With Carine fully tuned to auto-pilot the conversation with the parents, I focused solely on Feyt’s after-party.

Despite being the birthday boy, I was the one stuck with cleaning things up… along with Fray of course.

We were at the back of the house, towels in hand, scrubbing away at a few sets of dishes and utensils before us.

“Tch,” Fray clicked her tongue. “Why am I stuck cleaning this?!”

“Right back at ya’…”

Fray shot her finger at me. “Hey! You had your fun already! You’re obligated to help me with the dishes, tables, and trash at the very least!”

“So, basically… all the tasks?”

After the party, Mom went fast asleep in her room. Staying up late to bake a cake would do that to you, alcoholic or not.

Dad had to go deliver some produce to the market. He delayed things enough already by showing up at my party, so now he was in full-sprint mode.

And Ricent and his mom? They had the bar to open. Today was gonna be a busy day for them, and I’d bet they’d already lost a few customers just by sticking around here.

Which left me and Fray for the after-party. Fun birthday. Still a lot better than listening to overzealous parents as Carine though.

I turned to the dishes, trying to work up the willpower to care. There weren’t that many, but in a world without dishwashers? It would take a while at the very least. Fray was already scrubbing a fork, glaring at it like it owed her money, so I figured some chit-chat might pass the time.

“Hey, Sis.”

“Hmm?” she hummed, barely glancing up.

I wondered what would be the best question. She doesn’t seem to have any love life, and all she did besides training and fieldwork was sleep all day in her room. After giving it some thought, I found a question that I was curious about.

“Can you tell me more about your work?”

“Pfftt—!!!” She spit out water… despite not drinking anything? “W-Why do you ask?” she stammered.

Why is she so nervous?

She sounded like she had something to hide. Only someone with a secret would react like that. Did she run into some trouble? Was she fired? Or maybe, she found a lover on the job?!

My ears perked up, realizing I might have found her weakness.

“Oi, stop glaring at me, creep.”

“You’re hiding something aren’t you?”

Her face turned redder than the ripe tomatoes behind us. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

The way she was all flustered, I saw it as the perfect chance. Revenge. For all those times she teased about both of myselves, for all those times she teased my lack of stamina, this was my chance!

I took a deep breath and decided to throw the first non-literal punch!

“Aha! I knew it! You must have found a love—!”

I was met with a smack so powerful it sent me sprawling across the field. As I lay there, face-down in the mud, I heard her yell from a distance.

“S-Stop the useless chatter! Get back to work! Stupid!”

Yep, no matter how clever I thought I was, nothing could win against that gorilla punch.

Despite being sent flying by her punch, I could actually tell she was holding back enough to make sure not to hurt me seriously. My face was a bit numb from the landing though.

But still, what was she so flustered about?

…

The gift-giving ceremony had started. I was redirected back to my throne, my butt was practically screaming at me as I approached it.

The ceremony started with a few formalities, then the guests started presenting their gifts along with a short introduction of themselves, despite having already done so before.

I already had etched every single guest member’s face into my mind with intricate detail, involuntarily, mind you. My eyes are scary… Although I still mix up some names here and there, I doubt the reintroductions would help much.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

So, about my gifts. You must be wondering what kind of gifts a person of my stature would get, no? Well, to put it simply, the gifts presented to me could be split into two categories: accessories or dresses, and then… others. The reason I categorized it as “others” was because the gifts were 95% accessories and dresses!!!

Come on, would it kill you guys to have a little bit more variety?! So far, there were already five people giving me emeralds saying how they “match my eyes.”

As for the other category, they weren’t any better. Someone gifted me a chandelier, made entirely out of diamonds.

Who? Who would actually have that installed in their house? Don’t they have shame or tact?

There was also another one… it was a box, and inside of it were the curved, pale horns of a beastman.

The man presenting them went on and on about how he had hunted the creature himself, doing so with a triumphant expression on his face.

“You cannot believe how much trouble I went for these! It is hard even now for me to part with it, but, I believe you deserve it even more than I do, Lady Carine!”

“...Is that so?” I nodded along politely, my eyes locked on the horns.

I had read about beastmen before from the family library. The books never went into much detail, mostly calling them “tribal,” “savage,” or “primitive.” I also knew they lived far from the cities, mostly staying in the wilds. That was all.

But something about that box made my skin crawl. Despite being presented as such, the horns weren’t just a hunter’s trophy. They felt… wrong. Horribly wrong. I found myself instinctively narrowing my eyes as I continued to stare at them.

