“Ariel, if I have upset you, I apologise.”

Ariel’s eyes widened slightly. She hadn’t expected an apology. 

It was surprising. Almost startling. 

Who was this man that the Duchess would lower her pride and apologise to her? 

But the confusion was brief and Ariel replied calmly. 

“No, it’s all right. I am the uninvited guest after all… I’ll leave now.” 

She wanted to end the situation here. 

Although it wasn’t her intention, she had prevented the rumour from causing a scene, and there was no point in upsetting the Duchess any further. 

However, the response to her words came from an unexpected source. 

“That’s a good idea. This party was getting boring anyway. Let’s go, Lady.” 

Ariel’s eyes widened as she turned to face the man. His words sounded as if he was suggesting that they leave together. 

And just to make sure she hadn’t misunderstood, the man actually held out his hand. 

“No…” 

Ariel hesitated, trying to back away from him, but the man whispered quietly. 

“If you leave with me, a new gossip about the Blanté Marquis family will spread through high society.” 

It would be the kind of gossip that would overshadow the death of the Blanté Marquis. 

His words sank into Ariel’s heart and her emerald eyes flickered. He was right. 

The mysterious man who had defied the Duchess of Viasteus. And the daughter of the Blanté Marquis who was leaving with him.

It was the kind of story high society would love. 

The label of being abandoned by Kylance… would probably fade a bit. 

So holding this man’s hand was the better choice. 

With unwavering emerald eyes, Ariel stared at him and took his hand. 

She could hear the nobles murmuring in the background. 

“Yes. Sounds good.” 

Undisturbed by the whispers, Ariel left the banquet hall with the man. 

It was as if no one – neither the Duchess of Viasteus, nor Cier, nor any of the other nobles – were even there. 

So the Duke’s former fiancée, the daughter of the Marquis de Blanté, left the party, and as the man had predicted, the nobles couldn’t contain their excitement at the new gossip. 

Who was this mysterious gentleman, and what was his connection with the daughter of the Marquis de Blanté? 

With all eyes on Ariel Blanté, as if she were the star of the evening, the Duchess of Viasteus quietly left the room. 

Her face remained fixed and expressionless. 

* * *

In the carriage of the Blanté Marquis, the number of passengers had increased by one since the carriage had left the Marquis de Blanté’s estate. 

The mysterious man who had stirred up the party at the Bayern estate was now sitting opposite Ariel, gazing at his watch with a deeply thoughtful expression. 

Watching him with narrowed eyes, Ariel thought about what he had said. 

More specifically, she remembered the moment they had left the party together. As soon as they had left the party hall, she had spoken to him. 

“Thank you for your help.” 

Regardless of his unknown status, Ariel’s gratitude was genuine. Without him, she wouldn’t have been able to leave the party in one piece. 

Although she was curious about the man’s identity, she didn’t ask. He seemed intent on keeping it a secret, and she felt that not inquiring further was the only way she could repay him. 

So Ariel planned to just thank him and leave. 

But then the man said something strange with a cheerful smile. 

“Haha, no need for formalities. I actually had fun. I felt like the hero of a romance novel… Anyway, you don’t need to be so polite. Especially you, Lady Blanté. I owe you a great debt.” 

“A debt?” 

“We’re not meeting for the first time, are we?” 

Ariel repeated the question slowly, swallowing the rest of her words. The second question would have been an inquiry into his identity, something she was trying to avoid. But his words had given Ariel certainty. 

Ariel realised that it wasn’t a mistake to feel as if she had heard the man’s voice before. 

Who could it be?

As her suspicions grew, the man smiled enigmatically and spoke again.

“By the way, this pocket watch has a big crack in it. I can fix it, would you like me to?”

Ariel looked at the watch in his hand with a sombre expression.

“I appreciate the offer, but… this pocket watch is not like an ordinary one. A watchmaker can’t fix it. It has a magic circle engraved on it. I believe its fate ends here.”

As Ariel gave a bittersweet smile, the man took a deep breath and ran his fingers over the cracked part of the watch.

“If its fate hasn’t ended, then…?”

“Excuse me?”

“Lady, do you happen to know what the magic circle engraved on this pocket watch is?”

The man asked with an intriguing smile.

