[1 Week Later]
It was a grand occasion in the Great Crimson Family's Estate.
Several guests entered the vast territory of the Crimson Family, parking their carriages in the appropriate locations within the massive compound prepared for matters of the sort.
Hundreds—if not thousands of acres—were consumed by the Estate's compound alone.
The many towering buildings, as well as other glorious monuments, only spoke volumes of the kind of influence this family wielded.
Of all the four Ducal Households—the most influential noble families in the Kingdom—they possessed the greatest number of powerful Mages.
One could call them the powerhouse of the Kingdom.
And right on this very day, the daughter of Lord Philius Crimson—the Crimson FamilyHead—was celebrating her fifth birthday.
Normally, according to Noble Tradition, a naming ceremony was held a week after a child was born.
This was to grant the newborn their name and also to openly affirm if a child had prospects as a Magic User, hence becoming an important asset to the Kingdom and strengthening the Household's standing.
That said, there were other birthday celebrations that were treated with similar levels of importance.
The Coming-Of-Age ceremony was an example of a celebration that dwarfed the Naming Ceremony in terms of grandeur.
Since it marked a child's inevitable departure to the Eastern Kingdom's great institute of Magic—Ainzlark Academy—Nobles often threw lavish parties and invited tons of guests.
This wasn't such a party, though.
The five-year-old birthday party of the only child of the Crimson Family Head was being celebrated in such a grand fashion because of one reason only.
The Young Lady—Serah Crimson—had recently awakened and formed her Mana Core, and it was the legendary Special Grade Core.
That meant she was an incomparable genius with limitless possibilities awaiting her as a Mage.
There was no way the Crimson Family wouldn't hold such a celebration to show off their priceless treasure.
… Even if the celebrant herself didn't want it.
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"This is stupid…"
As Serah Crimson watched the events of the party, she couldn't help but whisper in disdain.
She could see so many people grovel shamelessly in the presence of her parents, and a lot of them had tried to be friendly with her.
Of course, she couldn't care less, and she made it clear in how she addressed anyone who spoke to her.
Even if she said the most disrespectful things to them, they would take it very calmly and even apologize to her.
That was the level of their inferiority.
'Hmph! They don't want to get on my family's bad side. Plus, I'm an unparalleled genius. No one will want to mess with me.'
Serah flaunted her crimson hair as she proudly stayed close to her mother while her father went around talking to the more important guests in the party.
Her ruby-like eyes scanned the room, but she found no one who was worthy of her attention.
They were all just greedy-eyed idiots who came here for mere appearances or because they wanted something from her family.
It was disgusting, and she hated the hypocrisy.
'I can't wait for this party to end so I can just go back to my room.'
Right as Serah had this thought, a teenager—one who looked to be barely an adult—approached her and her mother.
"Greetings Lady Arisa Crimson. Greetings, Young Lady Serah Crimson."
This young man had blond yellow hair, with very charming amber eyes.
He looked incredibly handsome, and his exquisite wear was immaculate. He wasn't like many of the Nobles who were trying very hard to impress.
Serah could tell… he had true wealth.
"Ohh! Young Master Damien Leonard. It's a pleasure to meet you after so long. The last time we saw was so many years ago."
"Indeed. It is a pleasure."
"And how are your parents? Are they still bedridden? Hope they get better."
"I hope so as well. Your concern is much appreciated."
"Please send my regards."
"I shall…"
As Serah observed the exchange between her mother and this stranger, she was able to pick up on a few things.
'Leonard? He's from a Ducal Household like us…'
However, that was where the respect she had towards this young man ended.
Even though her parents had tried to hide it from her, the same way they did to most Nobles and members of the public, she knew the truth.
'This guy's parents are already dead. They died months ago…'
Damien Leonard had been orphaned at a very young age, before he could properly become an adult.
The only reason this was being kept a secret was to ensure there wasn't any unrest or disputes within the Leonard Household, as well as the other Noble Factions.
Damien was still fifteen, and until he was sixteen, he couldn't claim succession.
If the current power vacuum was left unaddressed, it would lead to political instability in the Kingdom, as rival families within the massive Leonard Umbrella, as well as outside it, would fight endlessly to get a slice of the Ducal cake.
They couldn't have that.
As such, it was agreed by the Crimson Family and the Helmsworth Household that the entire affair would be kept a secret.
Serah knew this entire exchange between her mother and this Damien fellow was only for appearances so that people wouldn't suspect the truth.
The story was that the Duke and Duchess had succumbed to a strange illness, so they were currently bedridden.
Of course, Medicinal Experts were attending to them, and the best of Magic Experts had tried to figure out a solution, all to no avail.
This would be the way the situation was supposed to go until Damien became an adult and took the throne of the Leonard Household.
'Hmph! What an overly complicated plan.'
Serah didn't like it one bit.
Perhaps it was because she didn't like lies, or because she knew the true reason why her parents were rendering so much unnecessary support towards the Leonards.
'The previous family head was my father's protege. Dad is just trying his best to look out for his protégé's son…'
All under the excuse of maintaining order.
Serah was too young to understand this, but if instability was allowed to seep into the Leonard Family in its current state, it could destroy the great pillar.
'I even heard they are a bunch of Inepts. Pathetic…'
As Damien Leonard respectfully stretched out his hand and wished Serah a happy birthday, she scoffed at him and rolled her eyes.
"Don't speak to me, you inferior Inept."
As soon as she blurted this out, attention from the many Nobles intensified.
They had all been passively paying attention to her, since she was the star of the occasion, but after she said those words, it was impossible to be subtle.
Gasps echoed from Nobles, and several of them began to look at Damien Leonard to see how he would react.
The stigma associated with being an Inept had long gone out of fashion thanks to the Greatest Magic Scholar—Lewis Griffith—but that didn't mean it had been completely snuffed out.
Among Nobles especially, having Magic… at least to a functional extent… was a sign of status.
However, even though most of these Nobles shared the prejudice that currently threatened the status of the Leonard Household, they could not expressly display it.
One of the reasons was simply due to the Leonard Family's current influence.
It was still one of the Four Ducal Households.
The second reason, however, was one that currently held far more weight.
"Hey, Serah!"
Serah Crimson found herself trembling at the firm voice of her father.
Her eyes instantly spotted him. He was glaring at her very intensely from where he stood, and she could tell she was in serious trouble.
In order to avoid his disappointed and angry state, she tried to avert her gaze, but she was only able to tilt it to the two who were closest to him.
It seemed her father was speaking to them before she had spoken so brashly.
One of the two was a man who had a similar height as her father. He had slightly long brown hair, a handsome face despite looking aged, and his outfit was oddly simple despite looking regal.
Then, there was the second person.
He appeared much younger than the first man.
No… that was an understatement.
The boy was nothing more than a child. Serah estimated him to be about her age.
He had a bored look that made it seem like he didn't want to be in the party, the same kind of expression Serah had also donned until recently.
As her gaze flickered under the heavy pressure being exerted by her father, the boy's pitch-black eyes met hers.
The moment they did, she found herself unable to look away.
His lips slowly curled into a smile—no, more like a wicked grin—almost as if he was enjoying the moment.
From a look of sheer lethargy and boredom to one of amusement; the boy's audacity knew no bounds.
As fiery rage filled her chest, causing her to momentarily forget the fear her father was inflicting, she watched his moist lips mouth some words.
Serah's eyes widened as she heard the words translate in her mind.
"Serves. You. Right."
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