Jericho is a genius! As I said, I was almost forced into bringing someone with me and then both Rus and Marika refused.

“Did you ask Gisele?”

“Are you nuts?! Gisele! She would kill me in the moment I would mention it!”

“Then, don’t mention it! Problem solved! I am sure it won’t take much effort into tricking her.”

“Tricking her INTO the party is one thing. But, then I would have to run for my life, make her keep her promise, and after the party would be over, I would have to run for my life once again! Wait, why do you want GISELE to come with me?”

“Hm? Hey! I raised her! She is like a daughter to me! Don’t get me wrong. I am proud of her, but, she could act like an actual woman from time to time at least. In her whole life she never wore a dress, never danced with anyone. That’s if you wouldn’t mention dancing with blades. I just want her to have some nice memories too. Well, this girl considers killing her first GigaScoripio as a nice memory. Covered in dirt, blood and guts, holding a broken blade in one hand and part of its head in another.”

“I… I see what you mean. Still, don’t you think that it could cause trauma? Being forced to dance?”

The old man eyes shined

“YOU! You will DANCE with HER!?”

“I.. I am afraid that this is why I need a partner so...”

He gave me a hug

“Thank you… THANK YOU! I will leave her in your hands. Please, take good care of her. Ok kid, consider it done. This is what we are going to do.”

I am pretty sure you know what happened after that. For rest of the day, I did my best avoiding a certain Dragoness. No, not because I was afraid of her anger, but because I was afraid she would refuse! Something like: “I am sorry Zari, I didn’t know what I would get myself involved into. You have to forgive me, but this is simply too much.” Or something like that. BUT, If I wouldn’t meet her, she couldn’t refuse me and as tomorrow would come, it would be too late for that! I would simply tell her, that: “B…but now I have no time to find another companion!”. SHE WOULD BE LEFT WITH NO CHOICE! HAHAHAHAHA. I mean… um… I am not the bad guy, right? I am just respecting the deal with a certain old man! That’s a good deed!

The day of the ball came. I spent the day in Jericho’s back office. Why? Cuz’ Gisele wouldn’t look for me there. Do you know how hard it is to get dressed into these bloody uncomfortable party-robes that Blackwood gave me?! Also, I look like a clown! Red and white? Who made this? Don’t people know that I look best in black?

This is basically raping fashion, I tell you. I also have so many trinkets! Cufflinks, buttons, hairpins… THEY GAVE ME HAIRPINS DAMN IT!

“I am not going to wear these…” with disgust I threw them onto Jeremy’s table

“Oh, yes, you are going to wear them. You are certainly lacking some basic information. You HAVE to wear some shiny trinkets or you would be mistaken for a butler, bah, somebody could even order you to bring them drinks, and that is an offence. Oh and try avoiding duelling on such events, of course, if somebody would spill a drink on you on purpose, or you would be directly insulted... You know what? I ain’t got time to teach you how to act among nobility when you don’t want to kill them.”

“Who told you that I don’t want to-”

“My bad, my bad. How to act among nobles when you don’t want to bring shame on your hosts. Or do you?” I only turned my head around “That’s what I thought. I will tell you more about this later. Also, whoever thought about giving you hairpins was a bloody genius! When was the last time you had your hair cut?”

“Last month?”

“And who did such a mess on your head?! It looks like bird's nest!”

“I did.”

“Kid, advice for you. Never touch a pair of scissors again. You simply don’t know how to properly use them.”

“I used a knife.”

“You did WHAT!? Start praying to devils, for angels have clearly abandoned you.”

“Hey! Maybe you would focus on Gisele this time! Ha?! Your daughter is probably struggling more than me and…”

“Alesia is helping her right now…”

“…. Poor, poor creature…”

“Gisele should be doing fine…”

“I am talking about your secretary! Helping Gisele pick the best outfit?! Tis quite the challenge.”

In that moment some screams could be heard from another side of the guild.

“LEAVE ME ALOOOONE!” I recognised that voice. It belonged to certain dragoness.

“Stop playing around and come back to me RIGHT NOW! HEY! BACK, I SAID BACK!”

Then some rumbling, hissing and roaring followed by a sound of furniture being knocked down as someone was running our direction. The door to the office opened and Gisele fell inside, Or at least a part of Gisele. I only saw her arms near the floor as her claws dug into the wood.