Ariel answered slowly.

“I am too old to know the details, but… I’ve heard that even without a watchmaker, the magic circle was engraved to keep the hands of the watch turning forever”.

“That is true. But that’s not all.”

“Not everything…?”

“Yes. This pocket watch has a magic circle engraved on it that you can’t even imagine. If it were to be thrown away, it would be a great loss to the magical world.”

“A great loss…? I think you’re wrong…”

The man cut Ariel off with a hard stare.

“Lady, I never make mistakes or misjudgments when it comes to magic. The consequences of failed magic are far greater than you think.”

Ariel couldn’t answer. For a moment, the man seemed a formidable beast – an overwhelming presence she could never hope to challenge. 

But the man quickly controlled his energy and smiled again. 

“Anyway, I can fix this. If you let me repair the clock, I’ll also reveal the true magic circle engraved on it and tell you who I am.” 

“You’re curious, aren’t you, lady?” 

The man winked and Ariel, with a slightly uncomfortable expression on her face, reluctantly agreed to his offer. 

Just then she noticed a silhouette leaving the party and quickly getting into the carriage. Somehow she took the man who had been staring at her from behind with her.

She felt there was no advantage in revealing her connection to him to the others, so without giving it much thought, she allowed him to get into the carriage with her.

That was how things had come to this point. 

She hadn’t fully processed everything at the time, but to sum up what the man had said: 

What she thought was just an ordinary pocket watch enchanted with ordinary magic turned out to be an ancient magical timepiece. And the man had the ability to repair it. 

This meant that the man was a mage. More specifically, he was most likely a high-level mage, probably from the upper circles. Ordinary mage couldn’t repair a timepiece with such powerful ancient magic. 

If he was indeed a high-level mage then it made sense why the Duchess of Viasteus had acted so unusually. 

When mage awaken to the 2nd Circle or higher, most renounce their nationality and register with the Mage Tower.

The Mage Tower was an independent institution, unaffiliated with any nation on the continent.

In the early days, when the continent was being formed and the great wars were ravaging it, the mage, having witnessed the devastation wrought by their powerful magic, made pacts with the kings of the various kingdoms.

The Mage Tower, while remaining independent of any particular nation, had sworn an oath not to become involved in any of the continent’s wars, nor could the mage become involved in the political struggles of any country.

This oath allowed the mage to retain their freedom, ensuring that they could continue their research under the protection of the Mage Tower, while also accepting small commissions from various nations. They enjoyed many privileges while dedicating themselves to the study of magic.

As a result, most mage, unless they were of high noble or royal blood, renounced their nationalities and took refuge in the Mage Tower.

However, this didn’t mean that mage could treat nobles lightly.

Most mage, even when accepting commissions from different nations, still adhered to the protocols and etiquette appropriate to their social standing.

The only exception to this rule were the High Circle Mage.

Those who had reached the 7th Circle and above, the High Circles of Magic.

There were less than twenty High Circle Mage in the entire vast continent.

The demand for their skills was overwhelming.

As a result, High Circle Mage naturally became proud and reclusive.

Wherever they went, they were treated with the same respect as high-ranking nobles, and inevitably learned the refined manners and grace typical of royalty.

And Ariel had sensed this from the first moment she saw the man.

His clothes were ordinary, but his formal speech and the noble grace he carried with him didn’t match at all.

So it seemed likely that the man before her was indeed a high level mage, but there was still one thing that prevented her from confirming it.

She had never had contact with mage of the 7th Circle or higher.

Yet this man knew her. He even mentioned that he owed her a great debt…

Even if the man had magically changed his appearance, Ariel had never been involved with magic enough to owe a High Circle mage a debt.

So… had he lied?

Was he, in fact, not a high-ranking magician, but an impostor trying to steal the Marquis’ watch?

Then there was the matter of the Duchess of Viasteus.

“My lady, I never make mistakes or misjudgements when it comes to magic. The consequences of failed magic are far greater than you think.”

The man’s gaze was unwavering as he said this, without a hint of doubt.

It didn’t seem like a lie. An impostor or a mage… which was it?

Ariel narrowed her eyes and studied the man. Suddenly he lifted his eyes from the pocket watch he had been staring at.