"To the dining hall then"
Without another word, Mize drifted toward the door, his movement soundless.
Like a gentle feather that was slowly drifting in the air, graceful and also seductive.
Especially at those intervals of turns and twists around the doors, the curve of the body was vividly actuated, the tight bearing against the skin clamped tightly, revealing the subtle, heavenly shape that would drive every man into insanity.
The faint glow of his halo cast elongated shadows across the walls, a soft golden sheen blending into the dim interior.
And with the simplest twirl of his fingers, the door swung open, his eyes peering out, and it just so happened to be fateful to encounter the butler and the maids outside.
His eyes squinted, and a devilish thought occurred the second he saw them, 'Why not play around for a bit?' he mused.
Outside, the butler stood waiting, his posture straight, his hands neatly folded.
He had been prepared to speak the moment the door opened. But the words never left his mouth.
The moment the door opened, his face immediately flushed of colors in an instant.
His expression froze. His breath caught. And his eyes widened as if he had just witnessed something beyond human comprehension.
'This is?!'
His mouth fell open, yet no words came.
Behind him, the maids reacted the same way. Stiff, wide-eyed, and utterly shaken.
They were the same attendants assigned to Mize's affairs from yesterday, waiting patiently for Her Highness to awaken and begin the morning as usual.
But nothing about this was usual.
None of them had expected to witness something so surreal.
At the back, the guards flinched, their gloved hands instinctively tightening around their weapons.
And all of it, this chain reaction of shock, unfolded in the mere second the door had swung open.
Because the figure standing before them… was different.
The radiant being floating in front of them wasn't the same as before. Long cascading hair like a milky waterfall, waves after waves.
Eyes as deep as the crimson moon, ruby red as if it was forged under a million blood beads.
The body and the face exude the charm of purity and also possess the essence of the degraded divine.
Their breath hitched as her gaze flicked among them.
Then, a smile.
"Good morning, everyone."
The voice was smooth, light, and almost soothing in the way it reached them.
It was bizarre, even to the point that symbols and wing particles were flying around in the air.
The spell was broken.
Snapped!
The butler, the maids, even the guards behind them, all of them instantly bowed, deeper than they ever had before, lower than what was deemed necessary.
"We greet Her Majesty!"
"At ease"
Mize gave a simple wave, and an invisible ripple cut through the air.
The force lifted them gently from their deep bows.
For a moment, they stiffened, caught between instinct and command. And yet, none dared to lift their eyes.
They couldn't.
Each time their gazes so much as brushed against the figure before them, it was simply…
Breathtaking.
Angelic.
Seductive...
And finally.
Hch!
Some of the guards flinched, and a sudden forbidden thought abruptly came to their minds as their bodies jerked violently to it.
The rest of the guards weren't spared from this thought too.
Like a whisper of the devil, and yet there was no sound nor noise in the air.
All of them had the same sudden forbidden impulse that abruptly came out of nowhere!
'What if I could have my way with this being?'
'Bend her over the table! And lock her in the room for my twisted use!!'
!!!!
And to this thought, each one of them, women nor men, lowered their gaze deeper and deeper as they were seemingly trying to penetrate into the earth.
Such blasphemy towards Her Highness!
Why did they suddenly possess this unthinkable impulse!?
Their cheeks were red, hands clasped tightly to whatever they could hold the closest, and somehow their bodies began heating up from within.
Even the butler himself, the one standing the closest to Mize couldn't resist this strange feeling.
His eyes blinked once, it was red... A step forward was almost taken.
Then twice, the clarity kicked it, and with a swoosh of his body, his back pushed as he bowed the most ridiculous angle possible.
"Y-your Highness, it is great to see your presence this morning!" He gulped, and sweat emerged in dense beads over his forehead and his back.
'What level of charm is this!' He silently wailed within, his eyes were bulging and some other parts were also...
Bulging...
He swallowed, 'I barely hold it in, or else my career as a butler would definitely be ended!' He cursed and sighed.
It was close... So close that he had never felt this close to death just because of an encounter...
'Just looking felt like blasphemy and also forbidden!'
The guards averted their eyes entirely, bowing their heads again, their hearts caught in a delicate balance between awe and fear.
