Flanked by guards and footmen, we moved through the bustling crowd. Chione glanced at a jewellery stall as we passed, her gaze lingering for a moment before she turned away without slowing down.

“Did you see something you liked?” Eleanor asked.

Chione shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

Eleanor raised an eyebrow before steering us towards the stall. “How will you know if you don’t take a proper look?”

Chione hesitated. “They all look really expensive.”

Eleanor smiled, undeterred. “All the more reason to browse. I’m sure you’ll receive plenty of accessories on your next birthday, but that’s still months away. You’ll need something fitting to wear in the meantime. Preferably something finer, but buying something here won’t hurt either.”

Chione still looked uncertain, eyeing a necklace on display warily. Seeing her reluctance, Eleanor turned to Haela instead. “That goes for you as well. Is there anything here you like?”

Haela's face lit up as she eagerly pointed at various pieces. “This! Oh, and this one! Uhh, that pretty pink one, and… the green one here!”

Eleanor turned back to Chione. “It’s good to show restraint, but you mustn’t appear too frugal, or others might look down on you. Nobility shouldn’t appear to be poor or struggling.” She then turned to the smiling storeholder, instructing them to wrap Haela’s chosen pieces before handing them off to the footmen. Without further prompting, she also purchased the necklace Chione had been eyeing.

We continued through the market, occasionally stopping at shops Eleanor pointed out or ones that caught my sisters’ interest. I even decided to buy a few things—clothing, books—increasing the footman's growing burden. Despite Chione’s and my frugality, Haela requested nearly everything that caught her eye, including a small rag doll, which she now clutched tightly to her chest with one hand while holding onto Eleanor with the other.

We eventually stopped at a row of stalls selling enchanted stones that could predict affinities before awakening, enchanted tools with enhanced durability, and other magical trinkets. Of course, nothing from a street stall would be of high quality—not compared to the prestigious magic shops where Freya had purchased my mana signature suppression bracelet.

Chione was listening intently to a shrewd-looking vendor as he gestured towards a scarf draped over a display stand. “Woven with fragments of a magma salamander's core by a skilled dwarven craftsman, this scarf will magically heat itself in the cold, keeping you warm even in the dead of winter,” he explained, his voice smooth and practiced.

“And in hot weather?” Chione asked.

The vendor blinked, caught off guard. “I-it’s not really designed for warm weather, but I can guarantee you’ll never have to suffer through another harsh winter.”

Chione pressed her lips together in thought. “But I like the cold,” she muttered.

Chione continued asking questions about the magical items, dismissing each one after hearing its description. While my sisters listened intently, I turned my attention to the neighbouring stall.

Displayed on velvet cushions were four polished, spherical stones—red, brown, blue, and green. Behind the stall stood a thin, weasel-like man with ink-stained fingers and a sharp glaze. He was explaining their purpose to a woman in front of the stall.

“If you have a yet-to-awaken mage, all they need to do is hold one of these stones and wait for it to glow. Then you’ll know which element they have an affinity for, even before they awaken,” he said.

The woman examined the stones with a curious frown. “Why are they different colours?”

“Each stone corresponds to a specific element,” he explained.

Her eyes widened. “So, I’d have to buy one of every element just to find out?”

“Not necessarily,” he amended. “Their most common use is actually to determine how close someone is to awakening. If you know the parents’ affinities, you can already make an educated guess about the child’s. For every ten seconds it takes for the stone to light up, their awakening is an additional year away. Used this way, you’d only need one or two stones per child.” 

As he spoke, I stepped closer, studying the stones more carefully. The woman fell into thought rubbing her chin.

A sudden yell from behind startled us both. We turned just as a tall, gruff-looking man shoved past, easily knocking my small frame against the stall. My elbow struck something hard, but before I could react, steel flashed in the light. 

One of my guards had drawn his sword, pressing the tip against the man’s throat.

Everything stilled. The other guards followed suit, drawing their blades as the gruff man’s anger dissolved into shock. Around us, the bustling crowd fell silent, turning to watch.