“LEAVE ME BEEE!” she yelled in pain, agony almost.

“Stop playing around! We have to make your hair.”

“PAPA! HEEEELP MEEE!”

After her last cry for help, the dragoness was dragged back to the corridor yet her claws never stopped hugging the floor which resulted in deep scratching marks appearing all way back from office room to Gisele’s.

“Forget what I was saying. Alesia is doing just fine. T…Teacher…”

“Hm?”

“Please, never let Alesia do my hair. Never, If you had to just cut me bald.”

“Consider it done kid. Consider it done. Crap where did I leave my scissors? Stay here kid, I will be back in a moment.”

The guild master left the room humming quietly. As soon as he was out I pulled scissors from behind my belt. Ha, as if I would ever let you touch my head! My hairstyle isn’t even that bad eith…

~ You aren’t going to a party in such outfit, are you?

Guyz, why do you even care?

~ You are a beast king! You have to look like one! Don’t you dare to bring shame on us!

Hmm, since when are you the one making decisions here? Let me think… ah! That’s right! Since never! So, both my suit and hair are staying the way they are.

~Don’t make us do that…

Do what?!

~Zaaaanez-chan! Mind helping us a little?!

No, you wouldn’t.

“Someone called for idol Zanez?! I am here everyone! Beautiful! Powerful! Cute aaaand tempting! Succubi love to save a day! What am I needed for?!”

“N..nothing, really you can just leav…”

~He is going to a party. Looking like that

“TIS A CRIME! Come here!”

“Don’t you even dare…”

But she dared.

“Don’t struggle sunshine!

Let’s get down to business, as for a party it is time!

Despite your ugly face which for beauty is a crime!

You’re the saddest kid I have ever met,

But you can bet before we are though,

Mister, I will make a beauty out of you!”

She cast some weird spell on me which made me unable to move, she grabbed me as some sort of cargo pack and throw on a chair. Scissors shined in her hand

“Are you violating Mulan’s song?!”

“Tranquil as the forest, by your belt – a blade,

Once I am done with you, you are sure to get laaaaid!

You’re clumsy, pale and stupid kid,

About dressing you have no clue,

Yet somehow I…. Will make a hunk, out of YOOOU!”

I could only see wisps of my hair falling on the floor. Out of nowhere, a bowl filled with water appeared on the desk in front of me. Is she going to wash my face? Somehow I have bad feelings about th…

She even didn’t let me finish the sentence in my mind and she pushed my face into a bowl almost drowning me.

“You must have a tongue like a sly merchant,

You must have a walk like a tiger loose,

With my help your success is certain!

And as night is over… the bed of yours…. shall be USEEEED!”

She pulled my head from bowl leaving me gasping for air!

“WOMAN, did you train interrogation in CIA?!”

“Don’t be silly!... I was the one training them. Now, where were we? Ah, that’s right…

Time is racing toward us, ‘til its paaarty timeee…”

My agony continued for few more moments, till eventually, Jericho returned to the room.

“I found my scissors…” At that moment he looked at me “HOLY MOLY! Who are you and what did you do to my student, you handsome beast!”

“Ha-ha, very funny.”

“Kid… I take back what I said. What happened to you must be a miracle! A god’s work! You… you don’t look like a beggar! Or villain from fairy tales! You almost look like someone important!”

“Cut the crap.”

Because Succubi vanished in very moment Jericho came back, I had no time to see what she did to me, so I started looking for a mirror… JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! ZANEZ! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!

My hair! Why isn’t it in a mess! I loved my messy hair! You ruined months of doing nothing to them so they could look as they used to! That bloody golden hairpin was keeping my hair behind my ear while another side of my head was cut short. The hair at the top of my head was nicely combed to the right, while the forelock, despite being treated the same way as rest of my head, was covering my forehead in a “messy”, yet elegant way. In shojo kind of manga, such hair would mean I am silent and mysterious kind of hero. I WILL FUCK YOU TO DEATH ZANEZ!

~ “Is that a promise?” I heard her voice in my mind

After moment of rethinking… No, sorry for bringing it up.. Wait… You changed my suit too?

