"Did you call for me, father?" Theodore asked as he entered the room, heading into his father's office.

Did he discover that I sometimes went in here to play while he was gone, or looked through the records while researching ways to deal with my sister?

That was what Theo was thinking, but his father just gave him a warm smile.

"Today, we will be having an overnight visit from Margrave Yasuri. With him will be one of his children, Esre. If you could get along with Esre, that would be great. You are interested in that trading card game, Vozakun, right?"

"Voizakun, and yes" Theo said, a bit excited. Although his sister had trashed one deck, he managed to recover most of the cards, and he managed to get even better cards since she left. He was a very proud Dragon Deck user, and enjoyed his matches with Zuuki, who had been safeguarding his deck when his sister was here, and Rowyn, who was a total novice as it didn't exist back in his time.

Sometimes a few of the scholars kids would come by, and Theo could face them as well. That said, Theo had a bit of an advantage thanks to the experience of his previous life, so he often won. Zuuki and Rowyn were getting better, but perhaps a new opponent would be challenging.

Especially if it was from the Yasuri territory. Yasuri were known as a region of strong minded people who could easily ignore trends and had strong wills. Their land was mountainous and hardy, but they managed to have abundent farmlands and mining ventures there, and were even developing various magic tools there.

Theo had developed a strong interest in magic tools, since he thought they could help him survive. Well, plus they were just really cool. Even if he gained memories and some of the personality of his previous life, he also had the personality of a seven year old boy. So cool things easily enticed him.

His father could see that easily, and gave a warm chuckle.

"Therefore, while the adults talk, please make sure to keep Esre company okay?"

Theo nodded, and started to leave.

"...and by the way, you dont need to hide that you use my desk to play Voizakun with Rowyn and Zuuki when I am not around. I dont mind so long as you dont majorly re-arrange anything or break anything. Same with studying the materials in here, provided you dont take any of the restricted files".

Theo gulped.

He knew after all!!

Theo quickly fled the office with a red face of embarrassment as his father laughed at the sight.

----------------------------------------

When the Margrave arrived, Theodore and father both greeted them together. Mother was out at the moment, attending a tea party with some friends.

Margrave Yasuri was wearing some simple, easy to move in clothes, although they still looked nice as well. It had just enough ornaments to be considered noble, but it seemed since they were meeting with higher nobility, they went with a simpler option to be safe.

So thats why father said we could use the lighter clothes, even though we were meeting a Margrave.

During the formal meeting like this, the higher ranked nobility had to be dressed nicer and generally wear more then the lower ranked. Normally, a Margrave would be more fancily dressed, so they would need to be even higher then that. But with Yasuri, it seemed like he didn't want to bother with that.

There was also a boy with him, who appeared to be his son. He greeted Theo and his father with the Margrave. Like Theo, he wore suspender shorts, sturdy walking shoes, a nice short sleeve shirt with a collar, and a newsboy hat, which was called a Softcap in this world. He also had a bandaid on left knee and right cheek.

"Sorry for the delay. There was a rockslide on the pass as we were going by so we ended up later then we planned".

No no no, doesn't a rockslide normally stop someone completely? And if it happens as they are passing, doesn't that normally kill them? How is it you were only delayed a few hours?

Theo managed to avoid showing a dumbfounded expression, but those were his inner thoughts. That said, Theo noticed that Esre himself had something of great interest. It appeared to be some sort of box hooked onto his suspender shorts, securely shut, but was clearly the correct size and dimensions for a Voizarun deck. Esre seemed to notice this, and eyed a noticable full pocket of Theo's, which was about the right size and shape for a Voizarun deck.

"How about we let the boys go play for a bit, while we talk business inside?"

"Sounds good to me. Do you still have that one bottle of whiskey?"

"That will be for later tonight".

"Ahhh, wonderful".

The adults walked off while having such a conversation, while Esre suddenly grabbed Theo's hand and pulled him along towards the garden.

"You got a gazeebo right? There is little wind today, so lets play there!"

