When Aris returned to the dining room, she only saw the former marchioness sitting at the head of the table. She also noticed that Leta and Solin had gone elsewhere.

"How was your talk with Irwin?" The marchioness asked, glancing at Aris.

"Productive," Aris replied shortly, smiling to herself.

"I'm going to take you girls on a tour of the capital tomorrow morning," the dowager marchioness declared.

"May I ask why?" Aris asked, suddenly wary.

"Because, Aris, if you're going to blend in with the other noble ladies, we can't have you gaping like a dying fish whenever you see shops." 

The younger girl brushed off the slight shock at being called by her name. It felt weird hearing it come from someone who wasn’t Irwin or Sae. 

“Nereys is a beautiful place of culture that holds more secrets than it should,” she continued. “Not to mention your ‘origins’ lie in Dailora. You’ll need to act with the poise and intellect of a Dailoran scholar.” 

"I understand." Aris bowed her head. “Thank you for your help.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t thank me just yet, young lady-” she took a sip of her tea. “-you might regret those words after your Uturi lessons.”

Uturi– the official language of the citizens of Dailora. Once the four mainland countries had long-established their civilizations, three of the four adopted their own languages. Uturi wasn’t the hardest of the languages, some syllables and articulates were similar to Evorin, the language of their island kingdom. However, its slang and expressions were constantly changing, reflecting the ever-changing mind and advanced innovations, making it difficult for a foreigner to sound like a native.

“No need to worry, Your Grace,” Aris reassured. “I consider myself quite studious.”

A sip of tea.

“I hope you still feel that way after harp lessons.”

“...harp?”

“Don’t tell me you don’t know,” she tutted. “Every Dailoran scholar worth their word is well-versed in at least one instrument. Since we only have four weeks, we’ll have to settle for you being well-versed in one song instead.”

“Does it have to be the harp?”

“You have four weeks and zero musical experience, dear. I’m afraid you don’t get a say.”

________________________

The carriage they were taking to town was grander than the one Irwin had picked them up in– fit for the Basileus family. It was white with gold tassels dangling from the top of the roof. As usual, the emblem for the marquessate was on both sides of the carriage doors: a gold and silver coat of arms accentuating the silver snake in the middle. When Aris had first seen it as a child, she undoubtedly believed it belonged to Irwin. Four beautiful brown horses waited for them, and Aris noticed Sae talking with the coachman while pointing to one of them. The butler opened the door for the dowager marchioness, who tipped her head at him, Sae, who happily thanked him and shook his hand, and Aris, who whispered a small thank you. 

The usual route into town shouldn’t have taken the carriage long to reach, especially if they had four horses, but there had been a storm a few days before so a tree had fallen into the middle of the road. The detour took them an extra hour to arrive. Sae had been distracted by the passing scenery outside, too busy to even spare a glance at her sister.

“Starting tomorrow, you’ll have Uturi lessons with Professor Gorek Owlan straight after breakfast. He teaches ancient languages at Shanri’s Sovereign College, so try to refrain from commenting on his attitude-”

“What kind of attitude?” 

The older woman eyed her and opened her mouth to speak with a dismissive wave. “You will find out tomorrow.” Getting back to her lecture, she folded her hands on her lap. “Then etiquette lessons from Countess Povella Holden. After lunch will be harp lessons until dinner… every day until the prince’s engagement party.”

“No ballroom dance lessons?” Aris joked.

“Dailoran scholars rarely hold parties, much less know how to dance. The only art they tolerate is music. You are better off dancing like a concussed chicken if you want to blend in.”

Aris opened her mouth, just to close it again, unsure how to respond. She ended up just nodding along. 

The coachman got off of the boot and opened the door for the three ladies. The dowager marchioness surveyed their surroundings, searching for a particular store as the sisters waited for her directions. It was morning, the perfect time for most stores to have just opened with no customers as of yet. Opportunity was at its peak.

Once she spotted the store, Marchioness Basileus walked towards it, expecting Aris and Sae to follow her. Aris grabbed Sae's hand and pulled her as she walked to catch up with the woman.

The sign on the front of the store said ‘Vestida's’ in pearls arranged in cursive letters. The material of the store building was almost as white as the pearls. Glass windows showing their latest designs on mannequins were posed on either side of the main entrance. Once they entered the store, a light scent of soft floral hit their noses.

"This store is only one of the many chains that Viscountess de Andes owns. Many nobles adore her designs-” she turned towards Aris. “You cannot pose as a foreign visitor without having seen the most touristy shops Nereys has to offer.”

They continued walking deeper into the store. 

