"Maredele,s house?" he muttered softly, his eyebrows raised slightly. The writing is not very flashy, just a small print next to the designer's signature. But it was enough to attract his attention.
His hand gripped the catalog paper a little stronger, the name... He remembered now the house of Maredele was mentioned in the game several times, it was quite a famous shop and located in the capital, he was also the one who designed the inauguration outfit for Cedric in his game.
The place was quite famous in the capital, why and also, why was he able to arrive at the residence of the Hale house so quickly? The distance between the capital and the Hale region as far as Lucian can remember is quite far.
"Is there a catalog that doesn't suit your taste, Young Master?" Arden the designer asked, cautiously looking at Lucian's expression.
"No," Lucian replied in a flat but firm voice.
"Honestly, all the clothes in this catalog are pretty good." He lowered the paper slowly. His legs crossed and a smirk was visible on his face, "I'll order all of them."
The atmosphere was instantly silent for a moment, Pavel who was standing in the corner of the room almost choked with surprise, while Arden sculpted with widened eyes.
"I didn't hear it wrong, did I, Young Master?" asked Arden again, his voice a little shaky, still trying to confirm the reality he had just heard.
"Why? Shouldn't I buy them all?" Lucian responded casually, he raised his eyebrows looking at Arden with a slight sharp look.
"Ahahaha, of course not! This is a matter of pride for us, Young Master!" Arden laughed awkwardly as he wiped the sweat from his temples. "However, not all of the clothes in the catalog have been produced. There are some that are still in the process of design and refinement."
"No problem," Lucian replied with a small nod, crossing his legs relaxed. "I'll wait for him."
"Alright, it's a pleasure to transact with you, Young Master." Arden bowed slightly, his expression between happy and nervous. "I will immediately send the cheque and order notes to Hale's residence for final confirmation."
Arden was busy writing quickly in his notebook, crossing out some of the approved designs and marking others with specific symbols. Lucian, who was now sitting cross-legged, just looked at him with a calm expression. His elbows rested on the back of the chair, and his chin rested casually on the palm.
"By the way," Lucian said, his tone flat but hinting of curiosity, "House Maredele is in the capital, isn't it?"
"That's right, Young Master," replied Pavel, who was standing a short distance from him with a formal demeanor.
Lucian turned his head slowly, he turned his gaze to Pavel who was somehow suddenly behind him at this time.
"Why did they arrive so quickly? Didn't I tell you to call him about an hour ago?"
Pavel closed his eyes, he held his chin with his thumb and index finger, indicating that he was thinking at this moment.
"Actually, when I contacted him, it happened that Mr. Arden was delivering an order to one of the noble clients in the southern district of the Hale region. And it just so happened that he was at an inn not far from here so, he rushed straight here without going back to the boutique." Pavel explained.
After finishing his notes, Arden closed his book and then raised his head to look at Lucian with a smile. "That's right Young Master, getting a call from the Hale family is a matter I can't put off."
Lucian was still looking at Arden flatly, then he snorted softly, and replied, "Heh... Is that so?"
Arden only replied with a polite nod before starting to pack his belongings, be it catalog paper, measuring instruments, and notebooks which were full of design doodles and additional notes. He checked it once more and made sure nothing was left behind.
"Then I'm sorry, Young Master," Arden said as he bowed lightly respectfully. "Once again, House Maredele is honored to have a transaction with the Hale family."
He slowly turned around and walked out of the room, the door closing slowly behind his back. A brief silence enveloped the room after the designer's departure, leaving only Lucian and Pavel still standing in place.
Lucian leaned his body back into the chair with a lazy expression. Her hand lifted and rubbed her temples for a moment, as if trying to digest the whole events of this morning.
"Pavel," he called without turning his head.
"Yes, Young Master?" replied Pavel in his usual calm voice.
"I guess I need to get out now," Lucian muttered in a low but firm tone, as he lowered his hand from his temples and stared blankly towards the ceiling.
Pavel turned his head slightly, hesitantly. "Do you want to go outside the mansion, Young Master?" he asked cautiously.
"I want to, but I guess for now I'll be circling this mansion," Lucian replied as he shrugged his shoulders slightly, as if freeing himself from the invisible burden.
Pavel bowed respectfully. "Okay, Young Master. Do you want me to accompany you?"