"R-right!"

Esre was a very assertive boy who didn't wait long it seemed. He seemed to be about the same age as Theo as well. They eventually got to the gazebo, which was when they were joined by Rowyn and Zuuki who came to watch.

"Ah, a Dragon Deck huh? And using Elthed, the Dragon King, as your hero? Thats a good deck" Esre mentioned, and then he looked at the others. "What decks you got?"

"Ah, my hero is also my idol and my namesake. Rowyn Fraudwyn, in a warrior deck" Rowyn admitted with fake pride. In truth, he was realizing how embarrassing his backstory was for awhile now, because he didn't normally have a personality for self praise. So pretending to praise himself and say that he was his own idol was embarassing to him.

"My hero is the wizard, Aetho. Mine is a spell/wizard deck".

"Ah, those are both good choices. The warrior deck is a bit simple, but if you are just a beginner its valuable, and its also very reliable as a result usually. And Rowyn is a very good hero. Meanwhile, your deck sounds like its complex, but also good at adapting...sounds like fun!"

Esre seemed to pull everyone at his own pace, as they began to play Voizarun.

The rules were simple. One had a Hero Card that was in a separate pile, and then they had their deck in the deck pile zone. Everyone would start with a hand of six cards. You had one free mulligan, where you could discard your entire hand for a new hand of six if you didn't like what you saw. After that, every additional mulligan would make you draw one less card.

There were five types of cards. Minion cards were the monsters, creatures, soldiers, whatever one wanted to refer to them as, basically the cards that would fight other cards of the same type and attack their opponents directily if not blocked. Most Heroes were also Minion-like cards, except they were seen more as the leader, not a minion.

Spell cards could be played any time, even on an opponents turn, so long as you possessed the mana to play them and met any other requirements they might have.

Terrain cards were used to generate mana, alter field conditions, provide area buffs, or place traps. The ones that were more powerful cost mana to play however. One also had a base pool of three mana every turn they could use in addition to those generated by Terrain cards. There were also other cards that could generate mana as well, but they were less common then the terrain versions.

Shade Cards were cards that could be attacked by Minion cards or have damage Spell cards cast right at them just like the player, and had certain amount of personal mana to them. This could only be used for themselves, and if they were attacked, or used powerful abilities that used up all of their personal mana, they would be destroyed.

Relic cards were those cards that were sort of like various gear, objects, or magic tools. Some required them to be equipped to Shades or Creatures, or even Terrain cards. Others operated independently. They could enchant an entire battlefield even.

And then finally, thre were Hero cards. There was only one Hero per deck, they were powerful and strong cards that generally led your forces, and often were the core of any deck. They were typically Minion Cards or Shade Cards, but there were some that were Relic Cards or even Terrain Cards, such as Leothi the Titantic Mountains. The only cards that were not Hero cards were spell cards.

Incidentally, Esre was someone who used a Relic Card as his hero, although it could essentially turn into a Minion card.

In the end, the result was Esre winning eight games, Theo winning four games, Zuuki winning five games, and Rowyn winning one game.

Once that was done, Rowyn seemed to remember or notice something, and grabbed Zuuki.

"Well, we gotta get back to work. Enjoy your time!"

Rowyn said that as he pulled Zuuki away while whispering something in his ear. Normally Rowyn would stick with him when he was with someone new, and Theo only knew of one exception.

Is my sister's soldiers working in secret to try and embarass me in front of the Margrave? Well, if I leave it to those two, it should be fine.

Theo decided to enjoy the day with Esre. Eventually, they got to talking about their favorite stories. Naturally, Esre was facinated by the tales of Rowyn there. During the great conflict his Great Grandfather took part in, Esre's family and the entire region supported abolishing laws that suppressed Beastkin and supported Kingdom wide laws that enforced equality between all races. In fact, within the Yasuri region, even before this change, Beastkin discrimination laws were already abolished, and discrimination itself didn't even exist within Yasuri lands. They were always a strong, indepdendent minded people, and they cared more about who a person was then what they looked like or what species they were. Their lands were always a place where Beastkin were treated equally, although they couldn't always stop other nobles from sending people illegally into their lands, abducting those beastkin, and turning them into slaves in their own lands. This led to strengthening the Margrave's region as a whole.

