Seeing Bush again and talking with him has been gratifying. Despite his somewhat distant personality, he opened up quite a lot during our conversation. We share the same dislike for noble social gatherings; however, he is bound by his status and the fact that he is one of the possible heirs of one of the two Counts of the Marquisate.

"I must go… it's almost time for the social rounds." The poor boy let out a tired sigh. "I have to speak with several sons of nobles, I envy you for staying clear of all this." The white-haired boy rose reluctantly and headed to the table where he sat with nobles of similar rank.

I relaxed a little amid all the bustle, sensing a few gazes from young people around my age. Discreetly, I looked toward some families that seemed interested in me. They were trying to convince their children to approach my table. If they had no ill intentions, I wouldn't mind talking with them.

It seemed we had a brave one. I activated a bit of my own world to see if anyone would come closer. The boy stopped halfway and turned in another direction. In his position, I would have done the same. After all, the three people approaching my table could overshadow anyone and make most nobles nervous.

When they were only a few meters away, I decided to speak first to catch them. They had been approaching quietly from behind, probably hoping to surprise me. That doesn't work on me, girls. "I feel very honored to have three beautiful ladies coming to my table." As I finished speaking, I turned to face them. All of them wore guilty smiles.

"You should feel flattered to have us by your side. Anyone at this party would want to be in your place." The first to speak was Marga, her quick response as characteristic as ever.

"It's my birthday. I can approach any family I want, and I'll spend my time with you. That should make you happy." Arisa's radiant smile accompanied her words.

Sol said nothing, but she came out the winner, moving a second faster to claim the seat closest to me. The other two stared at her, exchanging glances.

"Arisa, do something. Call a servant. A table for four is enough for us." Marga was the last to sit, right beside Sol. We ended up arranged with Arisa to my left, Sol to my right, and Marga at Sol's right side.

"Yes, that would make things more comfortable." Arisa was seriously considering it, and in the end, she called one of her family's servants. We were moved to a smaller rectangular table. I mentioned Baron Camux, so they ended up choosing a table for six.

Arisa sat as the hostess, me to her right, Sol still to my right, and Marga directly across from me. In the end, we were all close. At first, the conversation flowed between us, but after several minutes, they began commenting on the guests. At first, I intended to learn who they were talking about, but I grew bored after a minute.

"Maki." Marga snapped me out of my daze. I looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "Who is the prettiest girl at the party?" Her question froze me. The unexpected situation left me cornered, and my mind found only one way out: to make a joke.

"None of you three." Before I could finish the joke and say I was kidding, I received blows to both arms and a kick to the leg.

"I'm joking." I tried to laugh a little, but they all stared at me with serious faces. "I can't choose. Each of you is beautiful in your own way. You three are all my number one, and no one could ever take second or third place." I had been sincere in the first part; the rest was water thrown on the fire caused by my earlier words.

Apparently, my answer lightened the mood. The three of them nodded, satisfied. I let out a silent sigh of relief in my head—I had escaped a situation where all of them could have gotten upset with me.

Time flew as we talked, but eventually, they all had to leave to greet other tables against their will. Their statuses weren't something they could ignore as easily as I did. Well, truthfully, I should have been doing the same, making small connections. I just didn't, because of the annoyance of being the center of attention.

Once again, I was left alone. I took advantage of the distraction to slip away, leaving the great hall. I asked the first worker I saw where I could find an open-air space and followed his directions.

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I opened a door to find a large balcony filled with chairs scattered around and decorated with beautiful plants of different sizes and colors. I breathed in the fresh air. Since I had deactivated my own world, I hadn't noticed the person to my right. But she had already noticed me. I bowed slightly and tried to move to the other corner.

"Are you Maki?" Her question stopped me mid-step. How did she know my name? I had never seen her before. I tried to sense her Imra, and it felt like that of any Sapphire-rank person.

"Yes, that's me. Excuse me, but… do we know each other?" Regardless of rank or status, an older lady who seemed kind deserved respect.

