Chapter 81: Preparation to meet the family head

Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Preparation to meet the family head

Damon reached into his storage bag and brought out several Aether crystals.

The moment they appeared, the Aether inside them began flowing toward his core.

His White Core rotated faster.

The crystals dimmed almost immediately.

"Much better."

The Aether surged through his veins, and Damon guided a large portion toward his second core.

Inside, Freya and Sylphie absorbed it just as quickly.

Their exhaustion slowly faded as their reserves recovered.

Damon continued feeding them until the crystals in front of him completely lost their glow.

Only then did he stop.

He took a slow breath.

"That’s enough for now."

Just as he finished, a knock came from the door.

Damon opened his eyes.

"Come in."

The door opened, and the head servant stepped inside.

She carried a set of fresh clothes while several maids followed behind her.

"Young Master Damon," she said respectfully. "Lady Caelia asked that we prepare these for you. She also requests that you freshen up before meeting the head of the Winterbourne family."

Damon glanced at the clothes.

"Alright. Thank you."

The servant quickly instructed the maids where to place everything.

Before leaving, she turned around and bowed.

"Also... thank you."

Damon blinked.

"For what?"

The woman hesitated before smiling.

"For saving our family."

Damon didn’t know how to respond to that.

He scratched his cheek.

"I just happened to be there."

"Even so, you saved many people today."

She bowed again.

"The battle has ended. There hasn’t been any trouble since you left the battlefield."

"That’s good."

The woman finally left.

Damon looked toward the prepared clothes and sighed.

"So I really am meeting the family head."

He had expected it eventually.

There was no reason to delay.

He quickly took a shower, washing away the sweat and dirt that had built up from the battle.

The Winterbourne family had prepared everything properly. In fact, the service was better than what Damon had received at the Calloway mansion after he became a reject.

Still, he preferred doing things himself.

He wasn’t used to having people follow him around just to help him dress.

"Thanks, but I can handle this."

The maids left, and Damon dried himself before putting on the fresh clothes.

They weren’t anything complicated.

That made things easier.

As he dressed, he stood before the mirror.

The crystal surface reflected his appearance clearly.

Damon paused.

He had changed.

A lot.

When he first arrived in this world, he had barely paid attention to the body he inherited. There had been too many things happening at the time.

But now...

He looked at himself for a few seconds.

His hair was cleaner and fell naturally around his face. His eyes looked sharper after the fatigue of battle had disappeared, while his features had become more defined as his body continued to develop through Aether reinforcement and training.

His shoulders were broader.

His waist was lean.

The constant training had given him a physique that looked strong without becoming bulky.

Damon turned slightly.

"Not bad."

He smiled.

"Actually, this is really not bad."

Back on Earth, a face and body like this would probably have made his life much easier.

At the very least, he wouldn’t have spent so much time avoiding people.

The thought made him laugh quietly.

"Too bad I didn’t get this body back then."

He adjusted his clothes and took one final look.

Then a knock came.

Damon turned.

Before he could answer, the door suddenly opened.

His eyes widened.

Caelia stood outside.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

She wasn’t wearing the armor Damon had seen her in during the battle. She had changed into a cleaner outfit that was still clearly noble, but far less rigid than her battle attire.

Her long white hair fell neatly around her shoulders, framing her pale face.

Without the blood, injuries, and battlefield pressure from before, she looked even more striking.

Damon had already thought she was beautiful.

Seeing her like this only made that conclusion worse.

Seriously...

He quickly looked away.

But Caelia was having her own problem.

Her eyes had landed on Damon, and she seemed to freeze for a moment.

He hadn’t finished changing.

The upper part of his clothing wasn’t completely settled, leaving a portion of his chest exposed.

Caelia’s gaze immediately shifted away.

Her face gained a faint flush.

"Ah..."

Damon noticed.

He quickly pulled the clothing into place as he rushed to finish.

"Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

She asked it too quickly, then seemed to realize how strange that sounded.

Damon paused.

"...I don’t know."

That only made the silence worse.

Caelia cleared her throat.

"I apologize for entering without waiting."

She finally looked at him again, though her eyes avoided lingering too long.

"I came to escort you."

Damon nodded.

"To meet the family head?"

"Yes."

She stepped aside.

"My father is waiting."

Damon looked at her for another moment before smiling.

"Alright."

He walked toward the door.

And somehow, the short distance suddenly felt much more awkward than fighting an A Rank beast.

Damon and Caelia soon left the guest room.

The walk toward the main hall was quiet.

The closer they got, the more Damon could feel the change in the atmosphere. There were guards stationed along the corridor, and the number of people around them increased.

He wasn’t particularly worried.

Meeting the head of another noble family wasn’t something that frightened him. Damon had grown up as royalty in this world, and even before that, he had learned enough about nobles to know that composure mattered.

Still, walking beside Caelia was somehow making him more nervous than meeting a hall full of elders.

Why am I more nervous about this than the meeting?

He glanced at her.

Caelia was walking calmly beside him, her white hair moving slightly with each step.

Damon quickly looked forward again.

Right. That’s why.

Caelia noticed the slight movement from the corner of her eye but didn’t say anything.

She was actually thinking about something else.

Every now and then, the events from yesterday came back to her.