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Perhaps because of thatt, but for generations, Theo's family and the Margrave's family got along well. This might be the first time Esre came to visit, but it wasn't the first time for the Margrave. Sometimes he had taken his other sons and daughters, although Theo didn't always remember all of them.

Esre however also had many heroes from his own territory. Theo had heard of many of them, although he wasn’t aware of just how many came from the territory. Apparently the nickname of their land was “The Land of Heroes”.

“Not to mention I have a ton of cool gadgets, like my manablade” Esre said, taking out what appeared to be a metal Rod with an interesting design. Esre held it in one hand, using his thumb to hit a switch, and a blade made of mana emerged from it. A famous weapon from a certain Sci Fi series came to mind, although the blade seemed more solid and sharp, like a physical object made of mana, rather then a laser blade.

”Woah, that’s really cool!”

”Yeah. Since we are nobles, we all need to learn swords, wands, and such, at least a little. Honestly though, I prefer these”.

He put the manablade away, and then put on what appeared to be brass knuckles, but made of a red steel. After channeling mana through them while making fists, his firsts and forearms were glowing in red energy. He let out a few punches, and with one of them, a blast of red energy shot out and got some good air time before dissipating.

”See? Isn’t that way cooler?”

”Yeah yeah!”

Theo certainly agreed, it was very cool. Apparently they were also developing other weapons based on this new technology as well.

Afterwards, Paza came by and let them know a picnic had been prepared for them by request of Rowyn. Theo wasn’t sure when Rowyn set that up, and it was more like dinner rather then lunch, but he decided it was still nice out so the two of them went for it.

There were some rather nice and delicious sandwiches, as well as a wide variety of fruit. All that was well and good, but then there was a number of things that were not a part of a typical picnic, such as freshly cooked steaks.

Well, it was a picnic in a garden with the manor just a few dozen meters away, so it wasn’t all that unbelievable. As such, the two enjoyed their food surrounded by flowers as the sky started to get red overhead, enjoying their meal. They ended up talking more about magic tools as a result.

The food however was also very good and very tasty, so they made sure to fill their bellies. Once that was done, Paza came back and informed them the bath was ready for them. The two of them nodded, and then headed towards the bathroom to take a bath. Once they got inside, they both began to undress. As it turned out, they even had the same taste in underwear, as Esre also wore boxers. That said, once they got their underwear off, Theo learned of quite the fact.

As it turned out, Esre was a girl.

"Eh, you are..."

"Ah right, I forgot, I never told you. Dont mind that, I consider myself a boy through and through".

Esre made sure a declaration.

"Eh, but..."

"I like boy stuff more, I hate that girlish clothes that people have to wear when going to the Imperial Capital, boys clothes is far more comfortable, and even my mother has more or less given up for now on this matter. How do people even move around in dresses and skirts and lace and what not? Its so dumb looking and terrible. Shorts fit me much better, very easy to move around in. Plus, wearing a skirt would just let people see my boxers. Now, lets get in the bath".

Esre more or less grabbed his hand and pulled him along into the bath, where they could relax and wash off.

It seems Esre had completely determined to be a boy, but he sighed as it reminded him of something troublesome.

"That reminds me, I need to set up some sort of engagement soon. Apparently the royals have been getting uppity about making a stronger connection, especially to see if they could try and reign in the regions tendency to be...far more lax and abnormal. And that means a wedding with....uhg....lace and frills and such, since it would be in the Imperial Capital".

Esre seemed adament about being against lace and frills, she....no, he detested even the mere concept of such things existing anywhere near him.

As Theo had decided to live as a boy, he had decided to as well accept Esre wanting to live as a boy. But then the next request threw him off guard.

