North of the kingdom, City of Mbara’ba, territory of the Kamaiura house:

Lucius sat in front of an old wooden table in his modest yet comfortable room. The soft candlelight danced on the stone walls as he wrote a letter to his father, Tiberios. Carefully penned, the letter spoke of his adjustment to the two weeks since his arrival in Mbara’ba. He mentioned how the fresh northern air differed from that in Kaapurina, and how the commoners were friendly, albeit somewhat reserved.

Initially, the baron had mistaken him for his older brother, Lucam, leading to some comical misunderstandings. Lucius smiled at the memory, his quill dancing on the paper as he wrote. But suddenly, he was interrupted by firm knocks on the wooden door of his room.

As he rose and opened the door, a tired-faced servant greeted him. The servant, well bundled and wearing the crimson livery of the baron's house, informed him that the young lady wished to practice fencing with him. The servant's comment was followed by a look of displeasure from Lucius. He was growing weary of the constant training sessions with the baron's daughter, a young woman of fierce determination.

After bowing his head and remaining silent for a few moments, Lucius spoke with a soft yet firm voice, stating that he only needed a few moments and would soon meet Miss Lilian. He closed the door with a sigh, returned to the table, and tucked away the unfinished letter in a drawer.

He grabbed the thick woolen cloak hanging on the coat rack, feeling the rough fabric against his skin. With one last glance around the room, he exited, closing the door behind him, to face yet another of the baron's daughter's training sessions.

Lucius walked slowly through the castle's stone corridors. The sound of his footsteps echoed off the walls as he passed several servants busy with their daily tasks and soldiers in their leather armor.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally reached the back part of the castle, where the training field lay. The field was bustling with activity, with various people practicing archery at targets while other men sparred with wooden swords, their faces sweaty and focused.

On the side of the field, a short-haired girl in boy's clothing awaited impatiently. She was accompanied by a stout, bearded man, whose eyes twinkled with amusement. When the man saw Lucius, a wide smile spread across his face, and he spoke in a deep, gravelly voice, "Young noble Lucius, did you sleep well?"

But before Lucius could respond, the girl impatiently interrupted, "Enough of this chatter, let's get started." The comment was followed by a loud chuckle from the bearded man, who replied with a nod, "Alright, my lovely fighter."

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As Lucius tried to recall the first day when he arrived in Mbara’ba two weeks ago, the only thing that came to his mind was this girl. He had just arrived at the imposing castle of the city, his heart pounding in his chest, as he presented the document proving his noble lineage from the Apurina house.

After confirming his identity, he bid farewell to Sir Damian, who had led his escort. With a final wave to the rest of his fellow travelers, Lucius entered the castle, guided by a servant of the baron, a middle-aged man with a friendly face, to his new quarters. The room was small but cozy, with a window overlooking the castle's inner courtyard.

Lucius barely had time to familiarize himself with his new surroundings when he was surprised by a slender figure he initially mistook for a boy. However, as the figure began to speak, the soft, melodious voice revealed that it was, in fact, a girl. Lucius's surprise was palpable, but it also piqued his curiosity.

She had approached him with fierce determination in her eyes and challenged him, "I challenge you, Lucam. Even though you are from the Apurina house, you are sorely mistaken if you think you can just come here and I will immediately agree to marry you just because daddy told me to. I will only marry a man who is stronger than me!"

Confused by the girl's shouts and intensity, Lucius had replied calmly, "My name is not Lucam." This was followed by a look of confusion from the girl, who, with a tone of embarrassment and a flushed face, apologized and ran off, leaving Lucius even more puzzled.

However, it didn't take long for her to return, dragging the stout, bearded man who was her uncle, Otis Kamaiura, the baron Oliver's brother. The girl then spoke excitedly, "Uncle Otis, he's here, but he said he's not the Count's son who arrived." Otis then looked at Lucius and saw his clothes in shades of blue that were uncommon in the north, chuckled, and said to the girl, "Okay, okay, my lovely fighter, if this isn’t the boy, I'll find him for you."

Otis approached Lucius. He looked at the young man with a piercing gaze and asked in a grave tone, "Tell me, boy, is your name Lucam Apurina?" Surprised by the question, Lucius quickly replied, "No, Lucam is my older brother."

With a nod of understanding, Otis continued, "So you are the son that Count Tiberios said in the letter would come?" Lucius confirmed with a nod, preparing to recite the long introduction monologue he had prepared in advance. However, before he could begin, Miss Lilian interrupted.

She spoke presumptuously, "So you really are the count's son. You must have thought you could use the name confusion as a means to escape my challenge like a coward. However, you are sorely mistaken if you think I'll let it slide. Come on, accept my challenge."

Lucius was stunned, taken aback by the girl's audacity. He barely knew her and yet she was already labeling him a coward. Otis, seeing the look of surprise and confusion on Lucius's face, whispered to him, "Young noble, I know this may be very sudden, but I know my niece well enough to assert that she won't change her mind. It's better for you to accept the challenge and get it over with."

Finally beginning to understand what was happening, Lucius agreed. He spoke with a firm yet hesitant voice, "In that case, I accept the challenge." The scene then shifts back to the present, where he faced Miss Lilian once again in another challenge.

Lucius had lost count of how many challenges of hers he had accepted in the past two weeks, but the outcome never changed. Lilian, with fierce determination in her eyes, entered the training area with a wooden sword in hand. She spoke confidently, "This time will be different," a comment met by Lucius with a smile as he stepped into the small arena wielding a wooden sword as well.