Inside the elegant villa, complete with a large private garden and a staff always ready for action, the hostess was genuinely engaged in mixing and cooking ingredients for that evening's dinner. Her name was Camilla Marchetti, the first and only wife of a big shot in the Asparetto army.

The event, although confined within the domestic walls, appeared particularly atypical. After all, families of their rank hardly prepared their own meals or tended to the lawn they owned. However, even with the help of two slightly hesitant young maids, Camilla spent a considerable amount of time carefully planning what they would eat later and, with the same dedication, getting her hands dirty in the preparation of the dishes.

"Ah, I must be really getting old..." she said, while the sun was still high in the sky, wiping the sweat droplets from her forehead with the back of her hand. "Madam! Madam!" echoed the servants, immediately interrupting what they were doing to come closer to her.

Camilla chuckled heartily, shaking her head and refusing the offered help. "Don't worry so much about me or you'll really make me feel like an incapable old woman," she said, continuing to smile. She left the two young girls without any specific instructions, thereby increasing their anxiety. Their Lord, Orlando Marchetti, the woman's husband, had in fact warned them repeatedly about their Lady's delicate health.

Contrary to what the eye could suggest, the woman and the maids were not at all the same age. Camilla, although she had never taken the path of the Cultivators, could boast, so to speak considering that we are talking about a lady, an age of almost five centuries. A normally impossible event that, however, could be achieved with a large quantity of elixirs, potions and pills; at the right price, of course. However, I don't want to make her seem like the type of person obsessed with the desire to stay forever young.

On the contrary, we could say that she was the exact opposite. As far as she was concerned, a natural death remained her preferred choice. However, the bear she had married, dear Orlando, had always thought differently. In fact, on more than one occasion, he had crushed the pills in her drinks or food so that she would take them ‘without her knowledge’.

All of this with an insistence and stubbornness difficult to find elsewhere. That's why, at a certain point in her life, Camilla simply accepted to stay by his side until an unspecified date. After all, how could she leave such a big baby alone?

For this reason, the maids had already tried everything to make her exert herself as little as possible, but their Lady's stubbornness seemed second only to that of her daughter and husband. A very hard fate to bear for two young girls devoted to their profession.

"Tonight we have an important guest," Camilla called their attention, then went back to kneading the dough. Afterwards, she admonished the girls not to worry in that way and that making a house welcoming was the task of the hostess. In response, the maids stared at each other and did not say what they were thinking, instead returning to their tasks without speaking, but keeping an eye on the woman.

Needless to say, it was not a pleasant afternoon for them, although they heartily enjoyed the light chatter they exchanged from time to time with Camilla. A Lady certainly strange by the standards to which they were both accustomed, but exquisite in her own way. Of course, one of the maids, the one closest to the boiling oven that was constantly hissing, couldn't help but think, If only she weren't so demanding and let me do it alone here, maybe her health wouldn't have suffered so much by now...

After all, even she struggled to stay in front of all that heat for too long. And yet, even taking into account the complaints, she couldn't say she had found a bad job.

Much later, it's difficult to say how long when you're so busy cooking, the three had prepared enough food for an army. So it was proven, once again, how the Lady of the house had no way of judging the quantities of ingredients. Not that it was a problem, since every time she entered, the many barely touched dishes were eaten with pleasure by the servants.

During those hours, only one thing caught the attention of the cooks. For a moment, it was as if the wind passing through the wide open windows had suddenly become stronger, while a strange bright color colored the few clouds, previously pure white, above Asparetto. But, as already mentioned, it was only a matter of a moment.

Instead, when the sun began to set, the Lord of the house appeared on the doorstep. Engrossed as they were, none of the three noticed his arrival and therefore could not say how long he had been standing there waiting. When they finally noticed him, the maids greeted him respectfully before returning to cooking. Camilla, still visibly euphoric but slightly pale, greeted him with a, “Darling! Finally, you're back!” As she did every day, whether good or bad.

The man remained silent, observing his wife's condition with his right fist clenched. She, having lived with that stubborn gorilla for a lifetime, noticed but decided not to say anything. Instead, she approached him and took his hand, proudly showing him the long table in the kitchen filled with food and explaining in detail the menu she had chosen for the evening.

