The events of the dinner and the following day were stressful, emotional, and even eye-opening, but that's an adventure for another time—shall we move on a bit?
Today around 10 in the morning (6:00), Astrid woke up early as usual, and, as was typical for her, she checked her daughter's room, which, as you already know, was normally empty. Astrid was used to finding Dalia sleeping in her office or in some corner of the workshop, but that morning, the bed was occupied. Seeing them resting after the hard work of the previous night filled her heart with joy. Despite the stress from yesterday, everything had turned out well.
She went downstairs to the patio, where she found Peter already stretching before starting the day.
― Astrid ― Good morning, Peter. Did you get any rest? ―
― Peter ― Good morning, Ms. Astrid. Yes, I'm ready to start the day. ―
Of course, our Durman woke up at the usual hour, nearly drained, dragging his feet to the dining room. Tired and silent, he settled into his chair, waiting for someone to pay attention to him. Looking toward the kitchen door, there was Astrid—like clockwork, always at the same time—to serve him breakfast.
― Durman ― Thank you so much, darling. What would I do without you? ―
― Astrid ― I DON'T KNOW. ― she shouted, tossing her bangs away from her face with a flick of her head. ―
During Durman's peaceful breakfast, Neo appeared, yawning. He nearly copied Durman's movements exactly—he sat in a chair and waited to be served. But the silence was broken by Dalia bursting through the door.
― Dalia ― I'm starving! ―
― Durman ― By Vasli's beard—you, awake at this hour? ― he jumped in surprise. ― NEO, LAD, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DID BUT KEEP IT UP. ― he shouted with joy. Astrid peeked out from the kitchen door.
― Astrid ― How is this possible? I can't believe it. ―
― Dalia ― I can wake up early too. ―
― Durman ― It took a messenger from Tolmas to get you up early, you're so spoiled. ―
― Dalia ― Daaaaad! ― the girl shouted, hitting his shoulder several times. ― Neo, say something. ―
●― Me? To the great Durman, master of the Iron Guild, my mentor, my future father-in-law. ― he looked back down at his plate. ― I don't want to die young. ―
― Dalia ― That's not fair. ―
― Astrid ― Come on, sit and eat, today's going to be a long day. ― she said, placing a full plate next to Neo. ― We need to get ready for today's event. ― she added, pulling out a chair so Dalia could sit. ― By the way… Neo… would you let us use that shower? ―
●― Sure. ― he got up, walked over to a wall, and knocked three times with his knuckles, revealing the subdimension door. ―
― Astrid ― And what about that soap that smelled so good? ―
●― It's in the bathroom cabinet. If not, just tell me and I'll go to the warehouse for more. ―
Astrid was so happy she nearly forgot to eat breakfast. She headed straight into the subdimension without looking back—but Durman caught her almost midair. He grabbed her hand and sat her on his lap.
― Durman ― But have you had breakfast? ―
Despite her age, she reacted like a young woman—pouting and making her displeasure obvious. But Durman was more than used to it, and with a few tender caresses and kind words, he managed to calm his wife down.
Meanwhile, Hunt was waking up with difficulty, being shaken by Selene. But she wasn't giving up and kept trying.
― Selene ― Sleepyhead, it's already daylight. There's too much light to stay in bed… and way too many things to take care of. ―
■― Love, please, just a little longer, I'm so tired. ― said the engineer, trying to escape from his beloved's grasp.
― Selene ― None of that. I want to go to the subdimension and have one of those showers too. ―
Wanting to please her, Hunt let his hand drop from the bed and made the knocking gesture on the floor. Moments later, a door appeared between the wooden planks. With one lazy slap, he opened the door.
― Selene ― Don't be lazy. Open the door properly—how do you expect me to fit through like that? ―
■― Ah ― Hunt slowly got out of bed and stumbled across the room until he reached a wall. There, after tripping, a subdimension door opened and he fell onto the grass in the garden.
― Selene ― See? That wasn't so bad. ― she said, practically jumping over him to get into the subdimension.
The encounter looked like an Old West showdown—Selene and Astrid ran into each other as they stepped through the doors at the same time.
― Astrid ― Selene ―
― Selene ― Astrid ―
They both had the same idea in mind: to be the first one to reach the cabin's bathroom. Selene, without warning, started running. But her competition had an ace up her sleeve. Astrid wasn't your average housewife—she was one of the top mana researchers at Anita University. With a quick spell, she lifted her feet off the ground and began flying at full speed. But all her effort was in vain. Sena was already inside the cabin, just about to enter the shower first.
― Astrid ― But how did you get here first? ― she asked, half angry.
― Sena ― You're not the only one who knows how to play an ace. ―
One by one, the ladies passed through. Shower after shower, the flower-scented soaps disappeared from the bathroom. And when it was finally Durman's turn…
― Durman ― NEO! There's no soap! ―
●― That can't be. There were like four. ― Neo turned to look at them, all lounging on the sofas. ― Look, there were 4 soaps here, and I see 4 possible thieves. ― he said, clearly annoyed at the four of them.
― Astrid ― I don't know what you're talking about. ―
Neo slid two fingers through the air, making a crystal screen appear. At the top: Subdimension Inventory.
― Sena ― That's cheating! With that, you can see everything we're carrying! ―
●― You leave me no choice. ―
■― Let it go, the girls just want their own soap. ― said Hunt, half asleep, lying beside Selene and gesturing to close Neo's screen.
●― I don't really care about that, but at least don't steal—or they could've at least said something. ― said Neo before disappearing through a portal that opened under his feet. A few seconds later, he reappeared from a portal in the ceiling.
