“Where the hell were you?” Wayde said as soon as Wolf entered their dorm room. “You told us you’d be back a week ago! Anna’s birthday is tomorrow. She’s gonna kill you, you know?

“She’s been growling at everyone for days. I’ve even seen her snap at Matilda once or twice, and I think she wanted to maul Barbara to death when she suggested you were having fun with another woman.”

Wolf smiled awkwardly. He really was late because he was having fun with another woman. It’s not the kind of fun Barbara or Wayde had in mind though. He got carried away teaching Frida how to use magic effectively. It was an incredibly gratifying experience, teaching someone so devoted, who picked up everything almost immediately.

The former huntress wasn’t as fast as Wolf, but still with only a couple of weeks of tutoring she was on the cusp of reaching the Second Order. Wolf wanted to stay longer and help her out, but he had a ball to attend.

Even though he rushed like a madman, Wolf still took over a month to come back without completely violating his father’s wish of staying healthy.

Luckily for Wolf, Wayde misread his awkward smile.

“At least you’ve already bought her a gift, so we don’t have to run around like crazy looking for something hours before the party starts. Now, take a bath and use a proper perfume. If you don’t have one, I’ll let you pick one of mine…” Wayde kept talking on and on about what Wolf should do, how he should act and what he most definitely should not do. For some reason, the last category made up most of Wayde’s nagging.

***

Wolf survived the day, mostly thanks to the fact that Annabelle Didot was back home, preparing for her birthday party.

Wayde and Wolf shared a coach. Unlike last year, Wolf’s tall, handsome roommate got an invitation. The young man wore a formal three-piece, and Wolf couldn’t help but think his friend looked like a Jenkins wearing that suit instead of a proper Mage robe.

Wolf originally wanted to wear the robes his father had bought him when he was eight. However, they were now a tad too small for him, barely covering his calves.

It was nice to know that he’d grown since then, and it was depressing to think how little he’d grown since then. Besides, even if the robe fit, it looked cheap and shabby compared to Wayde’s suit.

With no time to find a tailor, and with Wayde telling him that buying a prefab would make him look cheap, Wolf went in his school uniform.

If only he’d returned to the city three days before the party, he could have bought a dashing set of clothes to impress Anna with. At least that’s what Wolf believed.

As the carriage rolled on, the two youths remained silent. Wayde kept his eyes leisurely closed, while Wolf bit his lip nervously.

Getting ready for the evening, Wolf prepared three Featherweights. He was afraid chairs would awkwardly creak under him, or worse shatter completely. He could kill himself if he accidentally destroyed furniture in Anna’s home.

Thoughts this young man never had before swarmed his mind. The dominant one was Did I forget the ring? After which Wolf checked his Ring of Holding and confirmed for gods know which time that the ring had not evaporated from his storage tool.

The other, more frequent, more disturbing and more important question Wolf kept asking himself was What if Anna refuses the ring?

Could they still be friends? He’d cursed Matilda several dozen times for filling his head with the whole ring thing. All he could do now was pray Anna wouldn’t start avoiding him.

Should I give her something else? Wolf wondered nervously.

He wanted to ask Wayde, but the hateful fellow just kept his eyes closed and smirked. Wolf felt like smacking his dashing mug, but instead kept stewing for an hour and a half. Then the coach drew to a halt.

A handsome and sharply dressed servant in his early twenties opened the door for Wayde and Wolf. The man bowed deeply.

“Lord Wolf, Lord Northshield, welcome to Young Miss’s ball,” the servant said with perfect diction and remained bowed until Wolf and Wayde left him behind.

The man wasn’t quite an Albert, but he was on the right track.

As soon as Wolf’s and Wayde’s coach continued on its way another one took its place. The servant greeted those guests in exactly the same way he did Wolf and Wayde.

Somehow, Wolf couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

Does that mean we’re just average guests? Should I go back now while I still have the chance? It’s not too late… Seeing Wolf acting so stiff, Wayde patted him on the back.

“Relax, everything will be fine,” Wayde said with a laugh. “Look at you! You’re so stiff you practically became a rock. Relax.”

Despite his friend’s best effort, Wolf couldn’t relax one bit.

