NOVEL NEXT 181 – New Love Interest
Chapter 181 - New Love Interest
Today was the day we could go home for the weekend, so I took the chance to visit the city center and stop by the cosmetics shop to reserve more black hair dye. I felt a bit embarrassed, as the store was crowded with women, and a few older ladies made flirty jokes, saying they wanted to 'adopt' me.
I decided to stroll around the center, as I had no classes for the rest of the day.
"A clothing store."
It had been a while since I last bought clothes for myself, as I usually had to follow the noble dress code, with my mother handling most of my orders.
That outfit in the display is quite nice.
I stepped into the store and was greeted by a tailor working on some garments.
"Good afternoon," I greeted him.
The middle-aged man looked up and gave me a warm smile.
"Good afternoon, sir. Are you here to order a suit?"
"I’d like to buy that one," I pointed to the coat on the mannequin at the front of the store.
"That’s a modernized overcoat. An excellent choice, with plenty of inner pockets."
I use a storage bracelet, so that doesn’t matter much.
"Do you have it in black? If so, I’d like to take it."
"Yes, we do. When would you like to collect it?"
"Now."
The man grinned.
"It’s one gold coin. I’ll need to take your measurements and verify your identity."
"Deal," I agreed.
I was in a noble area of the city, where tailors didn’t sell their clothes to just anyone. Being part of the nobility wasn’t just a social title; it was a status of citizenship. Upon ascending to nobility, people gained access to an exclusive market, with privileges ranging from blacksmiths and tailors to special rights, such as purchasing healing potions.
I tapped my wrist and pulled out my ID from my storage bracelet.
"Nathan Evenhart…" he read, "High Nobility," his eyes widening.
"My apologies for not addressing you properly, sir," he bowed.
"I don’t care about that sort of thing. You can treat me normally."
The tailor went to the counter and rang a bell.
"I’ve called an assistant to take your measurements. I’ll fetch the available overcoats for you to choose from."
"No problem," I replied, satisfied.
***
After nearly an hour, I finally left the store.
"Man... that took forever."
They spent the entire time making sure I was satisfied and making adjustments.
I laughed to myself.
I get it. If a High Noble criticizes the establishment, it could spell the end of their business. But I’m not that kind of arrogant noble, so I don’t care much for these formalities.
"Excuse me! Young man, could you help me? I’m lost," a beautiful young woman approached me on the street.
"I can help, but if you'd prefer, I could call a guard. They know the city better than I do."
The woman blushed and grabbed my hand.
"I’d feel better if it were you…" she said, moving closer.
I had to look away from a certain part that was attracting more attention than I’d like.
Damn teenage body! That cleavage is mesmerizing...
"My name is Eliza, and I came to visit my brother. He’s studying at the magic academy here. I was surprised to see what this place is like, as I’m from the countryside."
"Your brother studies at the academy? I study there too," I replied, surprised.
She gave a look of astonishment.
"Then it was fate that brought me to the right person, hehe. I was exploring the city but ended up getting lost… I asked the carriage to wait, but I got confused with the directions." She looked genuinely embarrassed as she said this.
"I understand. I also have trouble finding my way here. I’ll help you find the right direction," I said, trying to reassure her.
Eliza let out a relieved sigh.
"What’s your name?"
"Nathan."
"Nice to meet you," she said with a graceful bow. "I don’t usually trust strangers, but you seem like a good person. I was too embarrassed to ask for help."
I put on a reassuring smile.
"I'm used to dealing with shy people. Can you remember where your carriage was waiting?"
As we walked through the bustling streets, a thought crossed my mind.
I hope no one gets the wrong idea if they see us together.
"What year is your brother in?" I asked, trying to learn more about her.
"He’s in his second year. It’s my first time visiting him. Our family doesn’t have many resources for frequent trips. We have a house here, but it’s in a distant neighborhood."
Most residential areas were far from the busy commercial center, making things more complicated.
Eliza stopped at an ice cream stand.
"Would you like one?" she asked, pointing to the stand.
"No, but thank you for offering," I replied.
She bought an ice cream, and we continued walking, still trying to locate the street where the carriage was waiting.
"You have ice cream on your cheek," I noted, pointing.
She blushed and quickly covered her face with her hand.
"Sorry…," she said, embarrassed.
"It’s okay," I replied, laughing.
Eliza tried to play it off and wiped her cheek.
"What do you think of the academy, Nathan? It must be amazing to be a mage."
"Are you not a mage?"
Her expression turned somber.
"No, I’m not. Our family is noble, but only my brother awakened to magic. He’s the youngest, and I’m very proud of him."
"I’ve been at the academy for a month now, and I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve learned, especially the people. I’ve met some pretty… peculiar individuals, but they’re all good people."
I thought about the wolf girl, a bit crazy but with a good heart.
Eliza continued to ask me questions about the city and its architecture. I didn’t know much either, but I tried to explain what I could.
"So you really have the lightning element? It’s quite rare," she asked, surprised.
"I do," I said, showing a blue glow in the palm of my hand.
She poked my hand with her finger.
"I thought I’d get shocked, hehe."
"I know how to control when it shocks," I explained.
"That’s amazing, Nathan. My brother has the fire element, and I always thought it was cool when he’d light a campfire with a fireball."
I remembered that I had also learned to light a campfire with lightning, but I admitted that fire was more impressive.
“You know what else is amazing, Nathan?” she asked, her gaze turning mysterious.
“What?” I asked, and at that moment, I felt something pierce my skin.
“This!” she answered with a malicious smile as I felt the pressure of the needle.
I looked down at my arm and saw her hand holding the syringe. My heart raced.
“Eliza… what are you…?” The words dragged out as my vision began to blur.
“It’s a powerful tranquilizer, meant for large animals. Judging by how quickly it’s working, I got the dose just right.” She leaned in, gripping my arm to keep me upright. Her laughter echoed in my now-clouded mind.
I’m being drugged!
In the distance, I saw a carriage approaching quickly. I glanced around, but the street was deserted. I tried to move away, but my muscles refused to respond.
“Y-you… led… me… into… a… trap?” My words came out disjointed, my tongue heavy in my mouth.
She still held onto my arm, keeping me upright, forcing a smile.
“It was a good stroll, kid. The country girl trick never fails.”
Eliza adjusted her neckline, buttoning it up carefully before flashing me a cold smile.
“Did you like what you saw? Hahaha.”
The carriage came to a stop beside us, and the driver, moving swiftly and efficiently, stepped down to open the door. I recognized the man immediately.
My stalker!
“Nathan Evenhart… you were troublesome,” he remarked, opening the carriage with a blank expression.
Now it all made sense. The killing intent technique was a bluff, a distraction meant to keep me on constant alert with him, while the real threat approached subtly. This man is a professional killer.
The door of the carriage opened, revealing a hidden compartment in the floor.
A false bottom.
“Let’s go,” he said as they dragged me inside. I felt their hands fiddling with my arm, removing the storage bracelet. My body was completely immobilized, my muscles paralyzed by the drug coursing through my veins.
They shoved me into the compartment, and I could hear them talking as they closed the lid above me.
“It’s going to be a long journey, kid. You’re not going to like what awaits you when we get there. But don’t worry about suffocating, there’s air. You won’t die from that. Not yet.”
“You’ll die when we arrive, Nathan Evenhart,” she said, and the lid shut, plunging me into total darkness.
The drug is taking me down.
My body began to succumb to unconsciousness, and the last thing I felt was the cold darkness enveloping me.
I was captured!