Chapter 380
The Duke’s eyes sharpened slightly as he observed Michael’s subtle fidget, the glance that lingered too long on the floor.
With a faint tilt of the head, he spoke again—calmly, but with unmistakable weight.
“You seem uncomfortable, Mic Nor. Tell me—do you have an issue with the idea of being with my daughter?”
Michael froze.
The question was asked without malice, almost gently, but there was steel hidden behind the soft voice—curiosity sharpened by authority.
Michael’s instincts told him not to say anything foolish. He couldn’t exactly reply with what he was thinking.
That he didn’t want to be tangled in anything remotely close to marriage right now.
He hesitated, trying to find a polite deflection, but before he could speak, the tall doors to the hall creaked open once more.
A light patter of footsteps echoed as someone stepped in.
Michael turned.
The first thing he saw was sunlight catching in hair the color of spun gold.
A girl walked briskly into the hall, dressed in a soft sea-blue dress embroidered with silver thread that shimmered faintly. It seemed to be a special material
The girl couldn’t have been more than seventeen.
Her features were delicate and noble, yet carried a youthful vitality.
Her long hair swayed gently with each step, tied loosely at the ends with a silver ribbon. Her eyes—clear, vibrant—sparkled like moonlit lakes, and her skin was like polished ivory.
Even by the impossible standards of noble beauty, she stood out.
She stopped at the door, curtsied lightly in Michael’s direction, then brightened.
“Father!” she said, her voice ringing like a bell.
Before Michael could react, she darted forward and practically skipped across the room toward the Duke.
Michael blinked.
The Duke’s expression softened just a touch as the girl approached. She came to a graceful halt beside him and leaned slightly on the armrest of his chair, her presence like sunlight in an otherwise tense chamber.
“I’ve been waiting all morning,” she said. “You said my Flame Lion would be here today. When is it coming?”
Michael’s eyes widened.
Flame Lion?
That was a beast he was very familiar with. He’d killed one before—and not long ago. In fact, he still had it. As part of his undead legion.
He studied the girl more closely now.
She didn’t seem to notice him staring, already turned back to the Duke with a childish pout blooming on her lips.
Michael resisted the urge to rub his temples.
He discreetly activated {Detect}.
However, the moment Michael activated the skill, his previously expressionless face, twisted in mild surprise.
The Duke gave his daughter a faint smile and raised a hand, brushing her golden hair gently. “It will arrive today, Arianne. I’ve already made arrangements.”
She lit up instantly. “Thank you!”
Then she turned again, this time giving Michael a better look. Her expression was polite, curious—but not shy.
“You’re Mic Nor, right?” she said. “The one who won the tournament?”
Michael offered a careful nod. “Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss…?”
“Arianne.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Arianne.”
She smiled and was about to speak when the duke interrupted her.
The Duke gave a gentle wave of his hand. “Arianne, don’t disturb our meeting too long. Why don’t you wait elsewhere until your Flame Lion arrives? It shouldn’t be much longer.”
Arianne pouted just a little, but her father’s tone left little room for argument. With a graceful nod, she turned to Michael and curtsied again. “It was nice meeting you, Sir Mic Nor. I hope we’ll speak again soon.”
She didn’t wait for a reply. Instead, she offered her father a quick kiss on the cheek and practically twirled her way out of the room, leaving behind a faint scent of floral perfume and a silence that settled a bit too heavily in her absence.
Michael exhaled slowly as the doors closed behind her. The girl was charming, radiant even, but that wasn’t what had struck him.
It was what he’d seen..
“Now then,” the Duke’s voice cut softly through his thoughts, “you were about to answer my earlier question.”
Michael met the older man’s gaze, then smiled faintly—just enough to ease the tension.
“I hope this won’t offend you, Your Grace,” he said.
The Duke leaned back slightly, hands folded atop the carved wooden arms of his chair. “Go on.”
“It’s not that I’m against being with your daughter,” Michael said, speaking slowly, deliberately. “But if I were to be with someone, I’d want it to be mutual. I’d want her to choose me… not to have me forced into her life because of some reward or arrangement.”
The Duke’s gaze didn’t waver. But there was something thoughtful in the way his brow creased.
“Hmm,” he mused. “That’s… unexpectedly honest. And oddly noble.”
Michael gave a lopsided smile. “I suppose I’m just being cautious.”
The Duke’s lips curled ever so slightly. “So what do you propose then, Viscount Mic Nor?”
“I’d like to spend more time with her,” Michael replied, his voice firm. “Get to know her. Let her get to know me. If something comes from that, then fine. If not… at least no one was forced.”
For a few heartbeats, the Duke said nothing.
Then he let out a soft chuckle. “You’re a strange one.”
The Duke would have been a fool not to notice that something had shifted in Michael’s demeanor—but what he assumed was the cause was, unfortunately, incorrect.
In his mind, Michael had likely been swayed by Arianne’s appearance. She was beautiful, after all. Stunning, even. It wouldn’t be strange for a young man to fall in love at first sight—at least, that’s what the Duke believed.
But he was wrong.
Not about Michael appreciating his daughter’s beauty—that much was true.
Just… not in the way he imagined.
Michael said nothing.
There was a reason for his change of mind.
A moment ago when Michael had used Detect on Arianne, he saw something that immediately got his attention.
[Beast Tamer LV 14]