*Flash*

“Hm?”

Sitting in class, I suddenly felt something and reached into my pocket.

I took out a golden card, my eyes widening.

“They’re done. Hell yea.”

I smiled and suddenly stood from my seat, walking across the classroom to leave.

The teacher looked at me weirdly.

“John?”

“Sorry, have some business!”

I smiled and waved while striding out.

After running through the Magisterium, I made my way out and toward the Black Spider Market.

I passed the Key Master on the way in before taking the elevator to the market where I found the unmarked black building.

And inside at the reception desk, I saw Hans, my Couturier.

“Ah, Mr. Cooper. I see you’ve made haste.”

“Haha, that’s because I’m excited.”

“I’m pleased. Go ahead and give him your card and I’ll take you to the back to try everything on.”

“Mm.”

I nodded and placed the card on the reception desk, the concierge taking it as I walked off with Hans.

He brought me to the same room as before where there was a single floating platform in the center, one that looked like it was made of light itself.

On top of that small square platform were three rings. I stood before them, a bit confused.

Hans explained.

“These three rings each contain your three suits. These rings are special in that by putting them on, you can easily equip each piece of your suit without so much as raising your finger. Each suit has been handcrafted to perfectly conform to your body, and by using that information we can develop rings tailored to dress you in but seconds. When activated, the rings can also store any clothing currently on you, allowing you to swap wardrobes at your convenience.”

“Oh wow.”

I was genuinely surprised. Talk about convenient. I was beginning to understand why all this costed so much.

“Go ahead and try the ring on the left.”

“Sure.”

With a smile, I grabbed the leftmost ring and slipped it on my right index finger.

After that, I could feel the ring make some kind of connection with me, so I tapped into that connection and activated it.

And with a flash, I could feel the clothes on my body shift as my existing clothes were stripped and new clothes were placed onto me.

I looked at the mirrors around me, seeing the least expensive suit that I had purchased.

It felt amazingly comfortable, and it fit so well that I almost couldn’t believe it. It was no different than a second skin. Not only that, but the special undergarments designed to pair with these suits was also equipped.

After several seconds, I unequipped it and saw my original clothes reappear on my body. After that, I grabbed the second ring.

And I saw the second most expensive suit appear. It looked exactly as it did before, if not better.

I felt amazing seeing the intricate designs and deep colors. I also tried out a few of the other paletes, mesmerized by all the different ways this single suit could look.

But I almost couldn't hold in my excitement when I tried on the last suit, a 300 thousand coin piece of clothing.

And when it appeared, I laughed.

Hans smiled beside me as I smiled as wide as I could. I felt like a damn king.

But it wasn’t long before I took the suit off. I would save its full glory for when it was time to show it off before other nobles.

With that, I took all the rings, looking at Hans.

“Thank you, sir. I’m completely satisfied.”

“You honor me. Just remember that those rings are capable of being stored within your spatial sack.”

“Oh, even better.”

With surprise, I threw the rings into my spatial band eternally sitting on my arm. And they went in without issue, despite being something similar to spatial sacks themselves.

Then, Hans bowed a bit.

“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Cooper. I guarantee that even nobles will be awed by your presence. After all, not even royal tailors can surpass the art imbued within every strand of fabric composing my works.”

“Indeed. You deserve that pride.”

I didn’t deny him at all. It wasn’t narcissism, but self awareness to say that this man was a master at his craft.

After that, we said our goodbyes. I left the building with a spring in my step, heading straight for the Magisterium.

It hadn’t taken long at all to run this errand, but I wasn’t planning on going back to classes.

Instead, I simply decided to walk around the city for a bit.

……

…

“Alright, gather around.”

After completing a scenario, the Puppet Master called all the teams.

We all stood around, many teams looking battered. But it wasn’t like he cared as he scratched his beard and spoke.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“The day after tomorrow, all of you will be attending that ball, so there won’t be any training tomorrow. Take the day off and recover. Dismissed.”

“Oh, nice.”

I pursed my lips, happy with the news. Then, I looked at Umara.

She stood by my side. She was tired, her creamy white face just a bit paler than normal, but otherwise untouched.

I reached over and rubbed her back.

“Ready for that?”

“Yea. Are you?”

“I don’t see why I wouldn’t be.”

I shrugged as we started walking off.

At that moment though, we both heard something.

“Feiden!”

It was a shout, so we turned and saw a girl running toward Feiden.

He smiled as she caught up to his side, making my eyes flash in interest.

“Oh? Look at these two. Did something happen? Hey Vetsmon, did something happen?”

I turned toward the big man a little ways behind us, making him smile.

“Hehe, he doesn’t want to admit it, but I think he’s taken a fancy to that girl.”

“So he finally did it. Who is she?”

“Rank 9, Mira Revanon. She’s the daughter of Marquess Revanon, so she stands equal to Feiden in status. She’s also a Knight who uses an axe.”

“Wow. She must be strong then.”

I nodded while watching them walk off, deciding that I would need to have a chat with Feiden.

Well, the upcoming gathering would be a good opportunity.

I turned back to Vetsmon.

“You’re going to be at the ball, right?”

“I will.”

“Good. I can’t wait to see you all dressed up.”

“Of course. I don’t get to go to very many of these. I’ll be bringing my best suit.”

Vetsmon smiled widely, his large grin making me chuckle a bit.

After talking a bit more, I walked off with Umara. The two of us went back to our rooms to clean up before meeting again in mine.

We cuddled on the bed, and that’s when I thought about the event some more.

This event wasn’t for all the fourth year students. It was rather exclusive. Only nobles and the Elites were allowed to be in attendance, and even then, an Elite who wasn’t a noble may not attend.

