Nolan seemed completely unconcerned and even took a serious second look at Ethan's hairstyle before snapping his fingers. Within moments, several apron-clad servants entered, carrying various hairdressing tools. After bowing to the three of them, they began working on Nolan's hair without a word.
Princess Fiona watched in disbelief for a moment before her face twisted in frustration. "You're actually doing it? Are you insane?"
"What's the big deal?" Nolan replied, raising an eyebrow.
"A few days from now, you're supposed to accompany me to sail around the Maldives," Fiona complained, "Alef and Zomon will definitely mock you. I don't want to be embarrassed, especially with that woman being there."
Nolan laughed heartily. "My dear Nana, you're an imperial princess! Do you really need to compete with the granddaughter of a grand sage?"
"You don't understand women! I can't afford to be shown up by her. Not even a little bit," Fiona pouted, sounding aggrieved. "I came all this way to find you to help me get back at her. Instead, I'm going to end up being the one mocked. Dear Lanny, you promised me, why are you backing out now?"
"I haven't backed out at all. I promised, and I'll keep my word."
"Then why are you cutting your hair? Don't you know what that means?"
"Maybe short hair isn't currently in vogue for men, but rules are meant to be broken! I'll be the first to do it! Besides, someone has already led the way!" Nolan smiled, then instructed the barber, "Trim it like Knight Ethan's. I think it looks really cool."
"Oh no!" Fiona nearly cried. "Dear Lanny, I know you have a pioneering spirit, but do you really have to pick now?"
As the two continued their back-and-forth, ignoring Ethan, he stood there with a slight frown. He felt extremely uncomfortable, not because he was being ignored, but because he had no idea what Nolan's intentions were. He didn't believe that Nolan, a duke's grandson, would cut his hair just because it looked good. Such an action would be considered self-ridicule in noble circles. Unless necessary, who would do such a thing? Moreover, why was he performing this act in front of Ethan?
Ethan couldn't fathom it, and he began to space out. At that moment, Nolan, perhaps tired of Fiona's nagging, glanced at Ethan, a sly smile forming at the corners of his mouth.
"I have an idea to ensure no one mocks us and you'll definitely come out on top," Nolan said.
"What idea?" Fiona asked, eyes wide with interest.
"Bring Knight Ethan with us," Nolan said, pointing to Ethan.
"Bring him? One short haircut isn't enough; we need two?"
"Don't underestimate Knight Ethan! Not long ago, he killed a seasoned 13th-tier mage in a fair fight."
Mage rankings differ from those of melee fighters. They don't have titles like Silver, Gold, Master, and Saint. Besides apprentices, all are simply called mages and are ranked by tiers. The highest rank is the 24th tier, with the highest tier in a specific school of magic being called a god, and the next tier called a grand sage. For example, the 24th tier water mage is called the Water God, and the 23rd tier is a grand sage. Even though 24 tiers exist, a 13th-tier mage is qualified to teach at the empire's top magic school, Merlin Academy, and is considered a strong figure.
"Wow!" Fiona exclaimed, finally looking at Ethan with some respect. But she quickly realized that Ethan's strength had nothing to do with Nolan's plan. She turned back to Nolan, asking, "So what does this prove?"
Nolan smiled, "You might not know, but Knight Ethan has a unique way of dealing with matters. Anyone who opposes or mocks him, he challenges to a duel. He continues until no one dares to oppose or mock him."
"Really? Knight Ethan, is that true?" Fiona asked, her eyebrows raised with interest.
"Absolutely not!" Ethan denied firmly, facing Nolan's attempt to divert trouble.
"No way!" Fiona pouted. "Nolan wouldn't lie."
"Whether Lord Nolan lies, I don't know," Ethan said, glancing at the door. "But I do know that if Your Highness doesn't hurry, you might lose him."
Fiona quickly turned to find Nolan sneaking out, hunched over, tiptoeing toward the door. "Oh, you dare trick me!" She lifted her skirt and ran after him.
Seeing this, Nolan ran even faster. In a blink, the room was empty. A barber who wanted to clean up the scattered hair was stopped by a colleague who signaled not to clean it up. They all bowed to Ethan before leaving together.
Ethan watched all this, puzzled. He kept a polite smile while they were there but dropped it into a frown once alone. "What kind of game are they playing? Could it really be that a princess and a duke's grandson just happened to pass by? And leaving the hair on the floor, what's that supposed to mean? It can't be just to disgust me, can it?"
He was full of questions and unsure if the hair was meant to disgust him. But he was sure the Duke was trying to. At least, he felt highly neglected. Time passed, and he remained alone in the room. Maybe the Duke was too busy to see a small figure like him, which was plausible. But if he had been invited, not showing up in person and not arranging for someone to accompany him was deliberate. Ethan realized he had offended the Duke somehow.
"Could it be..." Ethan suddenly thought of a possibility. "Damn! I forgot about that. But can this really be all my fault? Ignorance should be excused, right?"
"Sigh! Self-justification is useless. I need to find a way to fix this!"