Even the butler hesitated before stepping forward, his gaze lowered, his voice carefully measured.
"Y-Your Highness…?"
"It is me."
Mize's response was clear, cutting through their confusion and doubt like a blade.
His eyes swept across them before continuing, "Do not be alarmed. I simply changed my appearance, but in essence, I am still the same"
"Ah… I see…"
The butler flinched, shifting uncomfortably, clearly still trying to process his feelings.
Mize could tell.
Their reactions were obvious, too obvious.
There was awe, fear, and also... Something taboo.
He inwardly grinned, his eyes squinted further as he gently floated down before the butler.
Then, he twisted his hand, reaching out under the stunned gaze of the innocent man.
Tap...
He lifted the butler's chin, and with a smile almost half saint-like and half devil, he inquired in a pious voice, "Say... "
Woosh!
It was a cold wind trailing down his back, the butler's brain almost short-circuited under this scene.
And the voice continued, seductive in the way that the words were pronounced bit by bit. "What do you think of me?"
"Y-your Highness!" And in time.
The butler reacted, his body rapidly retreating several steps away as Mize's hand finally freed the innocent soul from this torture.
"P-please, Your Highness." The butler tried forcing a smile, his breath ragged but hidden under the half-broken calm facade on the surface, "We will be guiding you to the dining hall as usual"
Mize then chuckled a low laugh from this, his eyes teasing and the subtle increase in the points column only deepened his joyous mood.
'Well… I scared him to his soul, no?' he cackled within. 'If only there were more high-quality men to be played with, then it wouldn't take long for me to become the most beautiful existence in the world'
He exhaled lightly, floating forward, the gentle light from his halo spilling into their vision.
"Do not be afraid," he reassured, his voice calm. "I am still myself."
"So please…" He gestured with a flick of his fingers. "Act as you normally would."
He didn't expect them to.
He knew mortals and how they reacted to the divine.
Awe, reverence, caution, fear.
Especially the divine of seduction and charm, fear would be the norm.
It was inevitable.
As expected, the maids and guards gave stiff, awkward nods, but none of them lifted their eyes from the floor.
Mize didn't mind.
These people were harmless to him.
Moving on, he waved his hand once more, effortlessly pulling the butler from his muddled thoughts.
"Where is Liam?"
"A-Ah! Yes, The Lord is at the dining hall, Your Highness," the butler stammered, struggling to string his words together. "He is awaiting your arrival"
"Understood", without another pause, he turned and floated away, his departure as silent as his arrival.
Behind him, the maids and guards remained frozen in place, eyes wide, expressions blank with lingering shock.
Even the butler reached out instinctively, only to hesitate mid-air before lowering his hand with a quiet sigh.
"…Are we even suitable to attend to Her Highness's needs anymore?" he muttered.
"It felt as if my soul was about to rip out of my chest"
"I suggest a change of service, we will need to consult with the head butler"
"No butlers nor any maids would be able to serve her! We might die from glances alone!"
And yet, none of them dared to speak of their hidden thoughts, each one passively averting their gazes from each other, ashamed of themselves.
Silence.
None of the maids or guards responded. But their once proud sense of duty had undoubtedly wavered.
Were they even worthy to serve someone like that?
Yet still.
"It is our duty nonetheless."
The butler straightened, casting a firm glance at those around him.
"Inform the others. Everyone in the castle must be made aware. No one is to utter anything blasphemous in Her Highness's name"
"And also... " He gave the people present a meaningful glance filled with worries, "from now on only women are allowed to meet Her Highness and serve her"
Meanwhile, Mize glided through the castle halls, moving swiftly toward the dining hall according to his memory.
He passed by numerous attendants and guards along the way.
Each and every one of them froze upon seeing him.
Some immediately dropped to their knees. Others stood paralyzed, their faces locked in expressions of utter disbelief.
And the moment he left their sight.
They remained in place, stunned for minutes before regaining themselves.
Without even meaning to, Mize had thrown the castle into disarray.
Not that he particularly cared.
As he moved, he made a mental connection.
"Titrus"
"Yes, My Master."
Mize didn't even flinch at the immediate response. He had long grown used to it.
"Follow me. Keep me safe at all times."