~ ”Just a little, I mostly added some jewellery. Fret not, these are illusions… higher tier illusions, you can normally touch them, so they wouldn’t think that you are poor. But time will pass … So, just remember to be back before midnight, my Cinderella, or the spell would break.

Just kidding, my magic is not such crap. Have fun kid. Bang a lot!”

I… I don’t even want to argue anymore.

~ “Right decision! Keep your forces for the pa-arty!”

“Anyway…” Jericho started “Looks like my job here is done.”

“But you didn’t do anything.”

Yet, he just turned around and left. Wait, I think I saw that scene somewhere already.

“What ya waiting for?” he called from the doorstep “Come on already! The gentleman is the one who should be waiting for the lady. You won’t let my little girl be the one waiting, will you?”

The air in the room somehow got colder.

“I am just enjoying my last day among the living. For as we would leave the party, Gisele will tear me apart.”

“Fret not, you have a handicap, she will be wearing very uncomfortable shoes so...”

That didn’t help at all!

But in the end, I followed him down to the entrance of the guild. Stepping outside I already noticed that carriage is already waiting for us. The driver Archibald looked at me, grinned and gave me nod full of approval.

“My, my. Sir, you almost look as if you weren’t raised in the sewers…” He said that with dead-serious tone, yet his eyes were sparkling.

“Et Tu, Brute, contra me? I have lost my faith in humanity.”

I was having a fast conversation with Archi. He gave me a quick “tutorial” on how I should act in front of certain individuals, and who to recognise more important gust. Just to not offend them, or very best avoid them. Then Gisele came.

“I dare you. If you would laugh.”

I turned around ready to LAUGH my ass off, dropping as many bad jokes as possible, for after this day full of torment I needed relief. But I didn’t laugh. I didn’t say but one joke. I simply stood there.

“W…What now?! I looked weird, do I?! I knew! It was a bad idea! I am going back right n…”

“Archibald… do you see what I see?”

“It depends on what you see, sir.”

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!”

“Apparently there is a new goddess walking among mortals,” I said looking her right in the eyes. She came closer, put her hands on my shoulders and…

“Mock me one more time, and I swear to heaven and hell…”

“Gis, this time, I am not mocking you… You look… simply… Archibald, what word is two tiers higher than beautiful?”

Her grip on my shoulder became stronger, if she would put any strength more, her claws would surely break my bones. I turned my side to her.

“My lady, if you would do me this honour…” I gave her my arm so she could rest on it

“I don’t believe I am doing this… be strong Gisele, you are a proud dragon…” she was talking to herself “ As this day will come over you will take all the time of the world to skin this bastard alive.”

Her red hair was pinned into one long braid, her dress had sleeves covering her muscled arms, making her appear far more girly? Yet as she was simply tall, instead of making her look cute and innocent, which was the current fashion among nobles (as I heard). She looked deadly elegant. Yet now her blush destroyed the illusion of strong, independent type, making her look as somebody who doesn’t know what she is doing! Her gaze was all the time running to the side as she was avoiding eye contact.

If to all these things you would add visible scales on her neck and palms. Ah, this exotic look! I simply couldn’t avert my eyes. I couldn’t do it even when I was leading her to the carriage, nor when we were raiding toward the mansion. Which annoyed her more than it should of.

“Stop it!” she hissed

“Stop what?” I asked without a clue

“Stop… staring!”

“Gisele, there is something I have to tell you…”

She only Hmped at me in response

“But you have to promise me, that you will accept it and that you won’t kill me.”

“I can’t promise first, and I won’t promise you the second. You are dying tonight.”

“Gisele, you look mesmerising and simply beautiful.”

“I am telling you for the very last time! STOP MOCKING ME!”

“And I am telling you… Gis, look at me…” yet her head remained turned to the side “… God damn it woman!” in the end she did what I asked her. She was almost close to crying from embarrassment as her face was coloured as ripe tomato “… just act like yourself. As old, good, strong Gisele, and please, try enjoying yourself.”

“Ha?! Enjoying myself?! I can ask you about the same thing! I know that you hated the very idea of coming to this party.”

“That’s right. I did. But I don’t hate this idea any longer.”

“Why? What changed?”

“I am being accompanied by the finest of angels.”

All this time she was looking in my eyes, I asked her for it so she could see what I wanted her to see – that there was no lie in my eyes. I am being honest. Dead honest and that made her blush even more.