The winds blow a lot more than usual at the capital. While it's no stranger to rain, it would only last a bit before it returns to its characteristic sunny clear sky. Not this wind, however; it had been blowing for the past couple of days, causing Estell and the others to be held up in the house. While it was no concern for Estell, who locked herself in the library, the others were to get angsty and bored. Yet, now that the wind had been coming down, still uncharacteristically breezy, Cinder and Beth decided to head out with a very reluctant Estell. 

Estell held her overly large hat before a puff of wind blew it off her head. She had tied her hair up inside the hat. It was a precaution for her to have something to obscure her face, simply in case. For what? She wondered. She doesn't want to be dragged back to the palace, but she knows they didn't search long enough for her once she ran away. Unfortunately, as Beth remarked, when Estell met her, many would kill to get hold of the empire's princess. A princess was ludicrous to Estell; she felt more like a prisoner than a girl lavished in prosperity and comfort. She keeps it in mind for her safety and Beth's, especially when Beth helps with most of Estell's disguises. Beth herself put a lot of effort into her disguises, too. 

It's outlandish how much Beth looks like an old woman, dripping in ridiculous attire, befitting a woman born with nothing but wealth. Her arms were linked with Cinder as she was hunching over. 

Cinder huffed. "You don't have to walk like one fall will kill you."

"What was that dear?" Beth asked her hand to her ear.  

"I see why no one ever found you out."

Beth smiled. "I couldn't have done it without my trusty girls."

Cinder smiled back. "You git."

Estell yawned. "Can we go home now?"

"We were out merely for an hour," Cinder remarked. 

"I know, but I don't know what we are doing here in the first place."

"We are waiting for the tournament to start."

"Tournament?"

"It's for the young knights. I remember it was a fun way to see how far your battling and stance changed from your tutors to an actual fight, though they were regulated not to kill each other," Cinder said. "Watching those boys whine and scoff after losing to me was a riot."

Estell moved closer. "You didn't actually use real swords as children, right?"

Cinder glanced at her with a smile. "No. It's harmless wood shaped like swords to wack each other. It's a play, all things considered."

"There will be one for older and former knights contestants later in the year. Many join that one, like our money bag, Kris," Beth nudged Cinder. Cinder pushed her elbow away. 

"He joins as a formality. He fights under the name of the imperial family," Cinder said. 

"He must be under a lot of pressure," Estell said, fidgeting with her fingers. "With their eyes always on him."

Cinder reached her hand out; Estell instantly grabbed it. Cinder gave her hand a nice squeeze while gazing at Estell's face. "You don't worry about them."

“I know…It’s just…”

"We're here!" Beth called out. They arrived at a massive crowd, all huddling together. The local crew had cleared out a space where tables and chairs were arranged in a large circle, with the middle being divided from the crowd with a rope. The crowd of nobles separated to tables with their own crowd: servants were on their heels, attending to serve the nobles. People were chatting and meeting up with others. Cinder and Beth wriggle through the crowd, with Estell holding onto Cinder. Soon, the girls found a suitable table far from everyone else. A servant set the table with little sandwiches and a pitcher of lemonade. Cinder dismissed the servant by hand as she and Beth Estell continued to stand as she looked around. The people here rarely mingled with others outside business or already formed connections. Estell remembers the first festival where Beth took her after the obsessively begging Estell gave her; at that festival, everyone was so pleasant and amiable, even to Estell's awareness towards others. Here, it felt like she needed to put up a performance. 

"Don't want to sit with us, hon?" Beth asked. 

"Oh no! I…I don't feel like this place is for me," Estell said. 

"Alright, I'll lead you towards a library around here," Cinder said as she sat up. 

"I don't want to leave either."

"Then what do you want to do?"

Estell wanted to open her mouth to explain how terrifying it is to be outside from their eyes, but she wanted to explore. Gods, does she want to explore! Wanted to meet new people! But she is scared of how their faces will change when she brings out herself, warts and all. She was scared of the eyes her brothers gave her when she was forced to come home. Home was a nasty word to give that place. Yet, the words left her head as she felt a presence coming up behind her. Beth and Cinder's eyes widen. 

