The door opened and revealed a woman with a fashionable dress and a black-haired young man wearing a nobleman's attire. They entered through the main room with the sofas and a table. The woman gestured towards one of the sofas so that the man could sit. They bot sat down across from one another.

Meanwhile, Kadota decided to hide in a closet in that very same room as them, which happened to be empty.

'That's Baron Vasquez's wife, Maria. And that man...he doesn't look right.' Kadota thought as he peeked through a small opening in the closet's door. It was indeed the case that the man looked out of place in his luxurious attire. For starters, Kadota did not know any nobles from this kingdom with his black hair. The only explanation would be if he was a foreign noble but The House's information network has not notified him of this.

"I sincerely apologize since my husband is currently away. This room is private enough to discuss our matters. Shall we start?" Maria spoke elegantly.

"I'm afraid there is one more thing we must deal with before we start our discussion." The man smiled.

Maria raised her eyebrows. "And that is?"

"A rat." 

Kadota already noticed something was wrong from the man's glances around the room. He reacted as quickly as he could. Kadota kicked the door opened in that very moment and jumped forward to perform a roll on the ground. This act saved his life as at the very same second, a small dagger already lodged itself inside the closet, specifically where Kadota's head was just a split second ago.

Kadota recovered and stood up. He took out his red rapier and readied his battle stance.

Maria had a look of utter surprise for a second before freakishly returning to the normal face she had before. She suddenly stood up and did a noblewoman's bow by raising her skirt with both hands.

"I'll bring tea and confectioneries from the kitchen. Excuse me." Maria left the room with confident stride before the sound of a locking door could be heard from the door she stepped away from.

"This mansion's security is quite sloppy, don't you agree?" The man asked Kadota while smiling.

Kadota did not reply.

The man nodded. "Very good. A battle is not the time to be chatting. This is, after all, not one of Rakovsky's plays"

"That's where I disagree." Kadota replied while smiling."I do like getting to know my enemies in the midst of the dance. It makes it all the more dramatic. I was simply silent because I was trying to figure out how you knew I was hiding there."

"Ah!" The man's eyes turned wide. "I thought you were one of those boring brutes. Are you also a man of culture? then forget what I just said. I am very much of the same standpoint as you"

"You did not answer my question." Kadota frowned.

"Isn't it better narratively if I keep it a secret?" The man said while unsheathing the sword he was carrying on his waist.

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"Can't argue with that. I'll try to pry it off of your dead body." Kadota took several steps forward to approach the man.

"A rapier? Did you take inspiration from Rakovsky's The Bride of the Prince?" The man eyed Kadota's beautiful red rapier with glee.

"Indeed I did. But enough talking for now. I want to see how capable the man who managed to see through my hiding is." Kadota now stood only a striking distance from the man. 

"Personally, I prefer Habrick than Rakovsky. I find his works speak more about the human condition. Very well, let's dance." The man replied. 

The two gentlemen stood in front of each other with each other's tools of combat in contact with one another. After a few seconds of utter silence, it was Kadota who made the first move. 

Kadota initiated the duel not by using his rapier, but by doing a low sweeping leg kick in order to throw the man off balance. However, the man saw through it and jumped into the air. Kadota, as if expecting this already, looked up and stabbed his rapier in a vertical motion to aim at the man's neck. 

"Not so fast!" 

The man parried the sword mid-air and managed a front kick to Kadota's face. Fortunately, Kadota reacted just in time to block his foot with his free left hand. After the short bout, they backed off a few feet away from another as if the battle hasn't even begun yet. 

"Not much sword fighting so far, don't you think?" The man cheekily asked. 

"I was just trying to ensure my victory," Kadota replied. 

"Then you chose the wrong method."

'He's right.' Kadota thought. 'I could already tell that his overall strength is higher than mine from that kick alone. I can feel cracks in my left hand's bones... I'm quite bad with fighter types like him' 

Kadota readjusted his stance. This time, his entire body seemed to indicate his newfound conviction. 

"Very well. Let's parry our swords for real this time." 

The man simply nodded as a reply. The battle commenced again. Only now Kadota did not use any supplementary martial arts but rather solely relying on his swordsmanship using his rapier. The two parried swords like experts but it was clear which side was dominating.

Kadota was quick to realize that this man was definitely more offensive than he is—his swordsmanship relied on powerful slashes that would break through enemy ranks. On the other hand, Kadota's training as a spy meant that his swordsmanship relied on his dexterity instead. And while he could cleverly maneuver his rapier against the sword, it was clear that the man's stamina outclassed him and if this duel went on for too long, he would be on the receiving end of something unpleasant. 

"Ugh!" Kadota's defense slipped for a split second and a deep bloody gash appeared on his left shoulder. 

"Is this all you got?" The man mockingly asked. 

Kadota frowned and did not want to play into his games anymore. Fortunately, he managed to memorize the page that his Father required of him from Baron Vasquez's appointment book so his job here was practically finished. While he was upset that this man managed to get the better of him by not only managing to detect him hiding but defeating him in combat, if he was captured then it would spell disaster for The House. He did not want to make a fool of himself by letting his brothers and sisters rescue him. 

"This is not over," Kadota muttered. 

"Hmm?" The man heard him but did not know what Kadota meant. 

Kadota stopped the exchanging of blows and very quickly jumped back. He raised his free hand and oozes of purple haze came out of his hand before suddenly a solid-looking stone wall appeared and separated the wall into two and in turn, separate the two combatants. 

Seeing this, the man stopped his movements and returned his sword to his sheath. He approached the wall slowly to touch it only to find that his hand went right through it. He quickly stepped forward inside the wall to reveal the other side of the room that was blocked. However, Kadota was now nowhere to be found. The window that was left open left a clue on where he went.  

The main door of the bedroom behind the man opened and Maria, Baron Vasquez's wife entered the room again with a tray of confectioneries and tea. 

"You let him got away? That's unusual" She asked, seemingly not even the slightest bit angry that the intruder escaped. 

"I took a liking to him but I wouldn't have let him get away...He outsmarted me in that last move." 

The man turned around and smiled. 

"Do not fret, I will find him later. It is safe now, let's continue our meeting."