The celebration continued.
The music remained lively.
The ballroom remained bright.
The conversations remained endless.
Yet as the night deepened...
The atmosphere slowly changed.
The initial excitement regarding the Mana Crystal Mine had faded.
The discussions about Frostbound Coast's development had become commonplace.
Even the competition among noblewomen had started settling.
Now a different topic dominated the ballroom.
The daughters.
Specifically...
The daughters who had spoken with Kel Rosenfeld.
Near one side of the ballroom, a gathering of noble fathers occupied an entire section of the hall.
Wine glasses rested upon polished tables.
Expensive coats draped over chairs.
Faces reddened slightly from alcohol and excitement.
The topic?
Their daughters.
And for once...
None of them were discussing marriage proposals.
Lord Everhart proudly held a contract in his hand.
"My daughter negotiated this."
The surrounding nobles immediately examined it.
Several eyebrows rose.
The agreement was good.
Very good.
One noble whistled.
"She negotiated that herself?"
Lord Everhart nodded proudly.
"Without my assistance."
The man's chest visibly expanded.
Another noble sighed.
"My daughter spent three hours discussing logistics."
Several fathers looked impressed.
A third noble joined.
"My daughter asked permission to establish her own trade office."
Silence followed.
The fathers stared.
Then—
The entire group burst into laughter.
"Yours too?"
"You as well?"
"My daughter asked the same thing!"
"My daughter requested investment rights!"
Another noble nearly dropped his drink.
"Mine wants inheritance through achievements."
The table became quiet.
Several fathers looked stunned.
"Achievements?"
The noble nodded.
"She said she wants to earn her inheritance rights."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Then unexpectedly.
One elderly lord laughed.
Not mockingly.
Not sarcastically.
Proudly.
"Good."
The others turned toward him.
The elderly noble took a sip of wine.
"My sons earn theirs."
A pause.
"Why shouldn't my daughter?"
The table became silent.
Several fathers exchanged glances.
Then slowly...
One by one...
They nodded.
Because honestly.
The logic made sense.
Across the ballroom.
Several mothers listened quietly.
Unlike the fathers.
They weren't laughing.
Many of them looked thoughtful.
One noblewoman watched her daughter discussing infrastructure plans with a merchant.
The mother smiled faintly.
"When she was younger..."
A pause.
"She wanted to become a scholar."
Another.
"Then society convinced her she should focus on marriage."
Another.
"And now she's discussing economics."
The noblewoman laughed softly.
"Perhaps children understand themselves better than we do."
Nearby women quietly agreed.
Not all.
But many.
At another table.
A different conversation was taking place.
Several competent noblemen sat together.
Unlike the younger generation.
Most of them were already engaged.
Already married.
Or already experienced enough to survive political society.
One man observed the noblewomen questioning young suitors.
Then laughed.
"They deserve it."
His friend nearly choked on wine.
"What?"
The first noble pointed toward a poor young lord currently being interrogated about long-term investment strategies.
"When we were younger..."
A pause.
"We approached beautiful women thinking appearance alone mattered."
Another.
"Now they ask whether we can actually build something."
The noble laughed again.
"Good."
The others nodded.
Because truthfully...
None of them disliked what they were seeing.
One older count smiled.
"A woman should know her worth."
Another nodded.
"A competent wife improves an entire family."
Another.
"A competent fiancée becomes a capable partner."
The men exchanged knowing glances.
Experience spoke louder than theory.
Eventually.
One nobleman's fiancée approached.
The woman had overheard the conversation.
She crossed her arms.
"Oh?"
The noble immediately sensed danger.
The fiancée smiled sweetly.
"You think competence matters?"
The nobleman nodded cautiously.
"Of course."
The woman stepped closer.
"Then tell me."
A pause.
"Are you competent?"
Silence.
The nearby men immediately became interested.
The nobleman stared at his fiancée.
Then unexpectedly smiled.
"Try me."
The response came immediately.
Confidently.
Without hesitation.
The surrounding men burst into laughter.
Meanwhile.
The fiancée froze.
Her cheeks immediately turned red.
Because she had only intended to tease him.
Not receive a serious answer.
Nearby wives immediately laughed.
One noblewoman nudged her husband.
"What about you?"
The husband smiled.
"Twenty years married."
A pause.
"You tell me."
The woman rolled her eyes.
Then smiled.
The older couples laughed together.
Watching the younger generation struggle through the same experiences they once faced.
The atmosphere remained warm.
Comfortable.
Genuine.
Across the ballroom.
The daughters continued discussing their futures.
Lady Amelia sat with several other noblewomen.
For the first time.
The discussion wasn't about Kel.
It was about themselves.
"What do you plan to do?"
Sophia asked.
Amelia looked thoughtful.
"I want to establish a trade office."
The others nodded.
Reasonable.
Another noblewoman smiled.
"I want to learn negotiations."
Another.
"I want to manage investments."
Another.
"I want to oversee logistics."
The conversation continued.
Dreams.
Goals.
Plans.
Many of these ambitions had always existed.
They simply lacked direction.
Now.
Direction existed.
Meanwhile.
Not every noblewoman shared those interests.
At the opposite side of the ballroom.
A completely different atmosphere existed.
Several noble ladies who had never approached Kel remained gathered together.
The discussion?
Scandals.
As always.
One woman leaned forward dramatically.
"Did you hear what happened in Southbridge?"
The others immediately became interested.
"No."
"What happened?"
The woman lowered her voice.
"A count's son was caught climbing through a window."
Gasps erupted.
Another woman nearly dropped her drink.
"No."
"Yes."
"Whose window?"
The first woman smiled.
"Exactly."
The group collectively leaned forward.
Meanwhile.
Nearby fathers listening to this conversation sighed.
Deeply.
Very deeply.
One noble pointed toward the two groups.
The future businesswomen discussing investments.
And the gossip circle discussing affairs.
The contrast was extraordinary.
The noble sighed.
"The world truly is unfair."
His friend nodded.
"Very unfair."
Another.
"One group is planning trade routes."
Another.
"The other is tracking window-related scandals."
The men collectively drank wine.
Perhaps it helped.
Perhaps not.
Near the center of the ballroom.
Kel stood beside Lyra.
The two quietly observed everything.
The ancient serpent's golden eyes moved from group to group.
The fathers.
The daughters.
The couples.
The gossipers.
The entire ballroom felt alive.
Lyra eventually spoke.
"They changed."
Kel looked toward her.
"Who?"
"The women."
A pause.
"The fathers."
Another.
"Everyone."
Kel followed her gaze.
Then smiled faintly.
"People usually change when they find purpose."
The answer sounded simple.
Yet Lyra understood.
Perhaps more than anyone.
Because centuries ago...
A small act of kindness had changed her own path.
One decision.
One purpose.
One direction.
And everything afterward followed.
Far beneath Scarder Lake.
Seiren's voice appeared.
"You're becoming philosophical."
Kel internally sighed.
"You're becoming annoying."
The Guardian laughed.
"Becoming?"
Kel decided not to answer.
Meanwhile.
The celebration continued.
The fathers proudly discussed their daughters.
The daughters discussed their futures.
The husbands and wives teased one another.
The fiancées challenged their partners.
The younger noblemen desperately tried proving their competence.
And somewhere among all of it...
Without intending to...
Without planning to...
Without even realizing it...
Kel Rosenfeld had changed something.
Not roads.
Not cities.
Not infrastructure.
People.
And perhaps...
That would become the most valuable thing he built in Frostbound Coast.