"Understood"
Soon, Mize arrived before the grand doors of the dining hall.
This time, no one stood ready to open them for him.
No matter.
His lips curled into a faint smile. His expression was serene.
Raising his hand, he waved lightly.
A ripple of energy spread outward.
And under his unseen command.
The heavy doors swung open on their own.
He floated inside, bathed in the golden glow of his halo.
Four pairs of eyes turned toward him. It was the same as before.
The moment Mize stepped into the hall, the atmosphere shifted, silent, frozen in an instant.
His gaze swept across the room, only to meet the eyes of the four seated at the table. Each of them wore different expressions.
Yet, at their core, they were all the same.
Especially Liam.
His lips had just begun to part, ready to call out a name, but the words never left his throat.
Instead, his voice stalled. His breath hitched. And his eyes, locked onto Mize froze mid-motion.
The same thing happened to the others.
A shared reaction.
A collective pause.
In an instant, all three of them averted their gazes, dropping their eyes to their plates as if burned by the mere sight of him.
'What is this?' Aizen thought, his brows subtly twitching as he kept his gaze pinned downward. 'Her appearance changed?'
'And this charm?' He swallowed... And never dared to comment further and hurriedly busied himself with the plate beneath.
Then...
From the corner of his eye, he caught Elias's sharp glance, a silent signal.
Lower your head.
Dangerous...
Aizen understood immediately.
'Hah… Instead of delight, the Lord's only going to get more paranoid now…'
He exhaled inwardly, a smirk curling at the edge of his lips.
'No matter how you look at it, she's both a trophy… and a walking disaster for this territory.'
Meanwhile, Mize continued his slow, soundless approach toward the main seat at the table.
As he passed by Halb's chair, the rugged man, once powerful, once composed... shuddered.
He could feel it.
The heavy presence looming beside him. The sheer weight of the Lord's bad mood pressed into the air.
It was as sudden as it was, 'It seems there will be a huge drama in this castle soon' He closed his eyes.
Halb's grip tightened against the edge of the table, his head instinctively lowering.
No second glance. No lingering looks.
He wouldn't dare.
'What happened to Her Highness…?' His thoughts raced, conflicted. 'That beauty… it's unreal. But, this is going to be far more troublesome than I expected'
'Even as an awakener myself I was affected by her appearance... Normal men simply couldn't stand it!'
On the outside, his expression remained unreadable.
Meanwhile, Mize drifted closer, closing the distance to Liam's seat.
His face was calm and peaceful, smiling as if nothing was amiss.
But before he could say a word, Liam turned toward him, his jaw clenched, his voice low.
"…What happened to you?"
His narrowed eyes flickered with a storm of emotions.
Shock. Awe. Greed.
And something else, something uncertain.
"You look…" He hesitated, the words catching in his throat before finally slipping out, almost muttered.
"…You look much more beautiful than before"
"A bit too beautiful for comfort"
Mize's smile softened.
Without a word, he floated down, landing gently on Liam's lap.
His weight, delicate, featherlight, settled against him as the glowing halo behind his head slowly dimmed, shrinking down to a faint shimmer at his back.
He tilted his head up, gaze meeting Liam's directly.
"I did some minor changes." His voice was smooth, almost playful. "So? How do I look?"
His fingers moved, tracing lightly along Liam's armrest before sliding over to his forearm, palm brushing against his skin in an absentminded caress.
"Don't I look dazzling?"
Liam sucked in a quiet breath, his body tensing before finally...
... finally exhaling.
"…Y-you do…"
His voice was barely audible, caught somewhere between disbelief and something deeper.
A pause.
And then, he sighed.
"Like an angel"
His gaze drifted downward, trailing over the perfectly sculpted curves, the undeniable, substantial developed body.
"And a lot more developed too."
Mize's grin widened, his fingers curling around Liam's wrist, shifting his palm upward before giving it a playful touch, "it's for you"
Liam blinked.
"…For me?"
Mize nodded, eyes twinkling. "You told me you wanted it to be biggerr, right?"
Liam stiffenedd. "I... I don't recall"
"But you did."
Mize's pout was subtle but unmistakable.
"So," he leaned in slightly, tilting his head with a teasing smile, "I fulfilled your request."