I sit down to enjoy a juice made from a fruit similar to an orange. The juice is just as citrusy and sweet when mixed with sugar—it's one of my favorites to refresh the day or when I'm really tired and want to regain some energy.

A few minutes later, Baron Camux approaches the table accompanied by Sol. Both look happy and are walking toward us hand in hand. "Marquis Julio Timal, it's an honor to see you again." Camux performs a typical greeting from a noble house head to the ruler of the entire territory, placing his right hand over the top of his head and his left hand on his chest, bowing in a gesture that expresses devotion to the sovereign. "I wasn't expecting to see you at my daughter's party—what a pleasure it is to have you here."

"Baron Camux, it's been quite a while. I couldn't miss the birthday of the daughter of this marquisate's rising star." He returns a bow similar to Camux's. "Miss Sol, happy birthday. I hadn't seen you in some time—you've grown even more beautiful." He then greets Sol, who had been bowing with her gaze to the floor. Once greeted, she lifts her head.

"Thank you for your kind words, Marquis Timal. I'm glad to see you in good health." Sol greets him and then glances briefly at me with a smile, which makes the marquis follow her gaze toward me, glance back at her, and smile in a way that's difficult to interpret.

"I also couldn't ignore my niece's requests. She sent me many letters about her friend's birthday." Both girls blush a little and approach each other to greet while Camux and the Marquis look at me, inviting me to join them. I hesitate for a moment but approach when Camux insists with a hand gesture.

"It's a shame to see you alone at the party. I was hoping to see your parents or grandmother." He lets out a small sigh. "I understand their situation—they're at a stage where they have to give it their all." The marquis seems intrigued by the topic, and Camux explains the situation calmly.

"I see... I do recall signing something like that. Though my cousin handles most of the paperwork with his team under strict criteria." He strokes his chin and starts to think. I keep talking with Camux about the party—my opinion so far is that everything has been perfect.

I step away from them for a moment to greet Sol. "Happy birthday, Sol. The party is splendid, and you look absolutely stunning." We share a warm hug, and the three of us sit down to chat. They start chatting about how people are dressed—typical topics between girls—while I just listen and give a few comments when asked.

After a few minutes, Camux calls me over again. "We were talking about the last tournament, and I remembered you never received your prizes from the novice tournament you won." Honestly, I hadn't thought about that either—it happened a long time ago, and I'm not even sure those rewards are useful to me now.

"I'll arrange a reward appropriate to your current level, Maki. I'll send you a letter once it's ready, and you'll have to go to Primaver City then." He winks at me before continuing. "I'll make sure the date coincides with my niece's birthday, which I imagine you'll attend."

"Thank you, Baron Camux and Duke Timal, for thinking of my rewards. It will be an honor to receive them after so long." There's no reason to refuse if the Marquis wants to reward me—especially if the reward is tailored to my current strength.

"You'll need to be prepared—the under-15 tournament takes place a few days after Arisa's birthday." His words raise an eyebrow. Another tournament? I don't know if I'm that interested in fighting people my age again…

"You don't seem excited. I think I understand why." He chuckles. "People your age are no challenge to you. Just think—if you win, you'll receive an even better reward by combining the prizes, and the champion gets a full scholarship to any school." Now that does spark my interest. Even though my parents can pay for my education, it's still expensive since it's the best school on the continent.

"You don't have to decide now, Maki. You've got plenty of time to think about it." Camux adds. I thank both of them for being so considerate and stay to listen a bit as they talk about the direction the marquisate is headed in. I'm not that interested, but it's always good to learn more about the place I live in.

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Apparently, a lot of dungeons have started appearing across the continent. For some territories, it's a disaster; for others, a blessing. In some places, dungeons overflowed and destroyed towns. In others, they've been controlled; in all cases, they've been a blessing because of the cores and have increased general income.

This marquisate already had contingency plans, so they weren't caught off guard. Still, some towns were devastated due to nearby grade-3 dungeons, while others, like mine, came out ahead, with only grade-1 and grade-2 dungeons appearing. Now it's all bureaucratic—deciding how to help the places that didn't benefit as much.