One tense and one smiling, the roommates walked into the extravagant building.

As soon as he set his foot inside the opulent home, Wayde stiffened and his face twisted as if he’d just suffered a stroke.

“Welcome to my daughter’s birthday. It is a pleasure to have you here tonight,” a handsome man in his mid-thirties said with a perfect smile on his face.

He was dressed impeccably, in a very expensive looking deep blue suit, obviously custom tailored for him. The man was nearly two meters tall, and slightly overweight. Just enough for him to have a benevolent, chubby face of an honest, harmless man. Edwin’s hair was light brown, the color of hazelnut, as was his neatly trimmed beard.

“B-b-benefactor.” Wayde stuttered.

For the first time ever Wolf saw Wayde lose his composure. He was so surprised that for a moment he’d forgotten about his own nervousness.

“Thank you, Sir. It is our pleasure,” Wolf answered and dragged Wayde with him.

Once the pair moved away a bit, Wayde tried to get himself out of Wolf’s hold. Seeing the man had recovered his wits, Wolf let go and Wayde immediately straightened his clothes and hair.

“So, that’s your benefactor?” Wolf asked. “What were the odds of something like that happening?”

“Yeah.” Wayde laughed weakly. “What were the odds… Benefactor only introduced himself as Edwin back then and then set up a life for me in the city. I never inquired about his personal information. I thought he kept it a secret in case the whole operation fell through.”

So the daughter Benefactor wanted me to marry was Annabelle? Wayde realized, but kept the thought to himself.

Wolf and Wayde continued chatting, and after a while they spotted Barbara and Matilda. The two ladies arrived with locked arms, elegantly dressed, and bright smiles on their faces.

Wolf naturally wanted to talk to them, but Wayde stopped him. “Those of lower standing can’t approach those of higher standing. It’s considered presumptuous. They have to grace us with their presence.”

Wolf looked at him and frowned.

“What kind of crazy talk is that?” Wolf asked, looking at Wayde as if he were an idiot. “They are our friends. Even if they weren’t, you’re a Duke, so you are free to grace anyone in the room with your presence.”

Wolf smiled. Now that he had something to distract him he was slowly turning back into his normal relaxed self.

“Wolf stop.” Wayde said seriously. “I am not a Duke yet. In fact, as far as I can tell, you and I are the only commoners in the room. Well, other than the staff—”

Fortunately for them, Barbara came right over, bodily dragging Matilda, who wanted to pay attention to proper manners.

“This isn’t proper decorum Barbara. We should first pay respect to—” Matilda whispered, but Barbara just shushed her.

The young lady wouldn’t have dreamt of acting this way before they started studying together, but the three of them had gotten close over the last couple of months and she could act freely around the Marquess’s daughter.

“Don’t be so boring. This is a party after all,” the red-haired woman said and then turned towards Wolf.

“You’re boring too! You’re dressed the same way as always. Why didn’t you do something different? If you didn’t have clothes, I could have borrowed some from my little brother. Even though he’s only six years old, you’re about the same height.” Barbara expertly jabbed at Wolf with a sweet smile which didn’t really go along with her words.

“I think you look boring as well. I know,” Wolf smiled wickedly. “How about you put some underwear on your head to liven things up!”

“Hey! You promised Anna not to mention that again. Are your promises to her only worth that much?” Barbara struck back and stuck out her tongue.

Wolf faltered and blushed after she said this. He’d made no such promise to Anna, but he didn’t want to deny it, in case Anna had said something along those lines to Barbara.

“Sorry, I won’t do that again,” he eventually said sheepishly.

Seeing Wolf act so shyly Matilda covered her lips with a folding fan and giggled charmingly. Barbara, however, struck the iron while it’s hot.

“What kind of ring did you buy? What will you do once Anna throws it back in your face?” She continued teasing Wolf.

Hearing these questions Wolf froze up in panic once more and couldn’t speak properly.

“Barbara, don’t tease him like that. You know Anna has feelings for him,” Matilda frowned and whispered somewhat louder than usual, as she tried to defuse the situation.

“Don’t worry Wolf, Anna won’t refuse your gift,” the young lady whispered then paused for a moment. “I just hope you bought her a nice ring.”

