After an hour, someone enters the Drummond clothing store. *Ding Ding* echoes the bell, and the receptionist appears with a soft smile.
Upon seeing that person, the girl can only think of one thing, 'Another???' She's shocked to see a woman remove her hood, revealing a face as striking as Arthur's.
That is Aria, naturally, and she flashes a mysterious smile at the surprised receptionist, "Where's the owner?"
"I... I..." The girl is at a loss for words. 'Who the heck are these people?'
Aria's gaze sharpens, sending her into panic, but then a voice comes from the back of the store. "I'm here," That's Josephine speaking in a calm tone as she approaches and smiles gently at Aria. "You must be Arthur's mother, right?"
"What gave me away? Fufufu~" Aria giggles charmingly, causing Josephine's eyes to sparkle.
"You two are the most interesting people I've ever seen in my entire life, so I'm truly curious to know more about you, but before..." Josephine casts a stern glance at the receptionist, who runs off to the back of the store.
"Well," The cunning lady returns her focus to Aria. "I wanted to apologize for the offense committed against Arthur and Margaret in my store; I know that's my-"
"Cut the crap," Aria speaks in a cold tone, and her eyes begin to glow with dark grey sparkles. "I can't blame you for a noble trying to attack Margaret; the girl has such an appearance even without a noble lineage, surely a thorn in the heart of any spoiled young lady who meets her..."
Josephine can hardly grasp Aria's words as her body is paralyzed, even breathing seems difficult. 'What a powerful aura!?! Is she a Master Mage?? This is insane...'
Aria only releases a bit of her aura, ensuring the pressure doesn't immediately overwhelm the elderly lady. Yet, she maintains an unyielding gaze as she circles Josephine. "Imagine my surprise when my son told me about his new friend... an old noblewoman who's dragged him into some sort of political game..."
"No..." Josephine has to use all the power of her cultivation of the eighth grade of the Elite Rank, as well as all her determination, just to murmur a few words. "This isn't what it seems..."
"Oh~?" Aria raises an eyebrow. "You didn't devise a plan to have him face the city's most powerful young nobles? Maybe I entered the wrong shop..."
"Well..." Josephine tries to appear as honest as possible. "After what happened, I only had two choices: send Arthur away from my shop and pretend the problem wasn't mine... or create a situation where he could become untouchable publicly."
"Untouchable?" Aria contains her aura, allowing Josephine to breathe again.
"That... that was insane," Josephine comments, exhausted, yet her expression remains honest and friendly. "Let me explain; as things were going, I imagined Arthur would end up in a death match with Dmitri, and even if he won, it would only cause most of Lakeview's nobles to band against him..."
Aria listens as Josephine quickly speaks. "Nobles easily unite against any threat, but what they value most is the reputation of their families, which keeps business functioning here. If Arthur slaps them all in the face by beating their pompous sons, no one will be able to attack him without destroying their families' reputations."
"Your Mother? I'm curious to meet her," Oliver comments in a casual tone as he follows Arthur into the store. 'Is she's a crazy old lady like my mom?'
Entering the store and seeing Josephine tailoring a dress on Aria, Oliver realizes how wrong his thought was. 'Oh my goddess, is she... a goddess herself!?'
Arthur sees Oliver get mesmerized by Aria's beauty, 'I can't blame him... but this...' Even though he finds Oliver to be a cool guy, Arthur feels a possessive desire grow in his heart and can't help but say something. "You gonna start drooling?"
"Oh, shit!" Oliver looks at Arthur with a funny and apologetic expression. "Damn, man, your mom looks out of this world! I thought you inherited beauty from several generations combined, but it turns out you just needed her genes."
Despite the praise, Oliver knows that Aria is out of his range, not just because she is so unbelievably beautiful, but because he wants to have Arthur as his friend. 'I better not look at her again...'
Arthur just shakes his head. He doesn't know how to deal with the fact that no man can avoid being attracted to Aria and confides in the only one who understands his deep feelings: Nyx. 'Is it normal to feel this way?'
'I guess so; nobody likes to see others gazing lustfully at their mother... especially...' Nyx falls silent, leaving Arthur with his own thoughts.
Aria sees Arthur looking at her with a thoughtful expression, then she smiles while showing off her new dress, a red with golden details. "What do you think, baby? Doesn't Mommy look elegant in this? Fufufu~"
"Of course, Mom," Arthur's eyes shine as he looks at his mother. "You look beautiful."
As Aria and Arthur smile, Oliver exchanges glances with Josephine; the old lady seems to miss something, but her son feels embarrassed even thinking about acting that way.
"We have to go," Oliver taps Arthur's shoulder friendly. "Let the women choose clothes, I bet they'll spend the rest of the day on it. We, on the other hand, have to prepare for the fight."
"Alright," Arthur bids farewell to his three ladies with distinct kisses, making Oliver and his mother feel a bit of harmless envy.
Then, the two leave the store and walk toward the Drummond mansion. Along the way, everyone casts curious glances at them and comments on the dispute between noble families.
In just a few seconds, the duo arrives in front of a grand manor with darkened stone walls adorned with glowing lichens and various types of flowers as charming ornaments; the roof appears to be an artwork made with varnished wood and dark green clay tiles.
The house has four floors and dozens of luxurious glass windows all around. Arthur can see magical and normal lights through the windows and hears the noise of many people inside, mostly servants, working hard to create a great banquet.
"This is my humble home," Oliver speaks proudly and pulls Arthur by the shoulder. "Come on, the others are waiting for us in the backyard."
Arthur follows the excited Oliver, caught up in the young man's mood. For him, it's refreshing to be around someone other than his family who doesn't stare at his face all the time. 'Is this what having a friend feels like?'