Northern, however, beamed with a smile.

'Sweet.'

This was not Earth, and he was not here with his peers. As far as it didn't come to bite him in the back, he was just going to do whatever was good for him and his people.

Even if it does come to bite him in the back... as a Daemon, he now had skin as tough as jade, you see.

Northern opened a section of the wardrobe and brought out a linen bag containing a neat blue outfit. This was something Roma had sent his way for him to don in order to appear before her mother.

Personally, he felt there was no need for this, but since it was only expected courtesy, he saw no harm in trying.

So, he began to navigate his way into the arrangement of clothes.

He wore a tailored deep-blue coat cut long in the back, its fabric heavy and dark, embroidered with intricate gold patterns along the lapels, cuffs, and hem. Beneath it sat a fitted vest and a high-collared shirt fastened with a rich blue cravat, held in place by a small gold clasp. Black trousers fell clean and narrow into polished boots, while black gloves covered his hands. A thin gold chain hung at his waist, ending in a single blue gem.

The outfit was formal, deliberate, and unmistakably aristocratic—made for someone who expected to be seen and obeyed.

It was not the kind of thing Northern was used to wearing. But in combination with his long white hair that fell roughly over his face and his radiant blue eyes, it was a flawless match.

He was flawlessly handsome.

Northern pulled away from the wardrobe when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in."

He granted permission for whoever wanted to enter, and the door immediately opened.

The person who entered was his mother. As Eisha stepped into the room and Northern turned, she froze in place and her eyes widened.

"Ohh... astonishing."

Northern smiled as she came closer. She gently ran her hand over the crisp chest of the coat and looked him in the eye with a beautiful smile on her face.

"You look astonishing."

Northern couldn't help the smile that graced his lips. But almost immediately, a slight frown of worry appeared on Eisha's face that made him grow confused.

She was inspecting his hair with a squint in her eyes. Then she shook her head.

"No, no, something is not right here. Give me a moment." She quickly pulled away from him, shouting as she ran out, "Wait there, okay?!"

Northern was left standing with a strange confusion etched on his face.

He stood there, funnily enough, and waited for his mother. In a jiffy, she was back. She looked like she had run across the stairs and back—she sweated slightly but was not short on breath.

Instead of explaining, she produced a strange brown antique-looking comb and a pair of silver scissors, smiling.

Then she fixed Northern with a frown.

"Surely, you aren't going to see the King and sick Queen with that hair, right?"

Northern looked up like he could see his own hair from his vantage point.

"There's nothing wrong with my hair?" He said it defensively, but the defense sounded unsure of itself.

Eisha fixed her gaze on his hair.

"Oh, dear, everything is wrong with that hair. Take a seat." She gestured to the wooden chair at the foot of Northern's large bed.

He sat down, and she came close to him. He could smell a soft wooden scent from her—subtly sharp, and not unpleasant.

She combed through his hair and began to weave some tricks through it that made him rather sleepy. It was quite dangerous, considering he hadn't slept all night.

In fact, he might have lost himself to a few seconds—or minutes?—of dozing before Eisha stopped and his eyes flickered open.

She stepped back with a prideful smile.

"There, much better."

She glanced around.

"Stars, is there a mirror around here?"

Northern shook his head. "I don't think so..."

'There could be, though. Tower of Trammel had mirrors.'

"Ah, nevermind." Eisha was already conjuring something in her hands.

Northern looked at it, intrigued. It was water, swirling and circling in her palms. Seeing it, he waited for a copy message from Aoi.

But there was none.

'It's not a talent... most likely Spell art.'

The water solidified with a reflective surface, feeding his dashing face back to him.

"Oh... ah..."

Northern, in fact, was speechless. Never in the two worlds he had been in had he ever set eyes on someone so handsome.

[...]

His snow-white hair had been neatly arranged, falling just behind his nape, with the ends tapering softly instead of cutting off bluntly. The texture was fine but full, giving it a light, airy volume rather than heaviness. Nothing stiff or over-styled—it was the kind of hair that flowed freely despite its shape.

The center parting on his forehead was deliberately made loose and imperfect, slightly off-center in fact. A few longer strands slipped forward over his forehead, framing his face without obscuring it.

Eisha had made those front pieces thinner and deliberate, adding elegance instead of mess.

"Wow... this is so nice, Mom."

Eisha stood arms akimbo with a smug expression on her face.

"Have you forgotten I did yours and your father's hair growing up?"

Northern indeed remembered, but this was slightly different. Back then, he was just a child. And Shin had very short hair—black and undecorative.

It couldn't be compared to his ethereal, snow-white hair.

He smiled once again, unable to truly tear his eyes away from his magnificence.

'Incredible what good styling can do for someone already this good-looking.'

"Haha... I've never looked this handsome."

Eisha smiled.

"You have. Always, the whole time."

Northern paused for a moment to look at her.

'Of course, that's how she sees me.'

He raised a brow. "What about you, though?"

She spread her arms readily.

"I'm all set. Apparently, you're the only one who gets to have a new dress. Was it the princess?" She teased, giving him a knowing smirk, at the same time letting the improvised mirror dissolve into water.

"Oh, Mom, please..." Northern stood up and walked out. She followed.

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