"Viscountess de Andes is young for such an accomplished tailor and designer. She does orders for those she respects, not just for profit, which puts her in high demand. Her designs for the royal family are what awarded her the title of Viscountess. She herself isn't even married," Marchioness Basileus explained like a tour guide. "Luckily for you two, she owes me a couple of favors."

By the time she finished speaking, a clerk emerged from the backroom and bowed in front of Marchioness Basileus.

"Good morning, I have four orders placed for House Basileus," she requested.

The clerk bowed once more and returned to the backroom, most likely to retrieve the dowager marchioness's orders. She returned a few minutes later with four dresses, all neatly hung on a rack.

"Would you like anything else, my lady?" The clerk asked.

"Yes-" the marchioness turned towards Aris who was still paying close attention and Sae, whose wandering eyes couldn't stay still on one object for more than two seconds. "-two dresses for each of them, please. Relay this message to Lady de Andes, ‘it’s for the crown prince’s engagement party so go all out, won’t you?’"

The clerk nodded as three more people emerged from the backroom.

"I'll be over at the jeweler's narrowing down a few options for you two to choose from when you're finished with measurements. It's just across the street," she continued, turning back to the clerk. "Have the orders shipped to the Basileus estate, please."

The clerk in charge eyed the two girls as if trying to determine in what kind of manner she should act.

Before Aris could say anything, Sae spoke up. 

"What are you waiting for? She told you to prep us with dresses! If we look bad for the party then that's on you!"

Aris lightly whacked her on the head. "Behave."

The effect that the eleven-year-old’s words had on the clerks was unbelievable. They all scampered off to pick out various fabrics and designs of dresses to put in front of them. Sae ended up picking two fabrics in pastel colors and requested floral designs. 

Aris requested an off-shoulder dress with a matching translucent shawl. Silk, dark purple fabric would make up the bulk of the dress. The second dress would be the color of warm gold; the skirt would be designed to twirl in the shape of a bell when the wearer spins. 

Despite being finished with their orders, they had spent an additional half an hour in the store as Sae insisted on finishing their complimentary cupcakes. 

When Aris finally managed to drag her sister out of the store, the clock tower began to chime. She turned towards the tall tower and sighed as the hour hand reached eleven o’clock. She walked towards the jewelry store, pulling a whining Sae behind her by her collar.

From inside the store, the marchioness was sitting in a private room, busy instructing the jeweler and his assistants on the specific color and shape of their accessories. When the bell signaled the girls’ arrival, an attendant greeted the siblings as she showed them to where the marchioness was. 

When they entered, she turned towards them and asked sharply, "what took you two so long?"

Aris let go of Sae's collar. "If you ever want to kidnap my sister, the promise of cupcakes will do the trick," she explained. "And based on the amount of sugar she's consumed in the past two hours, she won't be sitting down any time soon."

"Lovely.” The older woman put on a nonchalant smile.

She ushered both of them over to take a look at the foam cases holding jewels. The first few cases held necklaces and pendants, the middle two were rings, two more for earrings, and the last one held brooches.

The older woman picked up a particularly large ruby with tweezers and inspected them with one eye closed. “What color are the dresses you ordered?”

"Purple and gold."

"Blue and pink!"

"You’ll want to pick out something dark. Light and simple for you, child," Marchioness Basileus advised, putting the ruby back in its slot.

Aris couldn’t help but take note that the woman didn’t address them by any name. She started with the necklaces while the child skipped over to the rings. Without looking up, she told the marchioness, “I don’t have an eye for jewelry. If you don’t mind, why don’t you choose? I’d be content with anything.”

“A young lady must learn to know what she looks best in-” Marchioness Basileus turned to her. “-it isn’t a matter of this one party. What will you do once you marry? Your husband won’t dress you.” 

Marriage. That’s a thought, Aris responded in her head. The last thing she needed was marriage right now. 

When she turned to check on Sae, she had rings on all ten fingers, all different gemstones shining brightly.

She put her arms on her hips and stared at Sae. "You have to pick one. You look like a madwoman."

"But, but, they're all so pretty~" Sae sang.

Marchioness Basileus walked to Sae and grabbed her by the hands, "we can buy all of them, but you must pick only one for the ball. Understood?" she negotiated.

Sae nodded happily and moved on to necklaces.

“You only have one neck,” her older sister reminded. 

If she even cared what she had said, she didn’t show it. Sae pointed to a particularly short necklace and asked the marchioness if it would hinder her ability to eat more ice cream. Aris laughed at the sight, a feeling of contentment washing over her as this scene of indulgence and happiness was hard to come by. She ought to cherish it.