Irenis has an entire suite all to herself, and it’s not even just because everyone else got kicked out. She has her own sitting room, a bedroom, a water closet (one of the fancy ones! Like downstairs!) and an empty room with wonderful lighting and a small fireplace.

There’s also a smaller bedroom. Irenis blinks at it. “M—um, Lady, uh,” she’s stumbling, get it together you stupid girl, why can’t you do anything right, “who is this room for?”

Lord Maedis starts giggling over something. Lady Bealuen elbows him without looking. “That’s for if the person living here has an escort knight. I was actually thinking, since she’s basically assigned herself such already and been doing an excellent job, that I would assign Jacryn to be your escort knight.”

Irenis blinks twice and opens her mouth to protest that only nobles get escort knights, she’s just a by-blow—and then she looks at Jacryn, who practically sparkles from how honored she is, and shuts her mouth. If it makes Jacryn so happy, it’s not Irenis’s place to burst her bubble.

Several maids come in bearing Irenis’s and Jacryn’s belongings. Irenis follows the one carrying the bag that has her pouch of sword shards in it until the bag is set under the bed, and then repairs to the empty room. “What was in here?”

Lady Bealuen pokes her head in. “Not sure. I don’t think this suite has been used since my great-grandfather’s time.”

Hm. Then what is Irenis supposed to do with it?

The maids and Lord Maedis and Lady Bealuen finally leave and Irenis flops on her (her!!) bed. It’s sooo soft and comfy.

Oh no! She’s still in her training clothes! She’s stinky! Irenis scrabbles off the bed. “Dame Jacryn?”

“Uh-huh?” Jacryn is sitting in one of the recliners and has her hair loose.

“I wish to go take a bath. Would you like to stay here?”

“No, I’m your escort knight. I’ll go with you.” Jacryn sets her book down and follows Irenis down to the baths.

Now that Irenis isn’t getting in the hottest pool to deflate Asnathe, baths are kind of fun. Her favorite pool is the one right next to the soap racks, which is warm without being boiling. Dame Jacryn takes one of the hotter pools and sighs in relief. “My lady, could you pass the lavender soap?”

Irenis does so.

“Thank you.”

Irenis herself chooses the warm, spicy soap that matches the scent she got off Lord Maedis’s hair. If they’re going to let her stay here, she might as well show her alliance to them by matching their perfumes.

The other knights start coming in just as Irenis finishes washing the suds out of her hair. She swims to the other side of the pool to let some splash in and choose their soaps. Yikes, here comes Bactia. Irenis climbs out and goes to dry her hair.

By the time her hair is dry, Jacryn is out and tending to her own hair. Irenis’s training clothes are gone and in their place is a clean spring-green dress with white lace along the sleeves, hem, and collar. It’s slightly big on Irenis, but it’s so pretty!

Irenis and Jacryn head back upstairs. They’re almost to Irenis’s suite when a door farther down the hall opens and Lord Rudhek steps out.

Irenis freezes. He’s taller than Lady Bealuen and broader at the shoulders than even Gurstel was. He could pick her up and throw her far too easily for her peace of mind. She curtsies. “Lord Rudhek.”

She can’t read his face. He bows to her. “Lady Irenis.”

I’m not! A lady!

“How are you settling in?”

“Well, thank you.” Irenis glances up through her bangs and shivers. He’s frowning. What did she do?

He sighs like she’s disappointed him. “Mother wished you to know that etiquette lessons are in the pink drawing room at ten in the morning, after training.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“We would like for you to attend.”

Oh. Okay? “Yes, my lord. I’ll be there.”

“And don’t bother ‘my lord’ing me. I’m just Rudhek.”

Irenis curtsies rather than explain she really can’t do that.

And thankfully, Lord Rudhek moves on. Irenis gets back to her suite and flops on her bed, no longer stinky and having escaped the conversation alive.

Though now she has etiquette lessons to worry about.

—

Rudhek walks away and bonks his head against a wall. She is too small and too polite and too scared! He just wants to make sure she’s happy! And she’s scared of him!

