"Thank you so much for this!"

Excitedly, I remarked as she cut off some loose threads from the lilac dress I stood in.

Suffice to say, the plan had worked beautifully.

I even got Mom to lend me one of her works, so I could, as I'd pitched, 'debut' it for her.

If a situation were to occur wherein sales requests did not reach her, I planned on dealing with it by expressing that the people probably lacked taste.

Lies beget lies.

The strapless dress held perfectly on my bust, and the embroidered bodice wasn't too tight. I could breathe naturally in it; it felt just right. The bouffant skirt flowed downwards from just above my waist and was long enough to hide my ankles.

I didn't worry about the possibility of me tripping over the dress since I had a heeled shoe that would prop me up.

"Are you sure you do not want us to come with you?" Mom asked, her brows raised as she leaned against the drawer.

No.

"No, it's okay. I will be fine on my own." I refused and waved the suggestion out of the vicinity. I couldn't allow it because, obviously.

They did not need to know the deceitful bit of my story.

"Well, if you say so..." she trailed off, her eyes roaming around the room.

Watching her expression, I knew what she was thinking. I felt it.

It was clear.

"Mom!" I groaned softly.

"What?" she whined in response.

"Don't do that." I blinked, then turned to inspect the dress.

I couldn't help, but come to the conclusion that I looked stunning in lilac. My hair, rare to see but appreciated immensely, blended perfectly.

"Do what?" Her shoulders rose in question.

I looked at her and conveyed, 'Really? You're playing dumb?'

Sighing, I traversed the distance between us and held her crossed arms.

"I will not partake in any irresponsible activity. Thus you may rest assured."

She was worried, and I understood that. I knew I would be safe, but she did not have the knowledge I had. And there was no way in hell I would change that.

Not until I was older and more independent, and they were, quite possibly, near their deathbeds.

Taking her hands in mine, I continued to reason, "Besides, Dad would be too much of a hassle to have there, I am sure you would agree."

Dad was always extra at those events.

We-I and mom- would try to present a dignified front while dad reminded everyone we were that one family that lived in the wilds.

Either he was hovering over or shadowing me and scaring everyone except Oliver and my friends away, or he was off somewhere roaring drunkenly with mom acting as an embarrassed chaperone;

Regardless of the years of experience, he seemed to possess, the man had absolutely no self-control.

And yes, we had attended parties thrown by the Headman's residence before, and each had synonymous incidents.

"You do not have to tell me twice." She murmured, obviously recalling the unpleasant moments.

"And if we were to go without him..." I didn't need to finish the sentence because she understood what I was implying once I placed my palms over my belly.

"Fine. Just..." She paused.

"Be. Careful. Lucrum is a terrible and treacherous man." She warned, her eyes angry, and I nodded.

"I will be safe, Mom. And if it will help ease your worries, I will take my knife with me. You and Dad can just sit at home, have dinner and do..." It was my turn to pause.

"...Adult stuff." I giggled, openly aware of the explicit joke I unintentionally made.

I watched as a moment passed before an embarrassed look overcame her.

"You-" She gasped, much to my entertainment.

"You, what?" I decided to play dumb and moved to dress up my hair with brooches and pins.

Well, at least I tried to.

I did not have the longest of arms, and my hair was currently dressed up in a manner that made me require help. Thankfully, when Mom saw that I was struggling with the pins, she snorted and said, "Give that to me."

"Thank you." I contained my laughter and placed the item on her outstretched palm. Her flustered expression brought a smile to my face.

This was one of the rare happy moments I had with her. I was going to cherish it no matter what.

Besides the brooch, I wore a few pieces of jewelry; a set of rings, the bracelet hidden underneath the glove, and a Riviere necklace, Mom called it.

Surprisingly, no one had asked about the mysterious bracelet on my wrist. I gathered that either they did not care or did not notice it. The latter seemed more reasonable since it was a magic bracelet, and with magic, anything seemed possible. There was also the fact that Mom was especially observant, so she could not have just missed it.

I made a mental note earlier to ask sage if she placed some sort of camouflage without my knowing.

"Finished," Mom announced, and I tilted my head to the side, taking a good look at the silver flower patterned brooch that rested on my hair.

"Perfect." I turned around and gave her my best lady pose.

"What do you think?" I asked as I turned from side to side and sent her a few sultry glances.

"I think..." She dragged, giving me an ominous feeling.

"You should stay home, where we can keep you safe!" I groaned at her answer.

