In that room on the top floor of the tavern, old Antoine kept a thoughtful gaze as he listened to the young man's complaints before him, who had been talking for several minutes. "...I really am a genius with girls. From the moment I defeated her in the first challenge, she started completely ignoring me, unless it was to challenge me again, as if that was the only way she could tolerate my presence," said Lucios, with a sigh of frustration.

"How could I have imagined that she would react like this to losing? I had an important responsibility in mind, but deep down, everything seemed simpler before I met Miss Lilian. When she challenged me for the first time, I thought of refusing. But when she noticed my hesitation, she wasted no time in humiliating me. She shouted that I was a coward, that she would never respect a man without the courage to face her, let alone defeat her. And she even said that if that were the case, I should turn around and go back home like a good failure," said Lucios, feeling the weight of each word.

Lucios paused, rubbing his forehead with his hand, the exasperation visible on his face. "I thought accepting the challenge would be the right way to earn her respect, but now I'm completely lost, Antoine. It seemed that the more I tried to get closer, the more distant she became. And now..." He let the sentence trail off, his voice weakening as he lowered his head, the weight of the situation clearly oppressing his shoulders.

Old Antoine, with the patience that time and experience had given him, remained silent, waiting for the young man to find the words he needed to say.

Lucios took a deep breath, trying to calm his turbulent mind, just as he had learned from his former teacher, Sir Owen. Raising his head, he straightened his posture and fixed his gaze on old Antoine, determined to continue, now with a more controlled tone, without the despair that had previously dominated him. "After the first challenges, when I realized that she continued to avoid even looking at me, I considered stopping accepting her invitations to duel or perhaps just letting her win. But it was her uncle, Sir Otis, whom I've been talking to quite a bit over the last month, who convinced me to keep going."

"He told me that Lilian imposed a condition: she would only marry the one who defeated her. He made me believe that even if she didn't want me, the defeat would silence her, and she couldn't oppose the marriage proposal. This seemed to align with my goals, so I continued accepting the challenges. However, in our last duel, a week ago... I was defeated."

Old Antoine raised his eyebrows, surprise clearly etched on his face. "Defeated!?" He repeated the word, incredulous. Then, he leaned slightly forward, his eyes fixed on Lucios. "How did that happen?" As he awaited the response, his mind buzzed with thoughts. It was inconceivable that the baron's daughter could defeat Lucios, especially considering that the young man was in the metamorphosis stage, a phase in which his body and abilities were far beyond normal limits. Unless, of course, Lilian had also entered the same stage prematurely, which would be equally surprising and concerning.

Lucios lowered his eyes for a moment before responding. "I was careless," he admitted, a tone of self-criticism in his voice. "Miss Lilian's fencing style is different, even complicated, but I was starting to get used to it. That made me feel too confident, maybe even arrogant. When she was about to lose, there was a moment of desperation... and that's when everything changed. She used a desperate move, something I didn't expect. I was caught off guard, and before I could react, the duel was lost."

Lucios sighed deeply before continuing. "In the days following the duel, I tried in every way to contact Miss Lilian, but she simply avoided me. Not that this was anything new, but this time it was different... it was even worse. Before, at least, she would challenge me to new duels, but now, not even that. She completely shut herself off, as if I didn't exist."

In his growing frustration at not being able to even speak with Lilian, Lucios decided to seek out Otis, hoping that her uncle could intercede for him. "I went to Otis," Lucios explained, "to ask for help with this situation. But he told me that a lost duel wouldn't change what was already established. He repeated these same words to Lilian, and it seems that was what made her even more furious. Now, she doesn't even want to speak with him, her own uncle."

Old Antoine leaned slightly forward, focusing on a single question. "But why did you seek help from the baron's brother?" He asked, his voice laden with growing confusion. "As far as I know, Otis is the biggest supporter of his niece, always siding with her when she rejects suitors. I've always heard that he fervently defends her."

Lucios frowned, surprised by old Antoine's reaction. "Otis has been the person who supported me the most over the past month," he said, still trying to understand the old man's perplexity. He paused for a few seconds, reflecting on the words. "Whenever we talked, he praised my talent, especially for having reached the metamorphosis stage so early. That must be why he was so much in my favor, contrasting with his own niece on this matter."

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Antoine, now with a tone of realization in his voice, slowly nodded. "Of course... how could I forget? Sir Otis also grew up in the royal army's camp. He was a squire to one of the King's Lions knights. Growing up in such an environment, it's evident that he would think that only a young man with achievements like yours would be worthy of his niece. I imagined that the baron, who spent even more time in that circle, would be the most impressed by your accomplishments."

Lucios nodded thoughtfully. "I thought the same, but since I arrived here, I've only been able to meet with the baron twice. The first was at the welcome dinner when I arrived, and the second was during the rematch duel when Lilian challenged me for the second time. During these two meetings, the baron barely spoke, and when he did, it was never directly with me. He seemed distant, almost indifferent."

