“It seems your ambitions are quite grand,” Orson said with a smile before retrieving another notebook from his spatial ring and handing it to Celineina. “This contains my more recent thoughts, including the concept of ‘becoming the market’ and some new ideas. Take it and have a look. If it helps you, then all the better.”
“So, you planned everything in advance, didn’t you?” Celineina looked at Orson’s calm and composed demeanor, her mind a storm of emotions.
“Not at all. Even if you hadn’t acted, someone else would’ve eventually done so. I merely accelerated the process.”
“Fair enough,” Celineina nodded.
At that moment, the waiter arrived with the appetizers.
“Let’s leave the rest for later and enjoy our meal for now,” Orson said, gesturing politely for her to begin.
For some reason, even though Celineina was the one paying for the meal, Orson behaved as naturally as though he were hosting her.
—
The Duchy of Prussia, Beryn City, the ducal capital.
In the elegant and luxurious ducal estate, a young girl sat in her room reading a book.
Her snow-white hair and ruby-red eyes exuded an air of both danger and allure.
White hair and red eyes were distinguishing traits of the Essenberg family, the hereditary rulers of the Duchy of Prussia.
This girl was Lianca Essenberg, the second daughter of the Essenberg family and Orson’s fiancée.
Not long after, the door to her room opened, and another young woman with the same white hair and red eyes entered. She appeared slightly older than Lianca.
Compared to Lianca’s youthful demeanor, this woman exuded a more mature aura.
And, judging by their figures, it was clear who the elder sister was.
The truth, however, was that the two were only one year apart.
This was Olivia Essenberg, the eldest daughter of the Essenberg family.
“Sis,” Lianca greeted her elder sister.
“Mm.” Olivia nodded and closed the door behind her. “Lianca, how’s your preparation for the entrance exam coming along?”
“Heh, don’t worry, Sis. I’m amazing!” Lianca said proudly, patting her modest chest. “With Tier 4 strength, I’d easily take first place in any entrance exam—except last year’s.”
“You’re right,” Olivia said with a smile, ruffling Lianca’s hair. “As long as you don’t run into someone like Orson again, you’re guaranteed to top the rankings.”
The previous year’s entrance exam—the one in which Orson had enrolled—still lingered in their memories.
Olivia herself had participated in that exam. At the time, she was even stronger than Lianca was now, having reached Tier 5 as a warrior. Yet, she had been defeated by Orson during their duel.
And it wasn’t just a loss—it was a decisive defeat.
From then on, Orson had established a clear gap between himself and the other students in his year.
Lianca wanted to complain too. She had only just reached Tier 4 at the age of seventeen, which already made her a prodigy. Meanwhile, Orson had been Tier 4 at the age of twelve—what kind of monster was he?
“By the way, Lianca, how do you feel about your engagement to Orson?”
“Huh? Why are you bringing that up?” Lianca frowned at Olivia’s question.
“Well, I just want to make sure everything’s okay for our precious little sister. I’m one of Orson’s classmates, you know, and I’ll be running against him in this year’s student council election. I’ve spent quite a bit of time interacting with him at the academy,” Olivia said with a grin.
“Besides, think about it. Orson isn’t just young and handsome; he’s incredibly talented and the son of a duke. It’s a perfect match. Being engaged to someone like him must feel like a lot of pressure, especially since people might say you’re not good enough for him.”
“Hmm... It’s Father’s decision, so I can’t exactly go against it,” Lianca said, crossing her arms. “As for whether I’m good enough or not—hmph, if Orson doesn’t want me, then I don’t want him either!”
“What? You don’t want Orson?” Olivia stared at her sister in surprise. Was this confidence or arrogance? “Why not?”
“Think about it, Sis. Our Essenberg family has ruled the Duchy of Prussia for generations. Aside from the imperial family, our family is the most powerful in the Empire,” Lianca said. “Orson’s Stranick family, on the other hand, has only been around for a little over a decade. The Duchy of Antica hasn’t even existed as long as you’ve been alive.”
“Not to mention, the Duchy of Antica is the weakest of the Empire’s six duchies. If Father wants me to marry the son of that duke, isn’t that basically a step down?”
Whether she truly meant those words or was just venting her frustration, Olivia tried to console her. “It’s not a bad thing, really. Orson is the strongest of his generation in the Empire. Marrying him isn’t a bad deal.”
For some reason, Olivia’s voice carried a trace of jealousy as she said this, though Lianca, still upset, didn’t notice.
“And another thing!” Lianca suddenly exclaimed, as if recalling something. “Sis, have you heard the rumors? They say Orson isn’t actually Duke Lucius’s biological son. The real son, Litte, was only recently brought back into the family.”
“Ah, yes, I’ve heard about that,” Olivia nodded. “But surely that doesn’t matter, right? Orson is still a duke’s son.”
“How can it not matter?” Lianca argued. “Sis, you know as well as I do how much nobles value bloodlines.”
“The Stranick family is barely a noteworthy noble house. If I marry the son of some poor farmer, how will our children turn out?”
“Ugh, forget it, forget it! Just thinking about this engagement annoys me. I have no idea what Father was thinking back then, signing a marriage contract with that family,” Lianca said, pulling at her hair in frustration.
The reason she chose not to use her father’s recommendation slot and instead compete in the entrance exam was to prove to the world that she, Lianca Essenberg, could claim the top spot in the entrance exam and dominate the ranking battles.
Whatever Orson achieved, she, Lianca, could achieve as well. She would not be one bit inferior to Orson!
“Alright, alright, let’s not talk about it anymore,” Olivia said, patting Lianca gently on the back, her voice soft and soothing. “Let me tell you about some fun things at the academy...”
“When our little Lianca enters the academy as the top-ranked first-year, you don’t want to be laughed at for not knowing these things, do you~?”
“Okay~” Lianca nodded obediently, her demeanor instantly softening.