As if sensing my uneasiness, Leila let out a small audible cough, reminding me that I was dead silent for almost a full minute.

“A-Ah, yes. Forgive me… I was just admiring the beauty of it…” My words trailed off at the end, unable to confidently lie about my feelings.

“Ohh! Is that right? I was scared there for a moment. I knew your eyes would appreciate its beauty!” the man exclaimed. “How about it? Shall we go hunt some of them in the future? I can show you my favorite spots!”

“N-No thanks.” Wanting that box out of my sight as fast as possible, I decided to thank him before he could go on more about the box. “Thank you for your gift. I shall treasure it.”

Leila stepped up and took the box personally, making sure to close the lid before placing it at a table at the far end of it, obscured by the other gifts.

I thanked Leila deeply in my heart. The way she understood what I wanted without me even needing to say it, I was impressed.

I wondered what I should do with that box of horns though… Just the idea of keeping them in my room made me feel queasy. I decided to think about that later.

So… beastmen are hunted for sports here… Is that okay?

…

The next few gifts fell on the typical pattern. Dresses and accessories. Two of them were emerald-based, which meant the total was now seven.

It took a while for a new other-type gift to arrive. This time, it wasn’t presented by a noble, but a merchant.

Merchants were also invited to this party, duh. But not a lot attended surprisingly. I understood why though. Merchants need trade routes, investments, and connections. Those were the main reasons why a merchant would want to attend a noble’s party.

Although I, as a future heir, could provide merchants with the last two, I wouldn’t be able to provide them with the main one, the trade routes.

Since the head family lived in the capital, the Sareid territory was mainly managed by a regent; someone who Father trusted dearly, his younger brother AKA my uncle.

Most merchants would probably focus their efforts on winning his favor instead of mine, considering the current circumstances. Sure, I would inherit the land in the future, but how long would that take?

That said, the few merchants who attended my party seemed to think that my investment and connection were worth the journey. I needed to be hospitable to them.

Let’s see what they have to offer.

Before me stood a lanky man, fidgeting in his fine suit, attending to a cloth-covered box on the table in front of him. He bowed deeply with a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Lady Carine! What an absolute honor it is to stand before you on this momentous occasion! Truly a day like no other! And because this is such a grand day, I have brought you something exceptional!”

Dramatic much? He talked just like those door-to-door salesmen trying to sell me overpriced dehumidifiers...

He paused, his hands gripping the cloth over the box before him. “Allow me to present to you, my most prized possession!”

I looked at the clothed box curiously. It was covered only by a thin white cloth, which meant my eyes could actually see through the cloth and see the contents. Behind the cloth, saw several bottles, all with labels and with liquid inside them. I recognized those familiar shapes.

Wait, is that…

“Brewed by a legend and aged to perfection! I present to you—!!!”

The lanky man gripped the cloth tightly before pulling it violently, revealing a set of glass bottles filled with reddish liquid.

“—the greatest bottles of wine you could ever taste!!”

My guess was right. My mouth would have drooled had my face not been so dead.

I didn’t care that he deliberately ignored to mention the brewer and how long it was aged, I just wanted a sip no matter what. It had been so long since I had wine after all.

Just as I was about to give praise to the merchant, Leila, who was right beside me, leaned in and whispered in a soft voice. “Just a reminder, Lady Carine. You are not allowed to consume wine or alcohol until you reach adulthood. Your mother’s orders.”

WHA—?!

Welp, there goes my hopes and dreams.

Leila returned to her position and I was stuck staring at bottles of wine I wasn’t allowed to drink. I couldn’t stop staring at those dark green bottles… those sloshing red liquids… Oh, how refreshing they would be…

Torture, it was torture.

I cursed the merchant before me for even bringing it here, could you not wait for three or four years before you present that to me?!

I accepted my defeat with an internal sigh, nearly slumping into my throne doing so.

“T-Thank you for the generous gift. I shall treasure it.”

Maybe it’ll taste better if I age it… I tried to cope.

“I look forward to meeting you again, Lady Carine!”

The lanky man walked away with a proud smile, it looked like he was satisfied with his gift. I looked at the bottles again as Leila brought them to the table. Knowing I wasn’t allowed to drink it, it would’ve been better if he had brought some grape juice instead.

Then, the next gift-giver stepped up. The entire room became silent, and there weren’t any more gasps like before from the guests, I commended them for keeping it in.

That’s right, the next person on the list was the Third Prince himself, Julient.

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image [https://i.imgur.com/RdC5Gde.png]