The room was rather small for someone of a duke's status, but it belonged to Aaron. Despite its size, it looked expensive. The walls were coated in marble, with glowing green and purple stones embedded at intervals. The ceiling was painted entirely green, lacking any notable design. The bed lay beside the window, which was open at the moment. Both the bed frame and mattress were white, complemented by purple pillows and a matching blanket. A purple nightstand stood on the side opposite the window. It was completely empty, as were its drawers. Everything in the room looked untouched, almost like a showroom rather than a lived-in space.
There was also a table and a chair along the wall opposite the bed. The chair was wooden, decorated with purple marble inlays, and neatly tucked beneath the table—which was also bare.
Aaron walked to the table beside his bed and placed his grimoire on it. Just as he was about to head to bed, something caught his eye: a strand of black hair lying on the mattress. Not one or two, but not many either—just enough to be noticeable.
"My mother has silver hair, and my father has purple. It can't be mine—I have white hair," Aaron muttered, puzzled. "Who else even lives in this house? I'll ask Sutella."
He stepped out of his room, holding the strand of hair between his fingers. As he exited, Sutella happened to be passing by. She saw the hair and instantly recognized it. It was hers.
"Did I get caught?" she thought, her face turning red as a cherry.
Aaron's eyes locked onto hers. Instantly, it clicked.
"Sutella," he said, his voice calm but tinged with curiosity.
Sutella quickly composed herself, trying to mask her reaction.
"I'm sorry if your room wasn't cleaned properly, young master," she said, her tone forced into formality.
"Nah, it's fine. I'll handle it myself," Aaron replied with a suspicious smile. "Anyway, do you know whose hair this is?"
"That smile… That tone… Did he figure it out?" Sutella's thoughts raced. "I made sure to remove my scent, but is that even enough for him now? He used to be so dense… but something about him has changed. Why?"
"Not ringing any bells here," she said casually.
"Who am I even fooling anymore?" she sighed internally.
Aaron seemed to study her for a moment, then offered a soft smile. "Alright then. I'm heading to bed. Have a lovely night."
That last line made her cheeks flush once more.
"Lovely night? That was flirting! He knows it was my hair... But why let it slide like that? Is he okay with me sleeping in his bed? He doesn't use it often, but still..." she thought, her heart pounding.
Aaron sat at the desk, the grimoire open before him.
"Ah, maybe it's finally time to learn some spells," he said. "Dark mage, huh? Sounds pretty cool."
He flipped to the first spell—a barrier spell.
"Alright, it says I need to surround myself with mana—either mine or from nature. That part's easy. Next, I have to harden the mana. Several methods are listed... The first one is… turning it into liquid plasma? What the hell is that? Definitely skipping that."
He scanned the page.
"The next method is concentrating it more and more until it forms a pure mana wall. That sounds doable."
His eyes landed on a caution note.
CAUTION: ONLY ATTEMPT IF YOU HAVE A LARGE MANA RESERVE.
Aaron grinned. "I've got that covered. Being a duke does have its perks."
He closed the book, walked to the window—and without hesitation—leapt through it, landing atop the marble fountain below. The impact cracked the structure.
"Oops. Gotta be more careful next time," he said, as casually as if he'd just knocked over a cup.
"Alright, first step—concentrate your mana!"
A thick, dark mist began to gather around him like a cloak, swirling as it wrapped around his body.
Meanwhile, Sutella was strolling through a hallway inside the mansion. She stopped by a window to admire the moonlight, when her eyes caught the strange black mist below. A few white hairs were still visible within the haze.
"That must be Aaron. What's he up to now?" she murmured. She leaned against the window, resting her chin on her hand. The moonlight shimmered on her sleek black hair.
"Concentrate… concentrate…" Aaron muttered, focusing harder.
At last, the mist solidified into a dome-like cloak, completely surrounding him. It was opaque from the outside, but Aaron could see everything clearly from within. It was breathable and stable.
"That should be enough for today. I'm exhausted," he said, cancelling the spell. The mist sank into the ground and dispersed like smoke.
As the cloak faded, the first thing—or rather, the first person—he saw was Sutella watching from the window. Their eyes met. Her face turned scarlet.
"He saw me! He probably thinks I was watching him the entire time!" she panicked and dashed away.
Aaron scratched his head. "What's up with her tonight?"
He returned to his room and collapsed onto the bed. As he sank into the mattress, a familiar scent reached his nose.
"It smells like someone's been here… Lavender? That's her conditioner, isn't it? So it was her hair after all." He smiled. "Not a bad smell. I like it."
He snuggled into the blanket, the faint scent still lingering, and drifted off to sleep.