"Good evening, ladies," Isabella said. A servant at her side, holding a sun umbrella over her head. 

Estell spins to her. “Isabella!”

"Evening Estell."

"You two have met already?" Cinder asked. 

"Of course, my lady. Meeting my sister-in-law's family would be a courtesy, especially since the rushed wedding didn't allow our families to mingle with one another.

Cinder glared at Isabella, and Isabella matched her glare back. Estell frantically looked between them, worried Isabella might suffer the wrath of an angry Cinder. Estell could see Cinder curling her hands into a fist, but Cinder merely chuckled before dropping her glare into a smile and standing up. She grabbed Estell's shoulder. 

"Thank you for looking out for my sister, then." Cinder leaned close to Estell's ear. "Be careful around her; she's quick-witted," she whispered. Estell nodded as she straightened her shoulders out. 

"On the topic of mingling, I was hoping I could invite Lady Estell to come and join me for the contest?" Isabella asked. 

Estell was a bit taken aback by the offer. Their meeting at the wedding lead was abnormal as Estell was caught off guard by her little daydream with a well-made pie. She couldn't fathom why on earth Isabella wanted more to do with her. And Estell wondered if Cinder thought the same thing as her eyebrows rose. Estell pointed at herself, "Y-you want me to come with you?"

"Of course, would that be alright?"

"Oh! Um…” Estell turned her over to Cinder and Beth, who shared a glance with each other. Cinder nodded and patted her shoulder. Estell turned back to Isabella with a smile, "Y-yes!"

Isabella grinned and offered her arm, which Estell gladly interlocked her arm with Isabella. They walked with the servant still by Isabella's side, now positioning the umbrella to cover them both. Estell glanced back at the girls, who simply gave her a thumbs up with reassuring smiles. Estell smiled back, but her smile hid the deads of sweat going down her back. Her nerves were about to go haywire as she realized how far from their eyes they were going. 

"You don't need their permission for everything, you know," Isabella said suddenly.

"I-i just need…"

Isabella patted Estell's hand. "No need to be nervous about anything. I think that's because you've never been introduced, have you?"

"No."

"Then," she brought Estell closer, "Once you are, your nervous nature will vanish like that."

"But I don't know how to get a session like that."

Isabella laughed, "It's simple; stick with me." Like a cunning fox that just latched on to prey, she picked up the speed, practically dragging Estell, who tried her best to match the speed with heels. She still needed to practice doing anything more than a walk. The servant nonchalantly follows. Soon, Isabella placed herself and Estell at an overly glamorous table set up just for her; she sat down with a bewildered Estell with little to no issue, then gracefully placed herself in her chair. Eyes were eagerly over to them as Isabella removed her hat, letting her orange hair cascade down to her back. The eyes then shifted over to Estell as Isabella laid her elbows on the throne and leaned close to Estell, all focused on her. Estell imagined the sun dimmed its light to be directly on Estell, merely to single her out in the view of others. She started to fight with her fingers. 

"First, if you are going to fidget, do it with your hair; it makes you look more elegant than currently looking like a baby deer shaken by a sudden sound. Secondly, you needn't be afraid of others staring; it's a chance to change every perspective of you," Isabella chimed. 

Estell chuckled. "I'm not comfortable with many eyes on me.”

"You weren't that concerned about them when eating that pie."

Estell's face reddened as she sank into her chair. "That was completely different. It was a wedding; the focus wasn't on me, and I wasn't aware of others."

Isabella looks around. "Then what gets your mind out of others' minds?" Estell blinked as she stared at her. Isabella licked her teeth. "Alright. Let me rephrase that. What do you like to do?"