Orlando listened, nodding from time to time and stopping her constant talking only once to wipe off the soot with his damp thumb from the side of her neck. After the explanation was over, he asked, "Our daughter?" without adding the "That damn.." that would have put his wife in a bad mood.

"She hasn't come back yet... or at least she hasn't come here to the kitchen. Did she have any important appointments this afternoon?" Camilla replied, tilting her head, remembering only at that moment that she hadn't ordered one of the servants to call their daughter so as to avoid her being late for dinner again. Orlando sighed, wanting to ask her how long she had been cooking, but unable to do so.

In the end, he opted for, "I'll take care of her. You, on the other hand, take a break and worry about cleaning up and getting ready. Gianpiero should be here in less than an hour, provided he hasn't started adopting our daughter's habits," concluding with another sigh. Perhaps, as he believed in his heart, he had made a mistake in raising the only daughter that Camilla had given him as if she were a boy. In his opinion, she had become almost unmanageable.

Luckily, Gianpiero is a serious boy. If he were to start being rude and opportunistic, I wouldn't know what to do... He reflected silently, hiding the conflicting emotions he felt as he thought he should. However, escaping from a wife's watchful eye is a task I would say is almost Herculean, but on this topic it is probably best to eclipse it. After all, not even Camilla would have enjoyed bringing her husband's doubts to the surface.

That's why she, clasping her hands and crossing her slender fingers, said happily, "Oh, is it already that late? Oh my, oh my... I really have to go get ready!" waving goodbye to the two servants before leaving the kitchen. The two returned the greetings before returning to work, feeling for a moment Orlando's penetrating gaze on their backs, as if blaming them for not being able to keep his wife in check.

Nothing happened, as usual.

Later, Camilla returned to the ground floor wearing an exquisitely crafted evening gown in the colors of sand and waves. Even the patterns seemed to mimic the slightly rough sea of a beach, which made the sight even more enchanting when seen for the first time, thanks to the refined appearance of the woman wearing it. This combination surprised Orlando and caused Camilla to chuckle with delight.

He, as usual, had instead dressed in a tight and suffocating elegant suit. A sort of dark armor that he only endured during important events and cursed the exact moment he took it off. However, being halfway between a gorilla and an old-fashioned man, he would never confess that to anyone.

The last of the trio, almost dragged by her father, was Giorgia, their daughter. She had just returned from who knows where doing who knows what, but already wearing a fancy dress that revealed her slender legs and left little to the imagination in terms of her breasts. A stylistic choice well-liked by men and deeply despised by Orlando, but he had reservations about slapping her since she was still a child in his eyes.

Without delving into the matter further to avoid embarrassing the poor family father, we can say that the three had managed not to be caught off guard by their guest. Regarding this, Camilla happily commented as she delicately sat on a small couch placed at the entrance, "Finally dear Gianpietro comes to visit us again! I've really missed that boy; he's always so well-mannered when he comes to visit us... My love, why have you always refused his proposals to go to the restaurant in recent months? Weren't you always saying you wanted to spend more evenings with him now that he's no longer your apprentice?"

Asking towards the end, without any malice, mind you, why he was so stubborn. Especially given the fact that that boy had made such a positive impression on him that he had almost forced him to engage with their daughter Giorgia, despite the fact that the boy came from particularly humble origins. A decision that, among other things, had caused some trouble among the higher-ups of the Army of Asparetto, but which Orlando had burned down with the consent of his direct superior Tiziano Targetti.

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The man lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and crossed his arms in a slightly childish manner. Shortly after, still with a hint of a pout on his face, he tried to respond: "That boy should have focused on settling in as an Instructor and continuing his studies. He may be young and inexperienced, but I witnessed the passion with which he devoured the Manuals and notes he could get his hands on. I couldn't let him waste time during such a delicate moment..." Mumbling some other words that only Camilla heard or strained to hear.

On the other hand, Giorgia huffed when she heard him mentioned. "Are you still talking about him? He's not even all that great as a Cultivator. If he had invented or discovered something significant, I could understand all this interest, but what the hell has he done to deserve it?" Speaking loudly and proudly without worrying about her father's gaze, who, however, said nothing, knowing deep down that she was at least right about that.

