Jude was a little lost.
When he had investigated Fairy Tail in the past, he had never heard anything about this.
"It is normal that you do not know," Kabe said with a smile. "Warrod Sequen has already retired from the front lines.
But that old master is one of Fairy Tail's founding members. No one in the magic world dares ignore his connection to our guild."
"Warrod?!"
That name Jude had heard before. A powerful mage said to have been active even during the Second Trade War.
Now already over a hundred years old, yet still formidable, ranked fourth among the Ten Wizard Saints.
Realizing Fairy Tail had such a hidden pillar behind it, Jude was first stunned, then overjoyed.
"Kabe, what do you think of my Lucy?"
"Ah?"
Hadn't they just been talking about the Wizard Saints a second ago? How did the topic suddenly jump to Lucy?
The shift was so abrupt that even Kabe, who had just finished putting on a cool act, froze for a moment, teacup halted halfway to his lips.
After the words were out, Jude himself realized it sounded too straightforward, too impatient.
He cleared his throat, softened his tone, and his expression took on a faint sadness.
"My wife, Layla, passed away early. For all these years I have been devoted to business, and I have neglected Lucy far too much.
I gradually came to realize that something was wrong between us as father and daughter, but by then, trying to change it was… difficult.
Thankfully, she still has the Celestial Spirits Layla left behind. She has at least been able to find some comfort in magic.
Since she likes magic, I do not intend to stop her. On the contrary, I would like to ask you to teach her about the rules and workings of the magic world.
You are a genius mage famed across the continent, and you are also her friend. With you guiding her, I can feel more at ease."
He did not spell it out completely, but as long as one was not an idiot, it was impossible not to hear the deeper meaning in his words.
'So, he has finally realized how terrifying mages can be, and now he wants to tie Lucy to me.'
Kabe had not expected that this little performance of strength, just to make it easier to get along with Jude, would make the shrewd businessman see so clearly the power that mages represented and the value behind it.
And then, skipping a whole chain of intermediate steps, the man was already ready to entrust Lucy to him.
Kabe's goal from the beginning had been to happily live off his women in the future, so there was no way he was going to refuse a wife delivered to his door.
He agreed immediately.
"That is no problem at all.
Whenever Lucy has questions, she can write to me any time.
And if she wants to understand the life of mages more deeply, she is welcome to visit Fairy Tail as a guest."
"Then it is settled. I will be counting on you to look after that child from now on."
Jude readily agreed, raising his teacup and clinking it against Kabe's in place of wine. The two men shared a satisfied smile.
Just like that, while Lucy herself remained completely unaware, her own father quietly "sold" his fresh, innocent daughter to Kabe.
But this was also the only decision in all these years that, even without asking her opinion, Lucy would later feel satisfied about.
...
What happened afterward went without saying.
With Jude's approval, Kabe happily settled into the manor as a guest.
To give the two young people a better chance to grow closer, Jude even used the excuse of needing to handle company affairs and left that very night by carriage, deliberately leaving space for them.
The only regret he had was that the girl named Sorano decided to stay as well.
But that was fine too. With someone else around, the youngsters would not dare cross too many lines.
Besides, even if he had decided to let Lucy and Kabe be engaged in his heart, Jude was still worried that a hot blooded young man might get carried away and do something to his daughter right now.
Sorano's presence was, in his eyes, an extra layer of insurance.
Because of that, before leaving, he even called Lucy over specifically and seriously reminded her.
He told her to get closer to Kabe, but not too close.
Leaving Lucy completely baffled and utterly confused.
...
Without her father in the house, Lucy was completely liberated.
All the things she held back from doing because of strict upbringing, she could now openly enjoy.
That night, after the three of them agreed to go out on a little trip together the next day, they said good night and each returned to their rooms.
Led by a maid, Kabe was brought to a guest room. He took a shower, changed into fresh clothes, and had barely finished drying his hair when there was a knock on the door.
When he opened it, the visitor was exactly who he expected.
It was Sorano, who had been holding her questions in all day and was now practically overflowing with things she wanted to ask.
She was still dressed the same as during the day, but Kabe's sharp eyes immediately noticed a few details.
There was a touch of makeup on her cheeks, just faintly, and a soft pink gloss coated her lips, making her features look even more delicate and enticing.
Without a word, he stepped aside to make room.
Sorano's expression twisted slightly in hesitation, but in the end she mustered her courage and stepped through the doorway into his room.