In a garden on Hughesin’s estate, Kebrilio the Archmagister was locked in a fierce discussion with Saludy.

Separated by a single wall, two others were trying their hardest to eavesdrop on this conversation. Their ears strained to listen to even a single word spoken by one of the two.

Kebrilio was ardently refusing to even entertain Saludy’s requests. No matter what she asked, the magus simply refused to allow his niece to stay at Hughesin’s estate, citing one of three different reasons.

One, a maiden living in the house of another before marriage was simply unwise and would lead to unbecoming gossip. 

Two, there was no way Fantasia’s father would approve of any marriage. Kebrilio refused to give consent on behalf of his brother.

Three, given Hughesin’s penchant for womanizing, Kebrilio didn’t feel him as a worthy marriage candidate for his niece. 

The three excuses felt extremely hollow when spoken by Kebrilio. The two eavesdroppers could only grimace whenever they were repeated.

Also grimacing was Elric. Stuck in his room, he wallowed in despair as he realized what Kebrilio’s earlier words meant. The man must’ve gone to see Charle and Flania earlier! Given his fame and influence, Kebrilio could’ve easily withdrew Elric out from here if he wanted. The excuses he spoke of weren’t meant to accept or deny Saludy, but instead allow for an open-ended future for Fantasia’s hand. The man clearly wanted Elric to stay here.

He was certain of it. Kebrilio was deliberately playing up the situation so that his ‘desire’ to have Fantasia safe would be known, but Fantasia would still be left on Hughesin’s estate. 

Elric felt his anger begin to rise.

Someone else was also beginning to fly into an intense emotional state. Hughesin.

He and Somiret, due to their distance from the garden, were both using monitor crystals to listen in on the discussion. Because they could hear more, Hughesin realized what was going on even faster than the other eavesdropper, Elric. 

It was also because he could hear more that Hughesin found himself turning red. The same three excuses were bad enough, but Hughesin found it unbearable how the man was also listing off his shortcomings. An irritable fellow, was he? A womanizer and a wastrel and companions of men of the same repute? All sorts of labels were being stuck onto him from his upbringing to even how aristocratic he wasn’t.

It infuriated him to hear these flaws of his since he couldn’t deny that any of them were false. Was he infamous? Yes. Was he a temperamental and irritable person? He was that too. And his friends? Well, he couldn’t be angry about that. His friends included Somiret the Chancellor and even His Majesty, Hecaris III. 

The biggest reason behind his anger was one specific criticism Kebrilio had. The one regarding his upbringing. The man was brave enough to criticize Hughesin about that to the 

mother

 of the man in question! Kebrilio wouldn’t know etiquette if it hit him, Hughesin fumed. How could a guest have the audacity to say as much as he was saying to the duchess about her son? 

Hughesin prided himself on his outward appearances and made sure every citizen of Waldsk knew of his name as ‘Hughesin of the Sun’. It was a truly poetic epithet that deserved to be shared! Hardly any other aristocrat almost could possibly come even close to having anything similar. 

How in the world was 

Kebrilio

 of all people to talk? The bear-like magus was known throughout the Karthian aristocracy as having a terrible character. No one ever took him seriously as an aristocrat, so on what basis was this man to say 

he

 had no upbringing? 

Yet Hughesin strangely found it hard to take the man’s criticism as attacks on his person. One part of him was silently taking these criticism to heart, as if he was trying to see if he could perhaps change this evaluation of himself and better himself in the eyes of Fantasia’s uncle. Why he was thinking that way was a mystery to even him.

Maybe it was because this criticism was coming from a man important to Fantasia? Criticisms from his own mother weren’t so bad since she knew him on a deeper level. But from Kebrilio? Fantasia would 

definitely

 take her uncles word for it more than Saludy! What if her view of Hughesin was stained from this?

She clearly didn’t even know who Hughesin was or his fame. Else she’d have known his infamous reputation as being a huge womanizer.

So worried was he that Fantasia would hear about his reputation that he made an announcement to his servants late last night. Anyone caught mentioning relating to his womanizing habits would be shipped off to a Kaznian labor camp regardless of their age or sex. Let their loyalty be rewarded with a lifetime of labor there.

He could only pray to the gods that Fantasia would be spared from hearing from Kebrilio anything that would paint him in a negative light.

To his side, Somiret suppressed a grin from his face at how Hughesin was reacting. Who was it that said ‘Love makes us all fools’? Somiret had to make a toast to whomever first spoke this millennium-old saying. Anyone but Hughesin would easily be able to tell that this discussion was going nowhere with Kebrilio repeating the same things like an idiot and that Saludy, despite her attempts to force a different answer, was struggling to come to a desirable outcome. 

Somiret sighed. Kebrilio was a man capable in only a few select aspects, it seemed. Magic was without a doubt the first and foremost field, but he also had some degree of political know-how if he managed to establish ties with the Sovereignian dignitaries and then also get rid of the elite soldiers Kebrilio trained. But in terms of diplomacy and negotiations? The man was hopeless.

Kebrilio might stand a chance against Hughesin on the court, but certainly not Saludy. She was without a doubt the more well-spoken one.

In Somiret’s eyes, Kebrilio’s concession was a foregone conclusion. Saludy just needed a little more time and just the right amount of push and Kebrilio would give up. Knowing that, Somiret was already trying to make use of this opportunity to drive a bigger wedge between Hughesin and Kebrilio.

“Kebrilio’s concerns appear valid to me.” Spoke Somiret, his face completely devoid of any emotions. “Were I to have such a niece, I daresay a deviant like yourself would never see her in your home.” He smiled.

Hughesin glared at his old friend, annoyed. But as annoyed as he was, Somiret was right. Were it himself with a niece as adorable and innocent as Fantasia being proposed to by a huge womanizer, he’d most likely take matters into his own hands and head over to the man’s estate with his sword in hand to rescue his niece. 

It pained him to say something nice about his political enemy, but Kebrilio’s response to this entire scenario was far more calm and polite than he should be. Another tick mark popped up on his head; why did his friend have to say something like that? He couldn’t even refute against the comment!

Inwardly, Somiret was having the time of his life at the stupefied expression he was being shown.

“The man has always been as stubborn as a mule. How long have we known him and his convictions? Persuading a man who thinks with his base emotions rather than benefit and detriment is beyond your caliber…”