The greetings with their parents had ended, and most of the children had gathered there.
He listened to the children's conversation from the back of the group.
Since Teres was with the kings, he waited leisurely until Silk came.
"Lord Kain, are you alone? Teres is over there, so why don't you come and talk with us?"
She said this and brought him a juice. He took the glass and sat down in a nearby chair to talk with her.
"I was surprised by the number of people. Since I can't talk with Teres, it's good that you're here, Lord Kain."
"Silk, let's stop calling me Lord Kain. I don't need the 'Lord.'"
"Hmm. Then Kain-kun! Should I call you Baron Kain?"
"No, no, Kain-kun is better."
As they were talking happily, three people approached them.
"Oh, Miss Silk, you look well. Your dress is lovely today."
Lord Habitt greeted her with a casual attitude.
Then, she greeted him back.
"And three people approached us. Lord Habitt, good evening. Thank you."
Silk replied with a casual attitude.
Then, she started talking with Kain again. Kain thought it was fine and continued the conversation.
The followers who had followed behind them spoke up.
"Hey you, Lord Habitt, the heir of the Cordino Duke, is here. Can't you even greet him? And you're interrupting him while he's talking to Miss Silk."
That's the duke's son and his followers who glared at me during the audience.
"Yes, good evening, Lord Habitt. Nice to meet you, I'm Baron Kain."
He deliberately didn't mention his family name.
Because he was a bit cheeky.
He wasn't sorry. A dark smile appeared on his face.
And the followers fell for it perfectly.
"How dare a mere son of a baron address the heir of a duke as 'Lord.' Use 'Your Lordship'!"
Another follower was also hooked.
"That's right, we are also sons of viscounts. If you're a son of a baron, you should use 'Your Lordship' for us."
Miss Silk had a confused look on her face.
"Both of you, wait. Kain, or whatever, must be a poor baron who can't even mention his family name. If you apologize now, I'll keep you two in check. Miss Silk is also worried."
He answered while glancing at Miss Silk.
He seemed to want to show his good side to Silk.
"Wait, Kain-kun is not just a son of a baron—"
"Wait a moment."
"Huh?"
Silk was about to reveal it, but Kain stopped her.
"Sorry. Lord Habitt, Lord Viscount, let me introduce myself properly."
The word "Lord" made all three of them angry.
One of them tried to grab his collar.
"I am Kain von Silford, the son of the Margrave Garm von Silford. I am not a son of a baron, I am a baron."
He answered with a smile.
The three of them stopped at his words.
No matter how low a baron is, he is an independent noble who has been ennobled. In terms of relationships, the son of a higher noble might be considered superior, but an ennobled noble is actually superior to the son of a higher noble.
Moreover, Margrave Garm is not from the same faction as Duke Cordino. A margrave and a duke are equal in rank, just with different duties.
The three of them realized how rude they had been to the baron.
"Lord Kain saved me and Princess Teresia from a group of orcs a few days ago. He defeated thirty of them alone and saved us. That's why he was ennobled to a baron recently."
Silk answered, puffing out her chest.
"... I heard about that from my father. He is a master of both sword and magic, and he defeated a group of orcs alone. And there is a boy of our age who has been ennobled."
One of the followers started talking.
Hearing those words, Habitt and his followers were trembling.
They took a step back.
"S-Sorry. We have something to do, so we'll take our leave."
Habitt ran away.
The followers followed him.
Kain sat down and took a breath.
"Still, Kain-kun, you're quite dark. I just found out. I could tell you were thinking something bad from your smile."
Silk was laughing with tears in her eyes.
He realized he had done it unintentionally.
"T-This is..."
Kain was flustered. And Silk smiled.
"I'll tell Teres next time."
He was even more flustered.
"Just kidding! If you go on a date with me, I'll keep it a secret."
He immediately realized he couldn't win.
"...Okay. Sure."
He felt like he had lost.
"Yay! I'll tell Father later!"
He could beat Reine, but he couldn't beat Silk and Teres.
As they were talking, Teres came over.
"Finally, I'm free. Lord Kain, you've been talking with Silk the whole time! It looks like you're having fun."
Teres was a bit pouting, but she was cute.
"By the way, Kain-kun, you were being—"
"Wait a moment."
Kain covered Silk's mouth. He put one hand over Silk's mouth and put a finger to his own lips, saying "Shh."
"Lord Kain, touching the lips of an unmarried woman... This needs to be reported to the Duke."
Teres answered with a smile, but her eyes weren't smiling.
"Ah, sorry."
He let go of Silk's mouth.
"Lord Kain, please tell the truth. Silk, what happened?"
Teres looked worried.
"Hmm? Nothing. Kain-kun and I are going on a date."
Silk casually revealed it. He wished she had kept it a secret a bit longer.
"Date! Silk, that's not fair! And you're calling him 'kun' now! That's not fair. I want to go on a date with Lord Kain too!"
Teres answered, her face turning red.
"Alright. Teres, let's go on a date next time."
When Kain said this, Teres's ears turned red.
"I'll definitely go. I'm looking forward to it."
At that moment, a voice came from behind.
"Where are you going?"
Teres answered immediately.
"Of course, on a date with Lord Kain."
She turned around and froze.
The king was there.
He had a pleasant smile, but his eyes weren't smiling.
This was bad.
"Hmm. Kain, it seems we need to talk about Teres in a private room. The debut party is almost over. We also need to talk about the game earlier. Let's have a heart-to-heart talk as men."
He patted Kain's back. It hurt a bit. A normal child would be crying.
"...Yes, Your Majesty, I understand."
He could only nod weakly.
The debut party was over, and now they were in the usual reception room. There were eight people gathered: the king, the queen, Teresia, the prime minister, Duke Eric, Silk, Garm, and Kain.
He had made three more sets of Reversi. He only made one for the royal family, so these were for the nobles. They were more luxurious than the general ones. The rules were simple. You just take turns placing the pieces.
He taught them and played a few rounds.
"This is interesting! The rules are simple, but you need to think. It's enjoyable for both children and adults!"
The king was delighted. Of course, everyone else was too.
"The general version will be available for one silver coin. The noble version will be available for one large silver coin."
"Hmm, that's reasonable. By the way, Kain, you seem to have a talent for business. You might want to consider starting your own guild."
That's an option. He's only five, so he might think about it later.
After that, he played Reversi with them for a long time. He didn't know how long he played.
Finally, he was allowed to leave.
"Then, Your Majesty, I'll take my leave."
He bowed and tried to leave with Garm.
"Wait a moment. By the way, you said you were going on a date with our Teres. What's that about? Sit down and explain."
Kain froze at the king's words.
"By the way, Kain-kun, you also made a date with our Silk. You're already engaged, but it's still a secret, so be careful."
Duke Eric dropped another bomb.
After that, Kain was scolded by the king and the duke and returned home exhausted.