Victor hovered his hands over Damien's face, enveloping him in a bright light of magical energy. A warm sensation pulsed through Damien's skin as the magic worked its way through, clearing away the lumps and acne and refining the pores until his face was as smooth as a baby's bottom.
"Huh, turns out you're not as ugly as I thought," Victor commented.
"Is it all done?"
"Yes, I'm all done. I believe this concludes our arrangement. Let's get back to what we ought to be doing."
Victor began by teaching Damien all the letters and how to write them properly using ink and a quill. To his surprise, Damien caught on quickly; all that was left was for him to practice on his own.
When his session with Victor concluded, he went to have lunch with Mariah. She was waiting for him in the garden, just as she had said. Sitting on a bench, she had two bowls of lunch she had prepared. Her face was one of shock when she caught sight of his appearance.
"Lucas? Is that really you? You look, um… really different. How'd you change so much in such a short time?"
"I asked Victor if he could clear my acne, and he was kind enough to help."
"Wow, I couldn't tell before, but you have such a cute face," she said, playfully pinching his cheeks.
"You're pretty gorgeous yourself, Miss Mariah. Your husband must be really lucky."
"M-My husband?" Her face turned a shade of pink as she waved her hands frantically. "Oh no, I'm not married at all! Who'd ever want to marry me?"
"Why not? I think you'd make a spectacular wife."
Mariah couldn't hide her embarrassment; her no-nonsense attitude vanished as her face turned the same shade as an apple. She fanned her face, trying to dispel the wild thoughts swirling in her mind.
"...Um, thank you," she finally said. "Here's the lunch I made. It's not much, but I hope you like it."
Damien accepted one of the bowls from Mariah, sat beside her, and began eating. "It's delicious," he commented, causing Mariah to break into a smile.
"I'm glad you like it."
The two of them sat together, enjoying the lunch she had prepared while admiring the beautiful garden in front of them. When they were finished Mariah packed up the bowls they used and went to finish her other duties.
As she left Edmond showed up in her place, he had a suspicious look on his face as he approached Damien.
"Come with me Lucas"
Without a word, Damien got up from the bench and followed Edmond. He led him to the white carriage he had traveled in before. Once they were both inside, Edmond signaled the carriage driver to start moving.
"We have a very important event this evening," Edmond began. "I'd like you to accompany me."
"May I ask why?"
"Drop the formality. Things will go more smoothly if we speak openly with one another."
"If that's what you want, then fine."
"The reason I decided to bring you along is that I think it will be a wonderful learning experience for you. Frankly, I want to see if I made the right choice by letting you into my home. This event is extremely important, and I expect you to carry yourself accordingly."
"I'm not really dressed for a fancy event."
"Don't worry about your attire; we'll pick up some clothes for you before we arrive."
After a few minutes, they arrived at an elegant clothing store. The owner, a short man with a slight slouch, warmly greeted Edmond as he stepped inside. They spoke to each other with an air of familiarity.
"What may I do for you today, Sir Edmond?"
"I'm looking for a nice suit for my attendant here. Do you have anything that might fit nicely?"
The shopkeeper quickly shifted his focus to Damien and began to examine him. He circled around Damien with a serious look on his face, his hand resting on his chin. After finishing his assessment, he turned his attention back to Edmond.
"I have something that will do quite nicely!" the shopkeeper proclaimed, then rushed off into another room. The sound of objects clattering could be heard from within.
A few moments later, he returned, holding a grey fitted jacket, a huge grin plastered across his face as he handed it to Edmond. The jacket featured intricate embroidery of a yellow flower with red petals and decorative buttons.
It was paired with knee-length white breeches and topped off with a dark velvet cloak.
Edmond nodded in approval as he examined the clothes. He promptly handed them to Damien, who went to change his attire and returned a short while later.
Afterward, they returned to the carriage and set off for the event they were supposed to attend.
"Tell me something Lucas, how'd you convince Victor to heal your face"
"I offered him something he couldn't refuse"
"You mean the secret to fish oil. I must extend my gratitude to you Lucas, this gift will do nicely for me. Though its a bit frustrating how much trouble I went through to get it-having to marry that girl that is"
"You mean Felicia? The two of you make a wonderful couple. The love between you seems to brighten up the whole mansion."
"You do say the strangest things sometimes, Lucas. I'm sure that's the quality that irritates Victor the most. I can picture the two of you fighting like cats and dogs. By the way, how's your training coming along? I've been hearing some murmurs about you."
"You're referring to my training with Dunken this morning. I really must thank him; he put in a lot of effort to help me learn."
"I'm sure he must have. From what I heard, he nearly beat you to death. Well, anyway, I'm glad to see that you're doing well."
A few hours later, as night fell, their carriage pulled up outside a large gate. It took another fifteen minutes for them to arrive in front of an impressive mansion, with guards posted outside. A young boy, no more than fourteen years old, greeted them and escorted them inside.
But what really caught Damien by surprise, was the pair of cat ears dangling on the boy's head.