Saved By The Mad Duke

The sudden appearance of Ahspid made the women fall silent, creating a somewhat uncomfortable atmosphere inside the reading room.

The mage, clearly disappointed by such a cold and unenthusiastic greeting, leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms in front of his chest. His sparkling purple eyes slowly glided over each woman, one by one, like a predator examining which prey he wanted to attack first.

"Will you look at that... He has more jewellry on him every day than on our lady..."

Safie murmured those words under her breath, but Aideen’s keen hearing still caught them. Bella, too, looked the magus up and down with her big curious eyes and whispered,

"Indeed, he does seem to accessorize a lot. Just like a woman."

Unfazed by the maids’ judgmental remarks, Ahspid quickly fixed his silver and golden rings on every single finger as if to make sure that they were visible to others. With a theatrical flair, he nearly leaped into the armchair beside Aideen, his long red earrings catching the flickering orange reflections of the fireplace.

He snapped his fingers, prompting Safie to release a short shriek as the book she had been holding soared into the air, landing seamlessly in the mage’s hands.

The man offered the startled maid a wide grin, then shifted his purple eyes to the book and read aloud,

"The Mysterious Fairytales Of The North... Ha! Boring!"