Estell brushed her cheek as she thought. There were tons of things that her very being refused to be silent and timid about. She could go on about the ramifications of entertainment magic and how it's the best showcase of mana's will to craft physical, artistic manipulations of stories from simple words on paper or malleable physical matter like clay. She can spin a tale of Nightingale, the passionate romance series she read to sleep with the most absurd dreams of romance or the many novels in her newly acquired library. She can gush about the specular writings of Alter Founder, the best ornithologist in Haeven's history. Hell, she wanted to describe the effects of the mixture of medical technicality and magic by Beth on her body to be the way she is; her skin softer with her hair growing to be fluffier; her gaining more mass on her breast and more feminine features. Features she valued as she slowly saw her mother in her face…yet, those words were forbidden to spill. She relives too much and doesn't know many people willing to listen to her dribble on.

She paused. An icy, soulless voice sneered with the word "dribble" on its lips. It's what her father called her chats. It was 'bribble', a thing that was imposed on others. And to be imposing on others is terrible- it was unwomanly. But what is womanly? Why could her brothers be imposing, but she couldn't? She didn't want to impose on others; she didn't want anyone to feel forced by her. Cinder, Beth, Clyde, Mary, and Oliiva all loved her 'dribble,' but she knows it's unfair of her to impose on them. They only tolerate it because they are sweet and kind people…that is why Estell remains herself. Otherwise, she needs to keep her tongue in her throat.

"I like to read," Estell said plainly. 

"What kind of books?" Isabella asked. 

Estell shrugged, "Romance novels."

"I'm impartial to them, but my mother loves them. She has even organized a weekly tea event with other ladies to talk about it."

"Really?" Estell sat up. Do you know what she is currently reading?"

"It's a massive continuation of a series. I believe it's named Nightingale." 

"Nightingale! Your mother reads Nightingale?"

"Do you like it?"

"Like it? I adore it! It's my pride and joy! I have been following since I was at the sweet age of thirteen. When the mysterious shadow thief managed to steal the millennial diamond from house Worthorn only to wrap it around Angelina's neck as a gift to her at their rendezvous, I knew I was sold forever. Actually, do you know where the name Worthorn came from?"

Isabella tossed her hair back. "It's the name Rothford Jones gave to a forgotten ship that, unfortunately, was overtaken by pirates."

Estell leaned closer, "How wonderful! Where did you learn about it?"

"While I'm no avid reader, I'm not unfamiliar with the writings of people like Rothford."

"He's a wonderful writer; he's actually writing a new book and -" Isabella placed a finger on Estell's lips. She tensed up, thinking she had gone too far with her 'dribble.' 

"Notice something?" Isabella asked. Estell shaked her heas. "There's still eyes on you, yet you no longer are trying to hide."

Estell glances around; many eyes are on her with motions of them learning closer to one another, whispering whatever among them. But that nagging feeling of the shame that comes with it no longer exists inside her. Estell started giggling, giggling like a little schoolgirl. Her face flushed as her cheeks hurt from giggling. Her shoulders relaxed. "I thought I was being too imposing for talking so much," she said. 

"Imposing? Please, you need to be imposing here. To get through society, you need to understand imposing is a natural state of humans. We just learned how to be considerate and navigate around it."

Estell turned over to Isabella as she examined the orange-haired woman. She sat up tall and robust with imperturbable air as if she were an immovable force of nature. Of course, she had it; she was the sister of the Grand Duke and a valuable asset of the Ironheart household. As Cinder explains to Estell about Kris's family, she's a socialite who moves trends with her fingers. Yet, it felt nice how such a force was willing to listen to her and only her at this moment. 

Estell smiled. "I-I also trained to use recreation magic."

"Oh, really? I have never met anyone personally who has used that type of magic. What source do you use to anchor it?"

"A little of everything: paint, ink, puppets, sand, clay; Oh, I even used blood before!"

"Blood? Where do you get blood from?"

"It's just pig blood mostly; anything else comes from… sources."

An airhorn encircled throughout the crowd as everyone stopped their chatter. In a single file line with wooden swords by their side, young men and women began to scatter in the center of the circle as the scorekeeper set up the board where names were inscribed in a tree-like pattern as pairs. Estell couldn’t help but notice that the male knights had their last names mentioned while the feminine name was left with only the first. Even more, the female knights were only against other female knights, as the male knights were against other men.