady?”

“Should I be surprised? No, right?”

Ah, it’s really hard to be polite.

No matter how hard I try, it doesn’t stick.

While I was struggling with that, the magnolia, who had forcibly teleported the two guys, approached me step by step.

“Aren’t you afraid of me? I use unknown powers.”

Uh, I know that power.

I couldn’t say that, so I just nodded my head. Then, feeling like I was being too casual, I added some compliments in a polite tone befitting a maid.

“You were so beautiful… really.”

“……..”

“Seriously. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a beautiful magic.”

Suddenly, the magnolia, who had been silent, blushed and turned into a pink magnolia.

“No way… Did you see through the essence of magic?”

With a look as if sugar crystals and cherry syrup had just fallen into it, the Duke of the North stammered a bit more.

I looked into his eyes, moist like the sea, and nodded my head again.

“Just before the sea-colored light particles formed a shape, they were dyed faintly like foam, and that was beautiful too.”

“How…!”

As if he were about to faint from surprise, he opened his eyes wide.

I shrugged and thought hard.

Ah, what was the name of the Duke of the North that suited that face, had a soft pronunciation?

But how ironic.

Magic that should have left no trace remained in the Silver Roses family due to the law of balance.
“There are Sun Deity’s descendants in the desert, so it was necessary to have a bloodline of equal weight in the northern part of Nix.”

If one side becomes excessively light, the world turns upside down.

The law of causality hoped for symmetry in the world and wanted the flow of power to be balanced.

So… to put it bluntly, Merem and Iza were like a double-sided mirror.

“My name is Shailo Silverrose.”

As I struggled to remember his name, he introduced himself.

Shailo.

A smoothly flowing name without any bothersome pronunciation.

I murmured, “Shailo,” finding it quite appealing, and this time, he blushed up to his ears.

“Um, may I ask for the lady’s name?”

“Arti.”

“Ah, it’s Lady Arti!”

Why Shailo found that so delightful, I couldn’t comprehend.

In his joyful laughter, I momentarily became dazed.

‘Is this a scam?’

His charming smile, like a small blooming magnolia flower, was truly a national treasure.

It was so perfect that I couldn’t help but be suspicious, thinking it might be okay to fall in love.

Did Belifor have a deal with the Silverrose Duke?

To write a beauty contest?

“It’s already lunchtime. If it’s not too much trouble, may I invite Lady Arti to lunch?”

“I’m just a maid.”

“Just a maid? Maids are excellent professionals. Without maids, the mansion wouldn’t run smoothly. You should take pride in yourself.”

“……?”

Did he usually speak this well?

It was quite different from Merem. He wasn’t talkative under any circumstances. He seemed somewhat taciturn.

However, the Silverrose Duke… his eloquence was remarkable.

As expected of a duke, he not only knew how to lead but also had no hesitation.

“How about it, Lady Arti? The restaurant below had delicious salmon pappiot.”

“Um, sure…”

I need to find out why he’s on my ship, so I might as well have a meal together.

When I agreed, the Silverrose Duke, genuinely pleased, shyly smiled and extended his arm. It seemed like he was offering to escort me, a mere maid.

“You’re kind.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s my pleasure to accompany a lady.”

“To call me a lady… in this attire, huh?”

“What does attire have to do with it?”

Pointing at my simple maid outfit, the Silverrose Duke squinted his eyes and gave me a polite smile.

It truly meant that he didn’t care about my appearance.