Even though she wanted to help, Matilda wasn’t so sure about the youth’s common sense and taste in jewelry. Just because the ring he’d bought was expensive didn’t mean it was good.

“T-Thanks,” Wolf stuttered, but that was the limit of his verbal capabilities at the moment.

People around him chatted, but Wolf was in his own separate spacetime. For him time crawled so slowly it was practically going backwards. He didn’t know what to do with himself while he fidgeted, waiting for the star of the evening to appear. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Anna appeared at the top of a flight of stairs.

The enchanting young lady wore a beautiful silver flowing dress. On her head she had an exquisitely crafted silver tiara.

Dressed in such fancy clothes she looked prettier than ever and more womanly. Her breasts, which looked padded when she wore her uniform, drew Wolf’s attention.

They were larger than he’d expected. Probably bigger padding, Wolf concluded in a moment of lucidity. However that errant thought disappeared almost as soon as it crossed Wolf’s mind.

The young woman beamed a brilliant smile as she gracefully went down the stairs. When she’d stepped onto the ground floor, a booming applause welcomed her.

The burst of sound snapped Wolf out of his dazzled state and after a moment he joined in with great enthusiasm.

“Easy tiger,” Wayde laughed and whispered when he’d heard Wolf’s all out clapping.

Once again Wolf blushed and faltered. Others were still applauding, so it should have been difficult for Anna to see his shameful display. Or, it would have been difficult if she wasn’t looking straight at him. It was a strange look, which partially conveyed how happy she was to see him. The other part was her earnest desire to pummel him to death.

Fortunately for Wolf, people started swarming around Anna. As the crowd delivered presents, Anna politely thanked everyone who approached before placing their gift into a Ring of Holding she wore.

The partygoers gathered around Anna quickly dispersed, and Wolf and his class friends used this chance to congratulate the birthday girl.

As Barbara, Matilda and Wayde presented their gifts Anna thanked them with the exact same words as others, but her smile seemed more genuine.

Maybe I should just give her a Ring of Holding and let her buy whatever she wants? Wolf thought nervously, before realizing something else. That’s also a ring!

Finally, with no one left to shield him from Anna, Wolf handed over the small delicately wrapped box.

“Um— Anna— I— Happy birthday— I hope you grow into a fine woman— Really—” Wolf fidgeted while blurting out random words, which made Anna want to bash his head all the more.

I’m already a fine woman, thank you very much! Anna thought, wanting to grit her teeth and pull the little twerp’s ear until he was as tall as she was.

However, she didn’t let it touch her face. Instead, she sweetly smiled at the youth in front of her. That face as red as a lobster and those panicked eyes which darted from her face to her chest and back again were kind of charming.

After all, this tongue-tied blockhead was the man she’d chosen of her own free will.

To reward his bravery, Anna took an extra moment to look at the cheapish box Wolf had given her.

Her gesture was very subtle, but Wolf still noticed it and started sweating as his mouth nervously twisted.

“I wanted something else from you for my birthday,” Anna whispered mischievously, nearly causing the youth before her to have a heart attack.

She doesn’t like me, he immediately concluded that he’d made a mistake. Can I somehow switch presents? No! She already stored it in her ring, what do I do? What should I do? I could erase her memories, maybe? I’ve practiced enough on bandits that I could even change them a bit.

He stood there motionless, while Anna glanced at the stragglers waiting behind the youth. “Wolf, you are blocking other guests. Come and dance with me later.”

Only at that moment did Wolf realize he was standing in front of a line of people who waited to deliver their presents to Anna and congratulate her.

As he dazedly moved away Anna watched him with a brilliant smile. Thankfully, she had a thick layer of makeup, otherwise everyone would have noticed that her face was just as red as Wolf’s. She loved the way Wolf reacted to her words though.

As Wolf moved away, he replayed the entire scene again and again. Finally, he realized Anna was probably teasing him. She wouldn’t have looked at him like that, nor would’ve she invited him to dance with her, if she didn’t want to accept his ring.

Wait, Wolf halted as a wave of panic washed over him. Dance? I don’t know how to dance!