Turning down a high-ranking duchess outright would have been reckless, so Aiden kept his tone controlled and steady. "Alright. We'll go with your plan." Her posture tightened, interest flickering across her face. "When do you intend to finalize the purchase?" A long breath rose through her chest as she calmed herself. "I trust you aren't playing games. Ensure the funds are fully ready." "The sooner, the better. If we can handle it right now, that's ideal." Aiden formed an easy grin. "No need to worry about the money, Your Grace. Everything's ready." "Madonna." Lady Riley shifted toward her maid, voice smooth and cool. "You heard his intentions." "Of course, Your Grace." Madonna offered a practiced bow. "Westhand properties require extensive documentation. Two hours is the earliest we can finish. Citizenship is simple. We can finalize that immediately." "Thank you." Aiden lifted a brow, impressed. So this is how nobles work, huh? Things that should take forever get handled like a five-minute errand. I figured I'd need days, not minutes. "You may return in two hours, young man." Lady Riley's tone remained steady, though a layered glimmer moved behind her gaze. Aiden caught the expression yet brushed it aside. She probably thinks I'm some clueless kid throwing cash away. Fine by me. If everyone keeps treating Westhand like trash, sweeping up the whole district will be easy. Feeling light and oddly satisfied, he stepped out of the duke's estate. Lady Riley remained in the courtyard long after he disappeared, her gaze fixed on the empty walkway. Her lips tightened as uncertainty flickered across her face. "Elise, tell me. Do you think he's joking?" Elise didn't hesitate. "Not at all, Your Grace. A woman of your elegance draws genuine hearts." "So this truly isn't a coincidence?" Lady Riley murmured. "Hardly." Elise kept her voice soft. "He returned your Bloom of Grace almost instantly. Now he's set on spending a fortune in the district you oversee. He's clearly trying to shoulder your burdens." She lowered her tone further. "He even mentioned it himself—a special gift. This young man is captivated by you." For me? Lady Riley pictured that tall, lean figure again. Her mind drifted to the meaning behind the Bloom of Grace and how neatly his actions aligned with it. One coincidence could be dismissed. Two lining up so perfectly? Difficult to ignore. ... Ding! Lady Riley's favorability toward you increased by twenty points. Aiden walked through the city when the familiar chime hit his ears. His eyebrows shot up. Seriously? You earn favorability just by stepping outside? Come on. "Must be the Charisma Points." He mulled it over. Charisma Points hit everyone differently, but the opposite sex felt the impact twice as hard. Finishing her task this quickly already guaranteed a bump. "Fine. I'll take the free points."He didn't dwell on it and headed out with Gray to grind. He couldn't know Lady Riley wasn't reacting to his stat sheet at all. The Bloom of Grace's emotional weight, his timing, and his interest in the district she managed—everything convinced her he was courting her. ... Two hours later. Ding! Congratulations, you reached Level 11. Ding! Your beast 'Gray' reached Level 11. Just then, a white shimmer rolled across Gray's scales. "Unbelievable... that took forever." Aiden studied Gray's updated attributes, frustration creeping in. When he defeated the Rogue earlier, he hit Level 10 with sixty percent progress. Finishing the remaining forty percent still took two full hours. Since he had a meeting with Lady Riley approaching, he skipped the deeper wasteland. He stuck close to the city walls, where Normal beasts were sparse.Even then, everything Gray hunted sat around Level 15. With Gray's absurd base stats, most enemies dropped instantly. Yet, EXP still crawled. For the average player, grinding nonstop for twenty-four hours wouldn't even come close to this. Every ten levels formed a brutal wall. The EXP requirement spiked hard. From what Aiden recalled, it took a week to reach Level 10 and a month to reach Level 20. That assumed perfect play. One death extended that timeline even further.