"So hey, want to have a sham engagement and sham marriage? We are friends right? So we would definitely be able to get along! And it means neither of us will have to marry anyone else! Besides, I am sure our families will want to finally link houses after all this time, so I am sure they will be on board! What do you say?"

"Hold on, for a noble marriage like this, wouldn't that require you to be a girl? You just said you would live as a boy?"

"Yeah, but you know the Imperial Capital will just ignore that, plus the whole 'heir' thing. Unless I finally get my hands on a permenant polymorph potion, I cant turn myself into a boy, and kids aren't allowed to use the permenant versions anyways. Gotta become an adult first".

No no no, I don't think kids are supposed to use the temporary polymorph potions either! Are you saying you used them already?!

"So unless I do something like that, they will consider me a girl, which means for any marriage, it would be....uhg, frilly and whatever. And even if I fully become a boy, then they would just make me marry someone who likes frilly stuff, cause it would be some princess or whatever from the Imperial Family. And that means a frilly wedding too, full of pink and...other girlish things. But if I get engaged to you first, and get married to you, we can avoid all that, and I can just live as a boy at least as much as possible".

"...so basically, you only want to use the fact you are a girl for your convienence in this matter?"

"Yeah pretty much".

"Is your mother that determined?"

"She was also pretty much a political marriage forced upon father. As the Land of Heroes, I guess we kinda stand out".

"You do know that nobles also refer to your land as 'The Land of Useful Meddlesome Problem Children'. right?"

"Yeah...I mean, thats kind of the same as a hero right?"

Theo couldn't deny those words. Theo considered everything for a moment, and then came to a conclusion.

"Before that though...there is one more thing I have to ask".

Theo said that, getting out of the bath and heading towards the door. He opened it up, and five people fell into the main bathing room from the changing rooms, four of them naked, and one wearing a maid's outfit. Paza was obviously the one in the maid outfit, while the rest of them were holding towels. Theo's and Esre's fathers were both there, as well as Zuuki and Rowyn.

"Care to explain yourself, daaaddy~" Theo said in a certain tone, but with eyes that Theo did not normally make. There was a visible vein bulging.

Theo hadn't quite put it together until he learned Esre was a girl, what had been done. The fathers heading away, the picnic, the fact Rowyn and Zuuki, and even Paza, left them alone for so long.

These five had conspired to set them up on a date.

"I fully support this engagement!" the two fathers said in unison. Theo let out a sigh.

Well, if it means I also get to avoid those bothersome engagement talks, that would be fine. Plus...yeah in my past life, I wasn't a big fan of frills, dresses, or skirts either. So I understand Esre's desire.

However, Theo ended up pinching the noses of the fathers who prostrated themselves in front of their sons.

"Esre, it seems we will have to punish our idiotic doting fathers. It seems we were set up on a date".

"Dad! Why?! You were on board with me being a boy!"

"Because if it was Theo, i figured you would come up with the idea to avoid such...frilly weddings, but I wanted to make sure you two would get along well first. Even if it didn't turn out like that, you would at least have a good friend!"

Esre looked at his father with a warm gaze.

"Daddy, you do understand me".

"Certainly. I remember the hell from my wedding, having to deal with someone who wore such a frilly dress. It was so embarrassing, and everything was so pink..."

"That really doesn't suit us at all".

"No it does not!"

Theo then looked at his own father.

"...I wanted to make sure my little prince only married someone kind and trustworthy and capable".

"...daddy".

Theo sighed, and then looked back at Esre.

"All right, I will accept. Now lets finish this bath before you all catch a cold".

As he headed back in, he then added something.

"I can just punish you all later".

Rowyn, Zuuki, August, and Paza flinched a little. Esre's father sighed with relief...

"I will deal with my dad Theo, so don't worry about that!"

"Esre?!"

"You still set me up on a secret date, don't think you are getting out of this unscathed".

"Guh...it was worth it".

"Then, shall I commence with the Ribbon Ceremony?"