Okay. Baby steps. Maybe… hm. Gifts? Small gifts of things that would help her settle in?

Yes, that sounds reasonable. He’ll drop in on the etiquette class to gauge what she likes.

—

Adulene gets into the etiquette classroom slightly early, just how she likes it. Countess Rusa smiles. “Adulene, I have a request. You’re welcome to say no.”

“What is it?” Is it handing out materials?

“Your aunt has asked that we include Miss Irenis in the lessons. Would you be all right if I told her to copy you if she gets nervous or lost?”

Adulene considers. She is not and will never be any sort of teacher, but she likes helping. And she strives for perfection in all her actions, so someone copying her would do the same. “Yeah, that would be all right.”

Everyone else filters in. Irenis comes in last of all, wearing a nice dress that Adulene thinks looks vaguely familiar, but she can’t think of where she’s seen it. Dame Jacryn jogs in alongside Irenis in one of Aunt Bay’s old dresses from when she was Rudhek’s age.

Countess Rusa clears her throat up at the front of the class. “All right. We have a new student today. Cinmahr, would you like to demonstrate how to greet a noblewoman?”

“Uh?” Cinmahr sits up. “Yeah, sure, um. First you gotta see how to tell what rank your conversation partner is… um, she has an escort knight, so she’s almost definitely noble…”

Irenis glances at him, then at Countess Rusa, then up at Jacryn. “Um. Why ‘almost definitely?’”

“Cause, uh, sometimes really wealthy merchants hire escort knights for their kids. It’s seen as playacting at nobility among the really snobby nobles, though.”

“Correct.” Countess Rusa walks over to them. “To make things simple, we’ll assume that you are of the same rank. I don’t believe that Miss Irenis is wearing any rank signifiers like jewelry or house crests.”

“Okay.” Cinmahr bows almost perfectly, margrave’s heir to margrave’s heir. “It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady. May I know your name?”

“Well done, Cinmahr! Adulene, would you demonstrate how to reply?”

Adulene jumps up and walks over.

“Miss Irenis, if you get lost, you can copy Adulene. She’s one of my best students.”

Irenis gulps audibly and nods.

Adulene curtsies at the correct height and angle. “The pleasure is mine. I am Adulene Verith.”

Irenis hastens to copy her. “The pleasure is mine. I am Irenis… um, of the house of Verith.”

Ooh! New cousin! Adulene figured that was what was gonna happen when Aunt Bay introduced them, but she’s learned her lesson about assuming multiple times.

“Excellently done. Cinmahr, Adulene, you may sit down.”

Adulene goes to sit down.

“Class, this is Irenis and her escort knight Jacryn. They will be attending classes from now on.”

Everyone waves. Irenis curtsies again and hurries to sit down.

From there, it’s a normal etiquette class. Cordis sighs and groans and slouches when it’s his turn to play the part of a visiting duke. He hates etiquette and is terrible to be partnered up with.

Adulene, therefore, thinks it’s a very bad idea when Countess Rusa calls him up next to Irenis. Jacryn hums low in her throat behind Adulene, so at least she’s not the only one.

“Cordis, please demonstrate the proper greeting from a duke to a margravine.”

Cordis groans about it. Adulene tries to use her glare to drill it into his head that he needs to behave because Irenis doesn’t know what to do!

Poor Irenis is panic-blank-faced and trembling. Cordis makes a face at Adulene, then looks at Irenis, and sighs deeply, and bows perfectly. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, my lady Margravine.”

Irenis curtsies too low, but otherwise well. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, your grace.”

Countess Rusa claps. “Very good, Cordis! Irenis, very graceful, the only problem is that that’s the greeting for a baron’s daughter, not a margrave’s daughter.”

Irenis looks up at her. She has her head turned away from Adulene, so Adulene can’t see her expression.

“A margrave’s daughter curtsies like this.” Countess Rusa demonstrates and then sends the two kids to sit back down.

Rudhek slides into the back about halfway through the lesson, even though he graduated ages ago. Adulene makes a face at him. He makes a face right back and settles in to watch. Probably here to protect his new baby sister.