Although I was not surprised since she was not all for me going, I wished she would just stop pushing it and let me go. I could take care of myself.

"Mom."

I gave a dry stare effectively, telling her, as politely as possible, 'Drop it, I am going.'

"Okay, fine!"

She rolled her eyes, and I sighed. Picking up the sides of the dress, I walked past her to my bed. Bending slightly, I picked up the purple scarf that was laid out.

Since I wore a sleeveless dress, I planned to use a scarf to cover my arms and shoulders. The weather was bound to be chilly, and I was not taking any chances.

"I plan on riding willow," I announced. Since I was in a long dress, a horse was my best option, lest the mud ground stained my clothes before I arrived at the event.

"Erys should be preparing her now..."

I felt a 'but' coming.

"But what?" I directly asked since I was running out of time. It was better to hash everything out right away.

"But you can not ride her into the village. Too much attention would be drawn to her, and what do I always say about attention?" Her voice was stern, and I knew she meant it.

She always did.

"That it invites danger, I am aware." I completed as I wrapped the scarf around me and sat on the bed to put on the shoes.

"Which is why I will tie her somewhere away from the village within the forest. I will make sure she isn't seen." I promised her.

"That would be reasonable." She approved, then went silent.

Inwardly, I thanked whatever made her stop talking lest it invited danger.

"Okay, I am ready," I announced as soon as I put on the last silver shoe.

I stood up and made sure to balance myself properly on the heel. It wasn't too high, about an inch or two, so I got accustomed to it after a few steps. It was not something I wore frequently.

Meanwhile, Mom's stern expression danced in the corner of my eye, but I could see the concern laced within. Of course, I was not deterred. I only felt touched.

Eager to leave, I said, "I'll be fine, Mom. Just trust me."

As I stared straight into her eyes, I could see her battling with the concern and considering how to react. I didn't rush her and waited. I trusted she would come to a favorable conclusion. Or more accurately, I hoped.

Please, dear Gods!

Soon, her eyes softened, and she let out a sigh. Slowly, a reluctant smile covered her face, then she said, "Okay. Just be safe."

"I will," I promised.

Taking a step forward, I offered her an arm and asked, "Walk me?"

"Gladly." She whispered.

With that, she linked hers with mine, and we stepped out of the room and into the corridor.

Closing the door, we walked through the hallway and slowly down the stairs because I was in a dress and heels. I did not want a tripping disaster.

"The dress is beautiful," I commented offhandedly.

"Well, I made it. You would have been lying if you said it was any less." She answered as she guided me down the steps one by one.

"True." I acquiesced with a giggle.

"Why don't we go together to the next, whenever it holds? All three of us." I suggested.

Rolling her eyes, she started, "Your father would love that." I sensed the opposite coming, "I, not so much."

I laughed at her misery.

Giggling, I faced her, "You must have known of his..." I paused to determine the best word, "...unsightly habits at parties."

With a dramatic sigh, she looked away, "Yet I married him."

"Pfft!" I stifled my laughter as soon as it came.

Turning, her eyes sparkled, "What a loss. Is it too late to change husbands?"

"Yes, Mother," I replied immediately.

You're stuck with him, Jillian.

She gasped in mock horror. She seemed devastated.

I nearly pitied her.

As we reached the last step, I heaved a sigh.

I was slightly happier now, although a gloomy feeling still persisted within me. We laughed together as though that was all there was. I wanted to believe I was better than my parents, but I was not. The feeling would not persist if it were so.

My issues aside, I owed it to Sage to be there, so I decided to shelve the feeling since I could not make it go away: just for one night.

To take my mind off...

Or was this just my selfish desire? I seemed to have a lot of those. I could be someone else, anyone else with Sage. Deep down, I had no intentions of giving that up anytime soon.

If I were to do so, I feared insanity would be the least of my problems.

Neigh!

My train of thought was disrupted by a violent neigh.

Returning, I noticed that we were currently standing outside the door. I had spaced out for a moment.

Regaining my bearings, I watched as a man and a horse disagreed violently.

"Willow! You get back here so I can saddle you up!" Dad grunted with a livid expression.

On the other hand, his target bent low opposite him as though ready to jump out of harm's way at any moment.

It took a moment for their behavior to register and another for me to react.

Stepping forward, I said, "Dad, calm down! I'll handle it," and waved him over to us.

Looking back and forth reluctantly, he snorted.