■― You just left the subdimension and came back just to summon a soap instead of going to the warehouse to get one. ―
●― Is that a problem? Here, Astrid, give it to Durman. ― he said, tossing her the soap. ― Here, take this. ― he said, throwing the soap to Hunt with either incredible aim or Hunt's bad luck—because it hit him right on the head. ― Go shower in the workshop bathroom. ―
The morning unfolded with a certain chaos. The ladies were stressed, getting ready with extravagant makeup that, to the engineers' eyes, looked like a clown contest. After sending them back to shower again, Neo and Hunt suggested using less… "pompous" makeup, something that would better highlight their features and beauty.
Durman was relaxed, sitting on the cabin couch, browsing through drawings and charts from the material engineering files—or was it materials science? Despite numerous scoldings from Astrid and Dalia, Durman didn't stop reading, fully absorbed.
Around noon, the four ladies were ready, the engineers were prepped, and Durman was so hooked on the drawings that he completely lost track of the situation.
― Durman ― You look a little different, but I can't tell why. ― he said, looking at his wife. ― Ah, I know. You're not wearing that horrible makeup you put on every year. ―
Astrid didn't hesitate—Durman had it coming. With a single slap, she left his cheek red.
■― I knew it, not the brightest. ―
― Sena ― You looked better when you were quiet. ―
Peter peeked into the cabin, where everything was chaos. But what surprised him the most were the ladies' new hairstyles. Thanks to the engineers' skills, they had improvised several hair straighteners using two steel plates and a pipe.
Dalia wore two high buns, interwoven with finely braided strands that danced with each of her movements, as if her hair carried a silent choreography. Each braid seemed to tell a story, woven with patience and a hint of rebellion—just like her restless spirit.
Selene, on the other hand, opted for simplicity. Her hair was tied up with precision, but she had two loose strands on either side of her face, gently framing the strength of her presence. Those loose hairs were no accident—they were intentional.
Sena chose a different path. She entrusted her look to the engineers—a curious decision, but for her, a logical one. They completely changed her haircut. Her new style, a shaggy bob, wasn't just modern—it seemed to scream renewal, as if each strand let go of something old, something unnecessary. Her new look spoke for itself.
(@― I have no idea about hairstyles, not for women or men. I hope it makes sense. ;( @)
Astrid, loyal to a more polished aesthetic, decided to straighten her hair until it was perfectly smooth. Her mane fell like an obsidian waterfall—sleek and disciplined, reflecting light with every step like a silent armor.
And while all the women showed new ways of expressing their identity, Durman kept his typical hairstyle unchanged, true to himself—as if time had no hurry with him. Just like Hunt and Neo, who never altered a single hair from the image they had chosen long before changing worlds.
― Peter ― Excuse me, but the Blackforge family carriage is waiting at the door. ―
●― Peter, we're not completely ready. Tell them to go to the Gaveil house, the Blackforge lords are there. ―
Neo had bought just enough time to finish the final preparations. When Hemer arrived to give the signal, all seven were ready.
― Hemer ― Miss Sena, you look amazing. The short hair really suits you. ―
― Sena ― Thank you. ― she said as she stepped out of the subdimension.
Two eye-catching carriages were waiting in the courtyard, each with their coachmen ready to escort the guild masters and their families. Discreetly, both drivers exchanged glances of surprise and amazement at the dresses and suits. As was customary in the city, the men boarded the first carriage, and the women the second.
During the ride, the curtains in the carriages barely moved. Surprise and mystery lingered in the air. The trip through the city toward the Marquis' palace drew more than a few curious glances from the citizens.
― Durman ― Neo, Hunt, pay attention. We'll get out of the carriage first. Then we'll go over to the women's carriage and help them step down. Got it? ― The two nodded. ― Though honestly, dressed like this, I'm not sure we even count as proper escorts. ―
■― Durman, don't worry. If that's how it's done, we'll do it. Simple as that. ―
― Durman ― By the way, Neo, from now on you are "The disciple of Durman and escort of Miss Dalia, daughter of the Runic Artisan Mia Blackforge." And you, Hunt, you're going to be "Escort of the Administrator of the Merchants' Guild and owner of the..." ―
■― No. Just Selene's escort. I don't want anyone knowing I own any company. And if they're going to name an owner, they should name Neo too. ―
― Durman ― Fine, whatever you want. Then from now on, you're "Escort of Selene, Administrator of the Merchants' Guild." But forget your own names—from now on, it's all about who you're escorting. ―
Durman wrote their names on a little slip of paper and passed it to the driver through the carriage window. During the ride, he explained how they should behave, how to endure insults from nobles—possibly even from the Marquis or his sons.
― Durman ― By the way, the Marquis' name is Ignar Tervain, the birthday boy is Amisair Tervain, and the eldest son is Alistair Tervain. Apparently, Ignar is the nephew of the King's grandfather, on the mother's side—the son of the uncle of the King's mother's father's brother… on the mother's side. And the Marchioness is named Irina. ―
■― Got it. ―
●― The what of who now? ― (Hunt's short laugh left Durman entirely confused by the joke.)
― Durman ― Let me explain… actually, forget it. Just don't stray from Dalia's side. ― He suddenly went quiet, a chill running down his spine. ― You do know how to dance, right? ―
■― If it's what I think it is, then yeah, don't worry. For our little sisters' birthday, Neo and I took dance lessons to make them feel like princesses. ―
●― Though we did set a barn on fire afterward. ―
■― Minor details. ―
― Durman ― Don't even think about using offensive magic or anything weird. Understood? ― he said, pointing a finger at them.
A few minutes later, the carriage came to a halt. Durman stood up as best as he could—he was taller than the ceiling of the carriage—while Neo and Hunt had no such issue.