Instead, it was Camilla who spoke up to clip her daughter's wings, raising her voice in a rare demonstration of maternal authority. "Giorgia! We are talking about your future husband! Our future son-in-law! Do you want to start making fun of his credentials already? And what will you do later when we're no longer here? Will you keep throwing tantrums until you destroy your own family!? Are you really that stupid!?"

The poor servants took a step back, not wanting to become victims of the crossfire. Fragile or not, exquisite person or not, their Lady was truly scary when it came to family, especially their own. A fervor that could easily override the rebellious spirit of the daughter, who, however, with her father's blood in her veins, stood up to her mother, saying: "My husband? That's what dad decided! Why should I marry the son of a tailor? Me, of all people, should do something like that? Are we kidding!?"

A fierce battle in which even Orlando did not want to intervene. However, when Gianpiero's father was mentioned, the man put an end to the nonsense with clear annoyance in his voice, silencing his daughter with a "Silence!" without adding anything else. Tailor or not, he still remembered what he owed to that tailor and his family. That's why, when he faced the son, even though he didn't want to show any favoritism, he ended up appreciating that curious character that Gianpiero must have inherited from his father.

A not-so-old story that Giorgia had never known and that Orlando never talked about. Nonetheless, the gorilla in cloth armor still reminded her of it as if it had just happened.

However, considering that besides that one word, Orlando had said nothing else, the atmosphere at the entrance became more tense. The servants, in particular, did not find the courage to inform their masters that the appointment time had just passed. Giorgia, for her part, turned her head the other way and also sulked, not wanting to speak to her parents for the time being. Only Camilla tried to sort things out after calming down, but failed miserably.

After checking his pocket watch, it seemed that Orlando had become annoyed, not expecting his protégé to make them wait. His wife quickly understood this detail and it put her in a good mood, finding it truly amusing that her husband had more faith in the manners of their future son-in-law than in those of their daughter.

From then on, another five minutes passed. Then ten. Then fifteen. But there was no sign of the guest. Thirty minutes after the happy family had gathered at the entrance... Well, dear Orlando was visibly angry at his protégé's rudeness. His daughter Giorgia, on the other hand, seemed more bored and hungry than anything else, while only Camilla had started chatting happily with the servants to pass the time. The only thing that worried her was that the appetizers might cool down, but she tried not to think about it too much.

Finally, almost forty minutes late, the sound of two people walking not very fast began to be heard. The door to the house opened slowly and the servant who took care of the external gate and the long-awaited guest emerged. Or rather, the scruffy version of the latter.

Orlando gave his protégé a look that could only be defined as 'murderous', but avoided taking his hands out of his pockets. Camilla, on the other hand, immediately got up from the couch to go to him, repeatedly uttering phrases full of concern such as: "Oh my God, did something happen?" or "Did you have an accident, poor thing? You shouldn't have pushed yourself to come if you need rest..." Without intending any malice with her words.

However, her concern was legitimate, considering that she had never seen him show up at her house without a formal, albeit cheap, suit and a well-rested, colorful face. She really didn't know what to think.

Among the three, however, the one who cared the least about it but did everything to show the exact opposite was Giorgia. She almost jumped from her seat as soon as her boyfriend entered the house, throwing herself towards him. Even her bored and annoyed expression disappeared without a trace, not wanting to ruin what might, in the future, become a good investment. Despite not really believing it herself, but let's move on.

So, he was welcomed only with nice words of welcome and more or less truthful concern. However, the boy barely spoke. He dragged himself forward like a war veteran, staggering a little to the sides, with his eyes wide open and still bloodshot and adorned with dark shadows underneath. From the outside, he almost seemed in a confused state, and the fact that he didn't even seem to care that he had presented himself in dirty clothes and a backpack tied to his back certainly didn't make things any better.

Amidst the chaos, Orlando offered him the palm of his hand to receive a gift, as was tradition when inviting guests to one's home, especially those of lower social standing. Gianpiero stopped, straightening up suddenly and raising his eyebrows as if he had just remembered something. Shortly after, as he felt his head spinning, he said, "Oh... The wine. A strange kid took my bottle... Right, I should have gone to buy another one..."

Orlando, poor thing, felt his heart skip a beat and almost screamed at the top of his lungs: "Of course you should have!" before restraining himself from doing so thanks to a mixture of self-control and kindness. But even silently, he still suffered a bad blow. His pupil had forgotten his manners not once, but twice! In fact, considering how he was dressed, he had forgotten them three times over! Where was the polite and respectful boy who had left for the Academy a few months before? Had he really changed that much?