The biggest issue in smaller towns is the lack of Ruby-rank personnel and only a few necessary Sapphire-rank adventurers due to their high wages. Now, our territory has someone who can clear grade-3 dungeons alone, which generates income and allows the hiring of more staff. It's like a snowball that keeps growing in the right direction.

The conversation gets a bit more interesting when they talk about the types of dungeons that appeared around the Solar territory. They've secured seven—one of grade 3 and the rest split between grades 1 and 2. I wonder if Uncle Camux will let me train for a few days in the grade-3 dungeon. I'll ask him later…

About ten minutes pass while we talk, and then Camux excuses himself to greet the other guests. Sol has to go with him, and just before leaving, she comes up to me. "I figured you'd dance the first song with Arisa, but why was Lady Marga the second? I won't accept being fourth—you'd better come find me as soon as the music starts again." I apologize and quickly explain the situation.

"I see... that changes everything. Come find me when it's time to dance." She says goodbye with a smile and heads off with her father to the table where Marga is. That's where they'll start greeting all the guests—none as important as the marquis or the duke's daughter.

The marquis, Arisa, and I continue talking, with me mostly playing the role of spectator. I only speak when they look at me expecting a comment. It's refreshing to see how happy Arisa is to see her uncle again.

A few minutes later, Marga approaches our table and respectfully greets the most important person here. Apparently, they know each other from past events where high-ranking nobles gather every now and then.

Marga joins our conversation—her way with words is on par with Sol's, and her ability to steer the conversation is top-notch. I'm learning a bit about how to act like a noble right now—free lessons from some of the best.

The music starts again, and I immediately use my domain to search for Sol. I also scan with my eyes from side to side until I find her. I notice Marquis Julio looking at me, sensing my ability. His smile is subtle, as if more intrigued by my skill than anything else.

When I finally find Sol, she's already looking in my direction. I get up from my chair and move quickly around a few tables. Some nobles glance at me, but I ignore them, keeping my eyes focused on where I'm going.

A few meters from Sol, I see her rejecting another young noble's invitation to dance. I quickly approach, and she takes my hand. "I've been waiting for you." We walk to the center of the dance floor. The people already dancing part slightly when they see Sol, making room for us at the center of the floor.

Dancing with the birthday girl also puts me in the spotlight. It feels strange to be watched by so many. Most are chatting while discreetly staring at us—after all, the youngest son of a border baronet has now danced with the three most important girls at the party.

I let out a mental sigh as I keep dancing with Sol. Our dance is slow and gentle. Our bodies are quite close, and at times I can feel some of her more… notable features. I do everything I can to keep my mind in check. Being at an age where your hormones are all over the place isn't easy—my past mind and body have clashed many times before. I need to focus on keeping my head calm and follow the rhythm. Thanks to my frozen core, I can stay composed. We finish our dance, and she resumes her routine of greeting tables with her father, while I decide to step outside for a bit to clear my head.

I grab a glass of juice and quietly walk toward a distant door that connects to a beautiful part of the garden. I sit on a chair to relax while sipping the refreshing juice slowly. People are definitely going to talk about me a lot in the coming days.

A few minutes later, someone speaks to me—I didn't sense them in my domain, so I quickly turn my head.

"Getting some air? I get it—this party's heating up." The marquis surprises me by appearing beside me. Since I wasn't focused on my domain, I couldn't track his presence.

"Apologies for not noticing you earlier, Marquis." I get up from my seat to apologize immediately.

"No need to apologize, Maki." He places a hand on my shoulder. "You've done nothing wrong. Don't look at me like those other typical high-ranking nobles—my personality's never been compatible with theirs." He gestures for me to sit back down and creates a chair out of mana—let me say, it looks like a real chair, fully reinforced and comfortable.

"I have two questions for you, Maki." I watch him, curious to hear what they are.

"Do you want to become stronger?" His question carries many meanings and ways to answer. "You know all three of them like you. What do you feel for them?"

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