"Ah yes, please do Paza. Esre, Theo, if you mind?"

The two boys nodded, getting out of the bath and sitting down on some chairs, as Paza got out a special rainbow ribbon. Esre and Theo put their right and left leg next to each other, and then Paza tied them both together with the rainbow ribbon. This was a ceremony, to officially honor the engagement. Esre was not totally thrilled, but she made do. They had to at least do this much after all. The ribbon would come off the next morning.

----------------------------------------

After everyone had a bath, and the rest had dinner, Esre ended up sleeping with Theo in his room. As it was still mid spring, the boys wore a large nightgown. In the winter, they would wear something a bit heavier to sleep in, while in the summer, children would typically sleep in the nude. The nightgowns were made for the middle, so they were sleeveless. Recently, exposed shoulders and knees were in fashion for boys anyways. It provided good warmth for spring nights, while not being too stuffy. They ended about halfway between the knee and the thigh as well, so they were a bit similar to summer dresses in a way.

Esre had said he would be fine with them sleeping in the nude since it was fairly warm at the moment, but his father pointed out it was not that warm and didn't want him to catch a cold. Plus as they were Theo's, they were boy's nightgowns, so it was easily accepted.

The two ended up talking late into the night about their various interests, which they shared a lot of. At some point their small bodies finally gave way, and they fell asleep while chatting.

The next morning, they ended up waking up, and of course the first thing they did...

"Certainly, magic crystal catalysts are good for power, but they are not very efficient. If you use Coldsilver, it can store a lot more mana and use it more efficiently".

"Yes, but you see, that also decreases the power! Part of the efficiency is that it has a much lower power output per tick. Maybe it lasts longer, but it wont be as good at completing the task if you need a short burst of power".

"Maybe, but if you want something to be useful for a longer time after being charged, magic tools are better with that since you don't have to keep them in mind as much".

"Yeah, but tools don't typically get left on without being used, so I don't think that is quite right".

The two boys were laying on the bed, with a book full of magic tool drawings and descriptions in front of them, having resumed the conversation from last night. They were both laying on their bellies.

They also got into the various magic they could use. Theo could use Celestial Magic, and was learning Void, Storm, and Spirit Magic. Esre found that really cool. He mainly used magic tools, as well as his fists, but he did know some Void magic, as well as Nature Magic and was learning Transfiguration Magic.

Eventually, Paza came in to get them and to remove the ribbon.

"Is it breakfast time? I didn't hear the bell Paza".

Paza shook her head. "Its lunch time. Its nearly time for Esre to depart. You have spent the entire morning in bed talking, apparently without even getting dressed or thinking to call me to remove the ribbon".

"Ah..."

"We did get absorbed into our conversation, didn't we?"

They both had the expression of two boys caught doing something bad, as Paza sighed and proceeded to remove tthe ribbon. She then laid out clothes for both of them, prompting them to stand out as she dressed the two boys in clean clothes after getting them out of their nightgowns.

After that, they joined the others for lunch, and with large appetites, the two boys proceeded to devour half the table it looked like.

"Dad, do we really have to go back now?"

"Ah, don't worry. I will make sure you can visit plenty of times and stay for longer next time, but we need to get back in a hurry before your mother tries to set you up with some prince to announce the engagement".

"Eek! Don't those guys wear frilly shirts sometimes even?"

"For formal events yes".

"Hard pass. The hardest of hard passes. Alright, I see getting back is something we need to do urgently. If necessary, I will just have that magic tool prototype prepared so that I can get back here quickly".

"Ahahahaha. That is my boy!"

"Ah, Esre, if that's the case, then about that one wand design?"

"Ah, yeah. I will have our crafters get it done. We can call it an engagement present or whatever as an excuse, so dont worry about paying for it".

"Thanks!"

The wording was probably common sense shattering for many of the upright nobles in the Imperial Capital, but none of them there cared too much.

And so, Esre and Theo managed to escape marriage talks and engagement meetings with others through such a method.