It was supposed to be a noble party. The students would bring their parents and everyone would mingle for the night. The event would begin at sundown and it would be nice enough to warrant my second best suit.

Not only that, but it was also the signal for the true start of the year. Certain elites and noble children who had yet to be seen would show up. For example, the Rank 1 Knight was supposed to make an appearance, and from then on, he would join us on our trips.

Why they seemed to operate on another schedule, I had no idea. Regardless, there would be a lot of big names and powerful people there.

And I would be faced with all of them and their scrutiny as Umara’s new boyfriend. I could already imagine the pressure, but I had no intention of shrinking away from it in any capacity.

But there were still some things I needed to know like proper etiquette that Umara had been teaching me. I was able to pick up on most of it pretty easily, but there were some things that I simply didn’t care to do.

In fact, there was one thing I warned Umara of.

I would refuse to bow my head to anyone, no matter who it was.

She was confused by that, and I didn’t explain myself very much. I basically left it at a difference in culture.

Other than that though, I didn’t mind following some basic decorum. Of course, I thought many things were simply excessive or idiotic, but I did my best. I couldn’t be too rigid.

I was rather excited for the event too. It was a new experience, being among nobility. While I had some biases, I understood that even in America, there was a world composed of the rich and famous that I couldn’t fathom nor step foot into.

Now, I would be getting a taste of it, stepping into it in an official capacity and facing all the consequences of that.

Thankfully my curiosity didn’t go unsatisfied for long.

A day and a half passed, and the evening of the event arrived.

As the sun was setting, I was inside my room at the Black Spider Hotel.

I looked at myself in the mirror. After simply showering and grooming my hair, I put on a ring and equipped my second best suit.

It was an art piece, to say the least. The base color was black, and with a handkerchief, I changed all the accent colors to purple.

The jacket had some designs across the chest, back, and sleeves. They struck the perfect balance between adding some tasteful art to it and keeping its ‘noise’ down. Designs on something like a suit could be too much or overly eye catching, but on this suit, each line was drawn with purpose and went no further than it needed to.

As for the fancy vest underneath the jacket, it hugged my torso like a glove. Both it and the shirt were fitted to show off my build without restricting any movement. The pants were the same, not hugging my legs but also not flowing with much excess space.

And everything had designs that matched the jacket. It seemed like the designs flowed into each other as well, drawing all the way down from my chest to my feet.

I don’t think I could ask for or conjure up a better suit besides my best one. I really didn’t regret my purchase.

And so, after dressing, I prepared a few more things and left my room.

While in the elevator going down, I received a message. I didn’t even have to look at it to know what it was.

After arriving at the lobby, I saw the Key Master standing behind his desk as always. But there were also two other people nearby.

The first was Duchess Talerria, the other being Umara.

It seemed the Duchess was talking with the Key Master, but they stopped their conversation upon seeing me.

Umara smiled knowingly, having already seen me in this suit. But the Duchess seemed surprised, looking me up and down as I approached.

I greeted her.

“Good evening, Duchess.”

“...Yes, good evening, John.”

“And good evening to you. You look stunning.”

I turned to Umara, taking her hand and kissing it while looking into her eyes.

She currently wore a dress similar to the one she wore for our first date. It was subtly gorgeous like the last, except black was now its primary color instead of purple, though it still had purple accents.

It was meant to match my suit, something we had naturally agreed upon beforehand since being a couple demanded matching dress.

She smiled a bit bashfully, her face turning rosy.

“Thank you. You look handsome, too. Now I feel like the underdressed one.”

“You can’t say that when you’ll still be catching all the eyes.”

“Ahem.”

I lifted my head when I heard the Duchess’ interruption.

She looked at me with a smirk.

“I see you found a good couturier. How much did it cost you?”

“Just this suit was 150 thousand coin, and it isn’t even the best.”

“I see. Well, if you’re in that, you’ll have no trouble. Now come, we need to head over.”

“Alright.”

I nodded, but before leaving, I turned back to my favorite concierge.

“I appreciate you, Key Master. You have a good night.”

“Likewise, John. Enjoy your night.”

He gave me a wave as I left with the Duchess, and faintly I could feel her watching us in the corner of her eye.

Like that, we made our way outside where there was a huge, fancy carriage waiting. It was emboldened with the regalia of the Duchess herself, making a very clear indication of the personage inside.

And the interior was lavish. Upon entry, I sat on one side with Umara while the Duchess sat on the other side across from us. It was large enough to fit two couches and still have plenty of legroom.

She stared at us with a small smile, embarrassing Umara a bit. But I could also feel how Umara stood her ground, not shrinking back or hiding from it. In fact, since I saw her in the lobby, I could feel the confidence and sense of nobility she gave off.

Tonight, she wouldn’t be allowed to show any kind of shame or embarrassment. There was no room for weakness, and I had to match her.

Not that I needed to be told. Regardless of her presence, I would never carry myself as anything less than the best. I didn’t give a damn what anyone else thought of me, and they would know that.

This was simply what we had to do, because although I didn't like it, our relationship was subject to public opinion. The degree at which it affected us was up to the Duchess, but if we didn’t show her that we were serious, she may step in. Technically, there was absolutely nothing stopping her from ending our relationship whenever she wanted.

It was only her respect for her daughter’s choices and her opinion of me that was keeping her at bay. But if either of those things went away, then we were done.

This was all stuff that Umara and I had discussed. Honestly though, I quite liked the challenge. It made things fun and exciting.

I liked how cute Umara looked too, heading to the event as if about to declare war.

And soon, we arrived at the venue.

The mansion of Duke Yottra Carrion, the President of the Magisterium.