— Well, how do I look? — Victor asked, turning around in front of the mirror.
He was dressed in tailored trousers, classic shoes, and a snow-white shirt.
Pernelle nodded approvingly:
— Very respectable! By the way, here, take this. — She handed him a neatly wrapped box. — Inside is an amulet to protect the soul.
Victor frowned upon hearing this:
— That's way too expensive a gift for a simple introduction. You could've given a rare bottle of wine or something along those lines...
Pernelle merely waved her hand dismissively:
— This isn't just an introduction, it's a visit to your future father- and mother-in-law. Besides, we have these amulets lying around all over the house, so it's absolutely no loss.
Victor nodded understandingly, as it was the absolute truth. Back in the day, when Nicholas came up with the technology to create them, he churned out so many that items considered priceless family heirlooms in the rest of the magical world could be randomly found in some forgotten corner of the Flamels' estate.
— Alright then, I'm off. And right — don't disturb Abigail, she needs to get a proper rest. Missy, if you please!
The house-elf materialized beside him instantly, and in the next moment, they vanished together.
In the Greengrass ancestral manor, complete chaos was unfolding. The eldest daughter had returned home yesterday and forced every single servant to scrub the place spotlessly clean, put the garden in immaculate order, and summon the finest chefs to prepare a small banquet. And now all the staff stood near the entrance, lined up in a straight row, wondering who could possibly be so important to visit their house. Daphne herself stood outside in a lavish dress, anxiously looking around.
Astoria, who had been rudely dragged out of bed first thing in the morning, looked with displeasure at her parents sitting in the living room:
— What on earth is going on?! — she asked for the tenth time. — It's my holiday! Why was I woken up at seven in the morning?! It's almost eight now!
Astoria's mother sighed heavily:
— I don't know, dear. How many times do I have to tell you? Your sister hasn't explained anything to us. But judging by how meticulously she prepared, this event is extremely important to her.
Astoria's father was also deep in thought. What had prompted his usually reserved and sensible daughter to cause such a fuss?
Meanwhile, Daphne paced back and forth in front of the entrance. She had asked Missy to tell Victor the word "today," but hadn't specified an exact time! What if he only came in the evening? Or — knowing Victor and his perpetual busyness — what if he forgot about it altogether?!
Just as she was about to head back inside to send him an urgent owl, someone appeared behind the ornate wrought-iron fence by the gates. A happy smile bloomed on Daphne's face instantly. Forgetting all about pureblood etiquette, her heels clicking loudly on the stone path, she ran toward him and threw herself into his arms at full speed.
— Why are you so late?! I was worried sick! — Daphne exclaimed.
Victor caught her by the waist, spun her in the air, and smoothly set her back on the path:
— Late? It's only eight in the morning. Or did you want me to wake you all up before dawn?
Daphne froze, realizing he was completely right. She was simply overthinking the upcoming meeting far too much.
— Oh well... Come on, everyone is waiting! — She took his hand and pulled him toward the mansion.
The moment they stepped over the threshold, Victor was deafened by a synchronized greeting:
— WELCOME! — the maids and butlers chorused, lined up along the hall in two neat rows.
Victor raised an eyebrow in amusement and looked at Daphne with a smirk:
— Didn't you overdo it a bit? This is just meeting the parents, but I'm being greeted as if I'm a member of the royal family arriving on an official visit to a vassal lord.
— Everything must be official and flawless! — Daphne stated firmly, ushering him further down the corridor.
As soon as they slipped out of sight, one of the young maids couldn't hold back and whispered to her colleague:
— Hey, am I dreaming? Or did young mistress Daphne actually just bring a boy into the house?!
In the living room, hearing the loud greeting of the servants from the hall, the Greengrass family stood up from the sofa, eagerly waiting to see who had finally decided to visit their home. But when Daphne walked through the door, holding hands with a young man nearly a head taller than her, everyone present had their faces stretch with completely different emotions. Daphne's mother was genuinely surprised, her father instantly frowned, and Astoria even trembled slightly.
— Victor, let me introduce you: this is Orion Greengrass, my father, and Vesperia Greengrass, my mother. And well, you already know my sister.
Victor smiled openly, stepped up to the head of the family, and gave his hand a confident shake:
— Victor Moss. Pleased to meet you, father-in-law.
The word "father-in-law" hit Orion like a bolt of lightning: he shuddered visibly and froze on the spot, unable to utter a word.
