Finally, the show that no reader had asked for was about to be written. The night had arrived, and Apolo was changing into his clothes to attend the grand party prepared by his beloved Gururi, Zoe.

As a magician, Apolo only needed to wear his everyday attire to go to the farewell party. So, it was quite quick and easy for him to put on his toga and prepare to be the first participant to arrive at the party where, for the first time in his life, he had to be the host.

Apolo wanted to arrive early since he planned to make sure everything was in order just before the big event unfolded. This way, he could ensure that Zoe wouldn't fail in her first important task, which was crucial to the creature's morale.

However, when Apolo was about to leave the room, he noticed a small problem: his cane was nowhere to be found in his bedroom! No matter how much he searched, the cane remained elusive. Given that Apolo's bedroom was a labyrinth of furniture, finding things when they were lost was not exactly simple. Hours passed, and the cane still didn't appear. Eventually, Apolo decided to leave without it and worry about finding it tomorrow. Apolo had already lost too much time, and he couldn't afford to disappoint Zoe by missing the party she had organized. This was the first major task she had assigned to him, so Apolo knew how much it meant to her that he evaluated this task. He also knew that if things went wrong today, his favorite Gururi ran the risk of becoming depressed.

In a hurry, Apolo glanced around the room one last time. Seeing that the cane remained elusive, he resigned himself and left his bedroom to head to the hall where the servants were setting up the party.

Upon arriving in the room for the grand event, Apolo saw that all the servants were incredibly well-dressed, indicating that Zoe had given them used clothing for the occasion.

At the moment, the servants were moving back and forth, setting up plates, drinks, and utensils on a long makeshift table made of a few planks and barrels. The room where the party was being prepared was used as a greenhouse, given its large space and good lighting. Therefore, the makeshift table was surrounded on all sides by potted fruit and vegetable plants placed on various diverse pieces of furniture, such as cabinets, sofas, chairs, and any other piece of furniture with a flat surface to support a pot.

Furthermore, the room itself was one of the largest in the mansion and was immense, so easily a thousand people could fit in it. However, currently, there were only 20 servants living in this gigantic mansion, so the plants growing in the pots filled the space more than anything else.

—Isn't it a bit ridiculous to use this room just to set up a table for 20 people?—Apolo asked one of the walls of the room as if he were talking to himself. However, immediately, Zoe teleported to his side.

—Parties are always held in the most important room of the house!—Zoe explained energetically.

—Is this supposed to be the most important room in my mansion?—Apolo asked, not understanding the reasoning, as it wasn't even the largest room; it was just one of the larger ones. He didn't grasp the arbitrariness of Zoe's decision.

—Yes, look at the ceiling, do you notice something?—Zoe commented, pointing her little hand at the ceiling.

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Apolo followed the instructions and observed that the ceiling of this room had a beautiful and gigantic painting. To be honest, he had been so absorbed in the task of moving furniture and pots into this room that he hadn't bothered to look at the ceiling closely. It appeared that it was indeed different: the painting depicted a massive family tree that extended to the present, with names quite recognizable to Apolo, such as Cesar, the current emperor of the empire. So, the family tree represented in the painting was that of the imperial family. Considering that even the names of the emperor's children were drawn on the painting, Apolo assumed that the painting was automatically updated as the family tree grew, or alternatively, they would have the annoying visit of a painter from the imperial family in a few years.

—I suppose this house belonged to a member of the imperial family many years ago. Do you know if the painting is magical?—Apolo asked, feeling uncomfortable with the idea of having an intruder sent by the imperial family on his lands.

—What would a magical painting be?—Zoe asked, not understanding.

—One that paints itself...—Apolo responded immediately, remembering some paintings from the castle where he had grown up.

—That's not a magical painting; those are quite common. My previous master had many that moved and painted on their own—Zoe explained.

—Oh, that's interesting. Remember to get some of those paintings for your room. Maybe they sell second-hand ones, or perhaps we can get the ones your previous master had—Apolo commented happily. The more he learned about Zoe, the easier it was to recreate her previous life, improving the chances of preventing her from becoming depressed.

—We don't have the budget for that; they're quite expensive. By the way, do you know how many magic crystals your next magical research will consume?—Zoe asked, trying to plan for the future of this home, which was a bit more complicated than she had originally thought. Her previous master was much more responsible than Apolo and always gave her important information so she could manage the budget. However, Apolo hadn't talked about his magical research for almost a month.

—We'll use all the crystals we have; spend every last one to beautify the garden. That's vital for my future plans!—Apolo ordered—Also, use the money I'm owed, and make sure they pay me on time for my work checking Goros. I worked hard, and I still haven't seen a single crystal.

—In fact, you've already been paid for some jobs. Although most should pay before the end of the year, and in any case, I'll make sure they pay you, master—Zoe replied, less expressively than Apolo would have liked.

—Well, take care of that problem, but just remember to let me know if anyone doesn't want to pay or tries to get away with it—Apolo responded—Is it much longer until dinner? I'm not used to waiting; I want to eat!

—You have to follow the protocol: first, there will be music and a traditional dance where everyone will dance in pairs—Zoe said rather authoritatively and with a deeper voice than usual, which somewhat startled Apolo. This was the first time he had heard Zoe speak in this way.

—But...—Apolo wanted to object, but he saw Zoe's inquisitive gaze and reminded himself that Zoe's previous master had lived in a time when magicians sought to revive tradition. So, it was not a good idea to oppose the boring protocols of the past in front of Zoe.

—But, of course, we'll follow the traditions, as any noble magician would!—Apolo agreed.

—I'm glad. Who will be your dance partner?—Zoe asked, looking at the other servants curiously.

—I suppose it will be my cousin, Mateo—Apolo replied, refusing to dance with his servants—By the way, is there anything else to do besides dancing? I'm a bit worried about my magical research, so I don't remember the protocol for these parties very well.

—I'll write down on a piece of paper what you need to do during the party—Zoe replied, disappearing immediately.

Apolo watched Zoe disappear and released a sigh of relief. It was only now that he realized the big problem with Zoe. He had never paid attention to the protocols, so it seemed that he would have to take etiquette classes again to improve his role as Zoe's new master.

—They judge you by how they see you and how you act...—Apolo murmured quietly, sighing.