Lucian glanced at him for a moment before walking towards the door. "No need. If I get lost in my own house, it will only be a new laughing stock, right?"
A faint smile slipped at the corner of his lips, but his eyes remained flat. Pavel, although he wanted to smile as well, only bowed deeper. "Okay, understood Young Master."
Then, Lucian got up from his seat and walked slowly towards the door of his room, he opened it and walked out of the room. Pavel remembered something, he hurriedly said, "Young Master you forgot the mask-...."
But too late, Lucian's footsteps slowly moved away. Pavel could only let out a long sigh.
He then intended to retrieve the tea tray and cookies he had brought with him, but his steps stopped when he realized what he was seeing at this moment.
His eyes blinked a few times as if to confirm what he saw this time was correct, normally Lucian had only drunk half of the tea but right now the cup looked empty, as well as the cookies that were on the previous plate, everything was gone.
"Young Master...!" he smiled faintly at him, his eyes a little teary. "Normally you only drink a little and don't touch the cake, but this time you finish it." He muttered in a voice full of pride.
"I feels really proud of you,"
When Lucian stepped out of the room, his eyes observed every detail in the corridors of the mansion, as if searching for clues. Memories of the original Lucian emerge in fragments, like unstructured pieces of puzzles.
"This is strange..." Lucian muttered softly, his steps stopped for a moment in the middle of the corridor.
He then looked at the door of his previous room, and looked back at the corridor around him. One thing that starts to bother him is the noticeable difference in contrast.
The room he was in... too simple. Even by the standards of a lower-class noble, the room was too quiet, too ordinary. There are no gold engravings on the furniture, no fancy carpets, not even the lighting is inferior to the living room where second-class guests are welcomed.
And the most striking thing is that the room is on the upper floor, an area usually reserved for servants or housekeepers.
Lucian's forehead frowned for a moment, he raised his eyebrows.
"Why was Lucian placed in such a place?" He asked silently, trying to connect every piece of information he had. Curiosity and a hint of disbelief began to appear, eating away at his mind.
He then continued his steps, intending to walk towards the mansion hallway that was close to the main staircase.
In the hallway of the Mansion two maids were seen whispering behind the corner, observing Lucian walking away. One of the maids looked nervous, occasionally glancing at Lucian.
"That's Young Master Lucian right? It's a shame he didn't wear that mask," whispered the first maid, her voice trembling slightly.
"I heard the Great Master hates it so much."
"Hust, don't talk too much," warned the second maid, with a keen look. "You know the consequences if the Grand Master knows we're talking about it. He hates Young Master Lucian's face so much."
"It's better to pretend we didn't see anything. Let's just assume he doesn't exist. Get back to our work before he realizes we're gossiping about him." The two maids moved away from the window, leaving Lucian walking further and further away, sinking into silence.
Lucian stopped at the end of the hallway, taking a deep breath. He heard the whispers of the maids, their words pierced his heart like daggers. Lucian clenched his fists, his nails stuck into the palms of his hands.
"I heard it all," he murmured, his voice almost inaudible, more like a whisper of despair.
He sighed and brushed his hair with his fingers, "Huh, how bad is his face, why is Lucian hiding his face?" He asked himself.
He then arrived at the end of the stairs and walked down a large circular staircase, shaped like an inverted U. In the middle of the staircase hangs a large painting featuring a woman with long silvery gray hair tied with a light blue ribbon behind her head. Her eyes were alluring brownish-red, and she wore an elegant sleeveless white dress.
Lucian stopped in front of the painting, his gaze fixed on the eyes of the woman in the painting. He felt a strange connection, as if the woman in the painting knew him.
"Who is she...?" he whispered, a voice full of mystery and longing. He felt a deep sadness, as if he had lost something very precious.
Lucian was still glued to the painting, contemplating the woman inside. Suddenly, the sound of slow footsteps was heard from the top of the stairs. A man appeared below the stairs, his silhouette looking faint in the dim light.
His hair was dark black, he wore a dark suit that looked expensive, but a cold and threatening aura emanated from him. His steps were calm, but every step seemed to carry a heavy burden.
"Ckk, why do I have to meet that loser now," he murmured, his voice hoarse and cold, like the friction of sharp stones. He stopped a few steps above Lucian, looking at him with a look full of contempt.