“Ah! Father! I got lost. Cain showed me the way back here.”
“Oh, thanks for tha—” Parma’s father froze in the middle of his words. His forehead began to sweat.
“…Are you, by any chance, Master Cain?”
“Yes. Nice to meet you. I’m Cain von Silford. Thank you for coming here today to celebrate my birthday.” Cain politely bowed.
“No, no. I should be the one thanking you. Thank you for taking care of Parma.”
Parma, seemingly not understanding the situation, tilted her head in confusion.
Holy crap, she’s so cute!
“Parma! This young man here is Master Cain, today’s guest of honor. You’ve been on your best behavior, right?”
“Huh? Mister Cain was a noble? Oh… No wonder you’re wearing such pretty clothes. Everyone here today is wearing clothes like that, so I couldn’t tell.”
“Parma! He’s the esteemed son of a margrave, you will refer to him as Master Cain, not Mister Cain.”
“No, don’t worry about that. We’re still just children, after all. I’ve been cooped up in the mansion all this time, so I haven’t had a chance to talk to someone my age before. Are you willing to be my friend, Parma?”
“Sure! I’d love to be Mist—Master Cain’s friend.”
“Thank you.” I hope you’ll eventually let me pet those ears of yours, Cain thought.
Parma’s brilliant smile was soothing, but Cain’s eyes were still glued to her twitching ears.
“I’ve yet to introduce myself. My name is Sabinos, I operate the Saracaen Company within Gracia. It’s an honor to make your acquaintance.”
Sabinos politely bowed. Cain liked this merchant much more than Matthias, the slave-trader with all the gemstones.
“The honor is mine. I’m still a child so there isn’t much I can do, but if the situation arises, let’s talk again then. I have to leave now. It was nice meeting you two.” Cain waved at Parma before returning to where Garm was waiting.
He was introduced to several more people, but they didn’t leave much of an impression. It wouldn’t be realistic to expect a high schooler to remember so many new faces, let alone a five-year-old.
Cain’s social debut came to an end without incident, and the guests had all left. Cain was leisurely drinking black tea in the family living room when Garm entered.
“You must be tired. Did something fun happen? You’re smirking for some reason.” Garm sat down on the sofa across from Cain.
“Yes, father. I met a beastfolk for the first time today! It was a young girl. She was really cute.”
“You’re only five years old and you’re already interested in girls? My lord…” Garm was in a good mood because Cain’s child-prodigy performance was received so favorably by their guests.
“Wait until you grow up before going after girls. You’re the third son, so you won’t be inheriting Gracia. Once you’re an adult, you can find your own path in life. I’ll help you achieve whatever you choose.” From Garm’s point of view, someone with Cain’s Status should be able to succeed at anything he wanted to.
Cain looked at Garm and replied with a serious expression. “Yes, I know. I’m planning to become an adventurer.”
Garm seemed slightly taken aback by the answer, but he immediately smiled. “Not palace mage or knight or merchant, but adventurer? That might not be so bad. Sarah used to be an adventurer as well.”
“Yes. I want to become an adventurer and visit the capital and other regions—if possible, other countries as well.”
“Okay. You need to wait until you’re twelve for some of that, but as part of your duties as an aristocrat you’ll have to visit the capital at age ten. We’ll need to get you a tutor that can teach you swordsmanship and magic before then. I’ll start looking.”
“Thank you, Father.”
It was late, so Cain returned to his room. He undressed and handed the clothes over to Sylvia, then changed into pajamas before snuggling into bed.
“Master Cain, good job today. You really are a genius! I can’t wait to see you grow up.” Sylvia had been present when he introduced himself, and she had yet to calm down.
“Sylvia, it really wasn’t that big of a deal…and I really am tired now. I’m going to sleep. Good night.”
“Good night, Master Cain.” Sylvia tied up Cain’s discarded outfit and brought it with her as she left the room.
Cat ears really are the best! Cain thought about Parma as he fell asleep.