"No, I simply heard a little about you, and you match the description." Had someone spoken about me to her? The only ones who knew about me before the party were the Marquis, Arisa's family, and the Solar family. "Come, sit with me, and let's chat for a while." She pulled out a bottle that looked like juice, and the smell of freshly baked cookies reached my nose. I was easily convinced.

"I don't want to be rude by asking this, but… who told you about me?" Curiosity was eating away at me as I munched on the chocolate cookies.

I noticed the wrinkles around her blue eyes deepen as she laughed. Her silver hair revealed her age, and she chuckled at the way I ate with such enthusiasm, making me blush a little. "That boy doesn't stop talking about you. He always goes on about a young man with the potential to conquer the world one day." Her blue eyes fixed on me. "It seems he wasn't entirely wrong." Her eyes reminded me a little of my grandmother's—pure knowledge in them.

A boy? Bush? He was the only one who knew me beforehand. But how did he find out about me being at the party? Did he assume it from my connection to Arisa? Nothing else came to mind. "Thank you… I don't know if I have that kind of potential. I'm just a bit stronger than average."

"Child, these eyes see far deeper than you can imagine. They carry decades of experience analyzing people. Don't be falsely humble." She turned to admire the beautiful view before us. "Julio has many hopes placed on you. I understand the reason behind that trust. You are someone special." Julio? Did she mean Julio Timal, the Marquis? Didn't she just say "boy"?

"Excuse me, but I don't know any boy or young man named Julio." I let my words hang, but if she was talking about the Marquis, then she had to be someone very important.

"You're right, he's no longer a boy. He's married now, has a son, and carries the lives of hundreds of thousands on his shoulders." She paused to think. "Still, as long as he succeeded under my tutelage, he remains one of my most precious children." Under her tutelage? Was she talking about the Marquis? This was hard to digest. Was she his teacher?

"Speak of the devil, and he appears." Before I could make sense of anything, someone appeared in front of us. It was Marquis Timal. Had she sensed him before he arrived? How? Wasn't she just a Sapphire-rank lady? The more time I spent with her, the more mysteries surfaced.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming? If I had known, I could've prepared something special for you." The Marquis didn't even glance at me, speaking directly to the old woman beside me. His words sounded casual, but I could feel the deep respect in them.

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you. I don't want to interrupt your niece's party. Someone here is better than you at finding people." The old lady pointed at me, and the Marquis finally gave me a smile.

"You're right. If someone like you showed up at this party, the whole place would go wild. It would turn into chaos." Who was she?

The Marquis rubbed his forehead, thinking about the situation. "Now that you're here, it would be rude not to join the celebration. Just use some artifact to alter your appearance a little, and it'll be fine, Master." The Marquis was a different person in front of his "Master"—still casual, but always respectful.

"Well… at least this way I'll be able to spend more time with the precious stone you've found. In the future, it could shine brighter than any other if polished correctly." She looked at me, and the Marquis did too.

"Yes, he can forge his own path. I'm only here to give him a few nudges when necessary." Were they talking about me? I was still a bit lost and confused.

"Forgive me, but I suppose you're talking about me. Could you explain a little? I'm lost." I was honest in my words. I understood some of the situation, but there were still many gaps.

"Maki, this is Susan Pors." Susan Pors? Where had I read that name before? I was certain I had heard it somewhere. Susan Pors? Where?

My mind clicked, and I remembered who she was. Susan Pors, one of the founders of Skyblue River City. An Obsidian-rank mage capable of making entire territories tremble with her presence. A mage who could annihilate hundreds of Diamond-rank individuals with her eyes closed. A first-class alchemist, considered a genius of nature. Everyone in the world had heard that name at some point.

In that instant, I dropped to one knee and bowed my head. "It's an honor to meet you, Lady Susan Pors. Please forgive my earlier disrespect." She was a legend among legends.

"That's exactly why I didn't want to appear at the party… raise your head, Maki." When I looked up, she wore a tender smile. "You may call me Susan… or Grandma Susan if you feel more comfortable. I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other more often from now on." My head spun. What was happening?

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