Victor calmly released his numb hand and turned to Vesperia:
— If Daphne hadn't told me you were her mother, I would have thought I was standing in front of her elder sister. It's a real pleasure to meet you.
Vesperia, who was deep in thought about something, suddenly asked:
— Victor Moss?.. Aren't you that very same Victor who almost choked my daughter last year, and then started tyrannizing her, using her like some secretary, causing a bunch of pureblood families to despise her?
Victor nodded proudly and with absolute dignity:
— Yes, exactly! That very same, one and only Victor Moss.
After the introductions, they headed to the table. Daphne's father sat there with an entirely glazed-over stare — it seemed he didn't even notice his wife taking him by the elbow, bringing him into the dining room, and guiding him into a chair.
Vesperia took in this awkward scene: her husband looked as if he had been struck by paralysis; Daphne was nervously picking at her plate with a fork, casting angry glances at her father from time to time (it seemed she hadn't expected such a reaction from him at all); while Victor was digging into his breakfast with an entirely calm and hearty appetite. Even her usually spoiled and loud younger daughter, Astoria, was behaving strangely quiet and restrained. Vesperia looked at her husband with annoyance, but he still hadn't reacted to anything. With a heavy sigh, she realized she would have to take matters into her own hands, or Daphne would never forgive them for ruining the introduction.
— Victor, I hope you like the food?
Victor nodded with a smile:
— Yes, thank you so much, everything is delicious.
— That's wonderful. Well then... Perhaps you could tell us a bit about yourself? What are your hobbies, what do you enjoy doing most, and what are your plans for the future?
Daphne cast a grateful look at her mother.
— Oh, so here comes the official part of the introduction! That's good, because I was starting to think I'd just have breakfast and leave, — Victor chuckled. — Well... I have many hobbies: if something catches my interest, I completely immerse myself in it right away. But as for what I like doing most, that's harder to pinpoint — it all depends on the mood. The range is quite broad: from simple reading and shopping to grueling training sessions or inventing something new. As for future plans... I don't have a rigid schedule, I prefer to go with the flow. I have a dream. Actually, no, not a dream, but the main goal of my life: to become the strongest in this world. As for the exact paths I takes to reach that peak — time will tell.
Vesperia frowned slightly. Not because of the goal itself — many young mages dream of becoming Great Wizards. But Victor hadn't mentioned magic or wizards even once; he simply said "the strongest in this world."
— Oh, right, I almost forgot! Right now, I'm actually opening my own chain of stores, — Victor added with complete composure. — But you probably already know that, since your daughter works there.
A ringing silence fell over the dining room once more. Vesperia and Astoria stared at Daphne in total astonishment. Noticing their speechless expressions, Victor understood everything:
— Ah... So you weren't aware? Well then, now you know!
And just then, Orion suddenly blinked, looked around, and called out across the entire room:
— ...What kind of father-in-law am I to you, dammit?! Wait... when did I even walk in here?!
After Orion came to his senses, he argued with his daughter for a long time until his wife put a stop to it.
Victor continued eating in silence with a smile — it seemed the whole situation didn't bother him in the slightest. Meanwhile, everyone else at the table remained silent, and the atmosphere began to grow awkward.
Daphne wasn't entirely pleased with her father's reaction, though somewhere deep down she had expected it. From early childhood, she had been raised as the future head and heir of the Greengrass house. That was precisely why the personalities of the two sisters differed so much despite the age gap of just one year: Daphne grew up smart, reserved, and impeccably mannered, while Astoria remained a spoiled and fickle girl.
Then again, Astoria was genuinely spoiled by everyone — even Daphne herself. Everyone in the family knew that one day the younger daughter would simply be married off to the heir of another pureblood family to strengthen alliances and preserve the purity of their blood. In their world, this was considered normal, and out of an involuntary sense of guilt over her predetermined fate, Astoria was forgiven any whim.
However, Daphne was deeply mistaken. Orion's reaction wasn't because the future head of the family had chosen a boy of not the purest blood. No, that was certainly important, but no matter how proud he was of his family's blood purity, right now it wasn't the most vital matter. Orion loved his daughters beyond measure and wished them nothing but true happiness. He had decided long ago that if Astoria wasn't satisfied with a proposed groom, he would never give his consent to the marriage, no matter how ridiculously advantageous it might seem.