He continued, reflecting on the situation. "I began to think that the baron didn't care about me, that I was just another disposable suitor in his eyes. But then, in one of our many conversations, Otis mentioned that the baron was actually impressed with the way I conducted myself, whether it was my behavior or the victories in the duels against Lilian. It was this revelation that made me believe that, perhaps, I was making some impact, even if the baron didn’t show it openly."

Lucios concluded his reasoning with a sigh of uncertainty. "But even if the baron truly does like me, what if… when the proposal is sent, Lilian still doesn’t want to accept it, especially now that she has managed to defeat me? She could use this victory as an excuse to convince the baron to reject the proposal." The insecurity was evident in his voice, revealing that Otis's reassuring words hadn’t been enough to calm his worries.

Old Antoine listened attentively until the end, then began to respond, his voice measured and calm. "I believe I know why the baron seems so distant," he said, pausing briefly to choose his words carefully. "The seventh month is extremely important for House Kamaiura, financially speaking, due to the migration of the Pirarovy. I have heard many reports of bandits in the region, some of whom were bold enough to attack merchant caravans, which could have a significant impact on the house’s finances. With that in mind, I heard a rumor that the baron himself left nearly two weeks ago, taking only a handful of soldiers to hunt down these bandits. At first, I thought this was an unlikely rumor, since he would normally send his knights on such missions, so I ignored the story. But it seems there was more truth to the rumor than I imagined."

Lucios felt genuine relief upon hearing those words. Knowing that the baron's distant behavior was likely due to problems related to his territory, and not a lack of approval on his part, brought him a sense of peace. Otis's words now seemed even more reliable and comforting.

Old Antoine continued, with a slight smile on his face. "As for whether the baron’s daughter might complicate the marriage negotiations… well, young man, you don’t need to worry about that."

Lucios’s expression of relief soon turned into one of questioning. He frowned and asked, "But why don’t I need to worry?"

Antoine leaned in slightly, as if about to share a secret. "Two weeks ago, House Kamaiura sent a messenger southward. Until a few days ago, I didn’t know what message he carried or where he was headed. However, as I mentioned, just three days ago, a runner from House Apurinã brought a message. He reported that the messenger from House Kamaiura arrived in Kaapurina with the news that the baron had accepted the terms of the marriage proposal made by the count for you and the little indomitable lady."

Lucios was left speechless, his jaw nearly dropping. "But how… the proposal has already been accepted? But it seemed like nothing was going right!"

Hearing Lucios’s question, old Antoine showed a slight discomfort, unable to provide an exact answer. He frowned and looked at Lucios with a thoughtful expression. "Well, I really don’t know why the baron accepted the marriage proposal so quickly. From my information, he always took a few weeks to send a response to the suitors' houses, precisely to carefully assess the candidates for his precious daughter."

Finishing his speech, Antoine lowered his head, his voice taking on a reflective tone, almost as if he were formulating a hypothesis aloud. "I thought you had managed to win over and tame the famous indomitable lady, but after what I’ve heard today, that seems impossible." He paused, raised his head, and fixed his gaze on Lucios before continuing. "The most likely scenario is that the count included some other proposal, perhaps of a commercial nature, between the two houses, as a condition to facilitate and speed up this commitment."

Lucios frowned in question. "Why are you uncertain about this matter, Antoine? When I was on my way, Sir Damian didn’t reveal anything about the letter or any instructions my father might have given him. But on the day I arrived, I saw that you and Sir Damian spent a good amount of time talking alone. I thought you knew the contents of the letter." Lucios's expression became displeased, and he asked, with a slightly distrustful tone, "So, are you going to hide the letter's content from me too, just as Sir Damian did?"

Old Antoine, showing a smile that masked subtle frustration, replied in a patient tone, "I’m as in the dark as you are, young man." He then clarified the situation: "The reason I’m uncertain is that the letter with the marriage proposal was delivered by Sir Damian directly into the baron’s hands on the day you arrived. Therefore, any specific content or instruction it might contain, I’m as unaware of as you are."

Old Antoine, trying to ease the tension, smiled at Lucios and said in a reassuring tone, "Now, there’s no reason to keep dwelling on this, boy. The news is good, after all." He paused, as if organizing his thoughts, before continuing. "At this moment, the messenger from House Kamaiura must already be on his way back, and should arrive here in at most two weeks. When he arrives, House Kamaiura should send invitations to the surrounding nobles for a grand banquet, where the engagement will be formalized. At that moment, the count’s plans for your future will be set in stone."

Antoine concluded his words with a loud laugh, which came out slightly hoarse due to his age, but carried a genuine attempt to cheer up the young man in front of him.