"Hmph!" Harrumphing, he sent a nasty look at the horse before turning to us.

He paused momentarily with a dazed expression. I eyed him warily, trusting that he was up to no good.

"My, my!" He whistled.

Brute.

He started yelling, "By the power vested in me by His Imperial Majesty, I declare this beauty a threat to Imperial security and shall be detained accordingly!" Then he began in this weird pose and marched over with a grave expression.

"Dad, you are retired." I deadpanned. I did not find his theatrics funny.

"Once an officer, always an officer." He raised an eyebrow as he finally stood before me.

"Your mother really did a great job, didn't she?" He looked at her with a loving expression on his face.

Strangely, I didn't have the urge to gag this time compared to other times.

"Yes, she did."

I unhooked my arm from Mom's and turned to face Willow, who had already relaxed her stance.

"Willow, come here!" I beckoned for her to approach.

She was initially hesitant, sending Dad death stares. Soon, she huffed and trotted over to my side, evidently keeping her distance from Dad, who stood beside Mom. He also seemed to be emptying his own arsenal of dirty looks.

"Willow, I need to get somewhere, and as you can see..." I pointed at my clothing, "I can't do the saddling, neither can I ride bareback."

"So you be obedient and let him do what he needs to. For my sake." I patted her mane slowly and gave her my best reassuring smile, hoping to ease her into conceding.

She grunted in response and abruptly removed herself from my petting; her refusal.

"Willow!" I scolded her stubbornness.

Standing outside the door meant that I was one step away from getting where I needed to, one tiny step away from where I lied to get to. And I was not about to let her obstinate personality get in the way.

I stared back as she kept huffing, not ready to take no for an answer.

"Willow."

I said one last time as she looked me in the eye longer. I was already firing mental gunpowder, blowing her defiance to bits. I wasn't backing down, and I was sure my conduct screamed my position at her.

Soon, she averted my gaze as her neck drooped downwards.

Ha! I could be strict if I wanted to!

I showed a small smile as soon as she gave up resistance.

"Good girl." I resumed patting her side and signaled for Dad to get moving.

He grumbled a bit before carrying the saddle over to Willow's side.

Sighing, I turned to Mom, who had a look on her face.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing... It's just that I was not aware you could be so assertive." She remarked with a slightly bewildered laugh.

I sent her a blank look as I realized that she thought me an unreliable person.

"Well, I was, and I can be." I stuck my tongue out and made a face, feeling bitter at her lack of confidence in me.

You aren't even confident in yourself.

Oh, shut it.

"I saw." She nodded slowly. Somehow, I felt like I was being patronized.

"Okay, all done."

Dad's voice soon notified me, dispelling the silence that had started to reign.

Willow was standing in full gear, looking majestic and prim. Her mane was brushed sideways as she held her head high in pride. It looked wounded, though, but it was still pride nonetheless. And I wasn't about to pry into it.

Tell no one, but I did not really trust my assertiveness to work a second time.

"Thank you!" I walked over to Willow, being extra careful not to get dirt on my dress by hiking it up and stepping cautiously.

"No problem!" He replied when I got to his side.

He gazed at me with a tender and excited expression for a while. I looked back, subconsciously expecting him to realize what I needed him to do next. But when he didn't budge, I realized I had to say it out loud.

Your father's a piece of work.

He's yours too!

Sighing, I rolled my eyes subtly, then said, "I need help getting on..."

Then his eyes brightened in realization, "Oh right!"

"Yes.." I nodded slowly, trying to hide the exasperation I felt.

He bent downwards and heaped me up by the waist, setting me sideways on Willow. Contrary to Dad's opinion, I hardly made a difference on the girl's back, so she did not excessively react.

I was not heavy; he was weak.

"Thank you." I appreciated.

Patting Willow gently, I took hold of the reins and was ready to set off at any moment.

"Hey..." Then, he whispered.

Uh?

At first, I was puzzled why he started whispering suddenly. In the end, I leaned forward and answered tentatively.

"...What?"

"Stick to stage one of intimacy, stage two at worst. Stage three must not be attempted." I blanked out.

"Stay in slightly crowded spaces at all times, and always dismiss anyone who approaches you suspiciously or makes you uncomfortable." He finished while I was still stuck comprehending his earlier sentence.

"I-"

I could not get the words out.

I felt my face morph as my mouth opened and closed repeatedly. The stages mentioned I believed, spoke for themselves and needed no further reiteration. I felt embarrassed.

Mortified!