If that was the case, then who would have tried to contain his daughter's bad habits if even her husband had lost his way? Was it some kind of sick joke!? He didn't even call him Father as he usually did when they were off duty!

Understanding the situation, Camilla took the bull by the horns, quite literally as she forcefully lowered her husband's outstretched arm and exclaimed, "Well, it's not important, it's not important! Let's go eat instead! Dinner is waiting just for us!" With the help of her daughter, who had become more obedient on this occasion, she echoed her mother's sentiments and took her future 'beloved' by the hand, leading him to the dining room.

With the women of the house leading the way, supported by servants, the group moved to the adjacent room and sat around a table with dark wood covered by a light-colored cloth, on which were placed porcelain dishes and shiny silverware. To provide illumination as they entered, a chandelier with luminous stones enclosed in hexagonal glass bubbles was hung from the ceiling.

At this point, the four were served with first appetizers, followed by bite-sized pieces that served as second appetizers, and then a series of small plates adorned with delicacies to be consumed cold to open the stomach before the main course. To inflict further suffering on the stomach and liver, the two main courses were then brought to the gallows: spaghetti with a very fragrant meat sauce and penne with cheese and herbs. That would have been more than enough, but Camilla was a woman without mercy or half measures.

Meat and cooked vegetables made their way through the table, jostling reluctantly when a savory sweet potato pie, made with eggs, butter, and separately fried onions, came out of the kitchen with the zeal of a warrior charging alone into enemy lines. Finally, for digestion, they had coffee, sorbets, and even digestifs brought out. And believe it or not, even Orlando with his physique and cultivation needed to settle his stomach.

The women of the house mainly carried the conversation for almost the entire time. The head of the household was famous for speaking little, so he was almost ignored, while they tried everything to engage their beloved guest in conversation. However, not even Giorgia's attempts to grace him with her charm, incidentally, had the slightest effect. Almost catatonic and occupied with God knows what thoughts, the boy simply ate everything that was put on his plate without even moving his gaze too much. It should be said, however, that Camilla appreciated his appetite, while Orlando was almost scared when he saw him finish the third plate of penne.

Tomorrow this will be very bad... He thought in silence, also being right about it, but let's skip over it.

After finishing his sorbet, Gianpiero seemed to have sorted out his thoughts enough. Not paying attention to his future wife or Camilla, without even realizing it, he looked for Orlando with his eyes and then said to him with a stutter that he had never had before: "Father, I need to show you something. Could we go to your study?" Addressing him formally, as he usually did, despite Orlando preferring the opposite.

In any case, Orlando, even though he had a moment of good humor when he was finally called Father, had not forgotten about his son's rudeness. That's why, with a serious face and without even a hint of a smile, he replied: "You came to my house late. Dressed like a bum. Without even a gift. And you barely spoke to my wife and your future bride. Tell me, my son, does what you want to tell me worth more than all these offenses towards me? Because if it's not, I suggest you avoid increasing my resentment towards you, at least for today." Skipping over Camilla's voice, who, not knowing what else to do, tried to change the subject and soften the tone. Her husband could be hot-headed at times and she felt that it was her duty to prevent something he might regret from happening.

However, Gianpiero showed no hesitation. Focused as he was, he barely even heard the hostess's words; and, fixed on Orlando, he said again: "I need to talk to you about something and I am forced to use other people's words because mine are not sufficient for the task. This is the scope of the event that I witnessed today, may the gods in Heaven be my witnesses."

Faced with such a statement, Orlando leaned back in his chair, slowly resting as he pondered. Knowing his godson's abilities, as well as his aptitude for studying that had made him stand out from the others, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of Manual had ended up in his hands. Even his physical condition and the state of his clothes could now be easily explained. However, what kind of knowledge had he studied with such fervor?

There was no point in beating around the bush, he had been curious since the middle of the sentence. At the moment, what he was doing was just wasting time so as not to lose face and take less words from his wife at the end of the evening, since he and Gianpiero would leave for who knows how long leaving the women alone with the servants. Nonetheless, taken on a leash by his godson's gaze, Orlando gestured for him to get up from the table and head to the study. Camilla and Giorgia's complaints were promptly ignored.