“Look, I…” The man took a cautious step back, raising his hands. “That bastard’s a scammer, that’s all—I didn’t—”

His voice trailed off. His eyes locked onto the stall, his expression shifting from alarm to disbelief.

“Wait… Didn’t you hit that?” the gruff man asked.

Slowly, every eye turned back to the stall.

The vendor let out a startled cry.

Next to me, the red sphere glowed—a brilliant, unmistakable red. 

Shit.

A question surfaced in my mind. What happens if an awakened mage touches a mana stone that glows based on how close you are to awakening?

I stared at the answering stone, its bright red light unwavering. Around me, whispers rippled through the crowd. Eleanor and my sisters rushed to my side, their faces tense with alarm.

“A mage… The stone glowed…”

“But so young…”

“He can’t be…”

Their wide eyes locked onto me.

“You're a mage?” the vendor asked, stupefied.

The wind whistled through the tense market, carrying murmurs that only grew louder. 

What should I do? Run for it? No—I still have my guards, I thought, my mind racing. I’m the grandson of a Count. No one here could act without facing consequences. But they’ve seen me now. It’s only a matter of time before word spreads to those with authority. As I scanned the crowd for a way out, my gaze landed on a boy who looked to be about my age. At some point, he had appeared beside the stall, eyeing the green mana stone. 

Black hair, green eyes, pointed ears, and an impish look. His extravagant clothing marked him as nobility, yet I couldn’t see any guards around him. He looked up at the vendor, his eyes glinting with mischief.

“Hey, Scammy,” he said, his voice light with amusement. “Wanna make a bet?”

“Scammy?” The vendor recoiled, his face twisting in outrage. “What are you on about?”

The gathered crowd, drawn in by the unfolding spectacle, hung onto the boy’s every word.

“I bet these mana stones aren’t even real,” he continued, his grin widening. “They’d react if anyone touched them.”

“What!” the vendor roared. “How dare you!”

“C’mon, that big guy over there called you a scammer too,” the boy said, jerking a thumb toward the gruff man and shrugging. “If you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve got nothing to fear.”

A hush fell over the crowd as everyone turned expectantly to the vendor.

“Fine,” he snapped.

The impish boy's grin stretched even wider, as if the vendor had just walked into a trap. “I’ll just take this one, then,” he said, plucking the green mana stone from its cushion. 

It lit up instantly.

The crowd erupted into shouts of disbelief and skepticism. 

“Wha–! That doesn’t prove anything!” the vendor yelled, his face paling. “That just means you’re the same as him!”

He’s right, I thought. This isn’t enough evidence.

“Wow, such a sore loser,” the boy sighed, shaking his head with exaggerated disappointment. Then, he turned to me, meeting my gaze with an unmistakable look. 

I’ve helped this much. Now it’s your turn.

My mind steadied as I rapidly considered my options, the crowd’s shouts fading beneath the storm of my own thoughts. I glanced at my sisters, meeting their eyes before turning back to the four mana stones—two of which now glowed brightly.

“Young Master, we should leave before this gets out of hand,” Eleanor whispered.

I ignored her. A plan was already forming in my mind.

Turning to the impish boy, I spoke in a clear voice, ensuring everyone could hear. “Are you saying that if anyone touches these stones, they’ll glow?” I asked, feigning innocence.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” the boy replied with a nod.

“So if I touch this one here,” I pointed to the nearest untouched stone, a muddy brown, “it should light up just like the others?”

The boy's grin faltered for a fraction of a second as he studied me, but it returned just as quickly when he caught onto my implication. “Of course! If it’s real, it won’t react at all.”

The vendor, still too rattled to realise what was happening, barely had time to protest before I reached out and picked up the brown stone. 

It flared to life.

The vendor’s eyes went wide. “Wait! That doesn’t prove anything—”

I didn’t let him finish. My gaze flicked to Chione just as I caught movement in the crowd—the gruff man from earlier had slunk to the back, and my guards were watching the unfolding scene with barely restrained amazement, seemingly forgetting how this whole mess started.

I exhaled through my nose. Idiots.

“You should grab a stone too,” I said to Chione.

She frowned, confused, but stepped in front of the remaining stone.

As she passed, I leaned in and whispered, “Touch it, but don’t pick it up.”

She glanced at me with a blank look but obeyed, extending a careful hand and touching the final stone.

Nothing happened.

“See! I told you!” the vendor shouted triumphantly. “The stones are real!”

The crowd erupted, excitement surging through them as they realised the stones’ authenticity. The impish boy’s grin faded slightly as he turned to look at me. But I remained still, counting silently in my head.

This is reckless. I shouldn’t be gambling like this. 

Ten painful seconds passed. 

I exhaled and shook my head dramatically. “No, Chione, you’re doing it wrong.”

The murmurs around us quieted slightly as heads turned back in our direction.

“These aren’t real mana stones,” I continued. “Just touching them won’t do anything. You have to pick them up and move them like we did.”

Chione’s brows furrowed deeper, but she played along. She went from pressing her fingers against the stone to wrapping her hand around it.

The crowd collectively held their breath.

A heartbeat passed.

Then, the stone flared to life, glowing a bright, undeniable blue.

A wave of disappointment rippled through the crowd, silence swallowing the space where their excitement had been.

The impish boy spread his hands and shrugged as if to say, Sorry folks. We tried to tell you.

“Four stones…”

“All of them lit up…”

“They’re all kids…”

“The moment they were moved…”

The crowd’s stance shifted once again, astonishment giving way to disappointment.

“Looks like we were right, Mr Scammy. Your rocks are a dud,” the boy said, his grin returning.

The vendor’s face twisted in shock. “My mana stones… were fake?” He looked down at them, as if expecting them to suddenly prove him wrong. “But… this has never happened before.”

“Liar!” 

A roar cut through the murmurs as the tall man from before shoved his way to the front. “You sold me a mana stone, but it didn’t react no matter how long my nephew held it for!”

“That just means he has a different affinity you moron!” the vendor snapped.

The two launched into a shouting match, their voices rising above the crowd. But the spectacle was over—the audience had already begun to drift away. Some threw the vendor looks of contempt, while others glanced at me and the impish boy with pity, as if we were just two poor kids caught up in the scam. The rest, clearly disappointed with the lacklustre result, simply went about their day. 

None of them looked at me with suspicion anymore.

I exhaled slowly, relief washing over me. Of course they wouldn’t. Even a single child awakening before the age of eight was unheard of, let alone two—plus another prodigy mage that awakened close to the national record. After that display it would be stranger if anyone still doubted us.

Chione studied me, her expression unreadable.

“Well, that was certainly something,” the impish boy strolled, hands in his pockets. “What’s your name?”

“Kane. Kane Tarmal.”

“Lucian Vaelmont. Nice to meet ya.” His grin widened as he lowered his voice so only I could hear. “So… how’d you do it?” He gestured toward Chione, making it clear what he meant.

I kept my voice just as low. “For every ten seconds it takes for the stone to glow, the mage is an additional year away from awakening,” I recited what I’d heard from the vendor. “My parents are mages. They’ve been carefully tracking her awakening for a while now—I used that to calculate when the stone would glow.”

Lucian’s eyebrows rose slightly. “So it was still a bit of a gamble.” He let out a short laugh. “Lucky you.” 

“What about the water affinity?”

“My dad says she takes after his mother, who had a water affinity,” I said. “There’s also a water affinity on my mother’s side. It was the most likely one for her to inherit.”

Lucian let out a low whistle. “You really are a gambling man.”

A distant voice called out, angry and searching. “Young Master Lucian! Young Master, where are you?”

“Crap.” Lucian straightened. “Gotta go. I’ll see you around, yeah?” He shot me a wave, his impish grin still firmly in place, then melted into the crowd.

I watched his figure disappear before Eleanor’s voice pulled me back. Her usual elegant smile was gone, replaced with quiet concern. 

She ushered us toward the carriage and together as Chione, Haela, Eleanor, and I with our guards, maid, and the footmen still carrying a mountain of items, left the market behind.