Following along with Sovereign Leon and his wives, I made sure to walk at their speed, keeping my shoulders square and my chin high, showing I wasn't going to keel over. But... The more I looked at them and listened to them, the more I began feeling it was useless to try to posture like I would back home. They... were ignoring it anyway. Maybe I was overdoing it...? Tarsine was always better at this, after all... Haaah...

No. They, indeed, did not care much for noble etiquette. Walking just beside Sovereign Leon, I paid close attention to every movement he made while explaining the streets, and I could notice every shift in his or his wives' tone. All of them laughed easily when they made a joke, especially this... Yuri. She was for sure bold and brash, looking like an adult Jila. But I could tell that the other one, this Luna, was only elegant on the surface. Her body language, the way her eyes flicked to Yuri whenever she made a snarky comment... She was just as wild, but she could mask it better. Haaaah... What a weird family. Wholly unlike mine, as my Father barely interacts with our mothers unless it's about sex or... He talks with the main wives who gave him sons. Us? Girls? Second-rate. Brothers... eh? Heh, I don't think I ever interacted with any of them...

“...and the western district,” Leon was saying, pulling me out of my thoughts while gesturing toward a collection of taller buildings lining the street beyond the... What was it? Ah, yes, tram rails. “is dedicated to research and development," he continued, "See that big building at the end of the main avenue? That's our university. You can visit it later, as many of our brightest live there, including our foreign students who began coming over to learn to become proper engineers.”

“Engineers?” I asked, using the word and tasting it a little as it felt... a bit alien. Mainly because here, I had to realize it meant something different than building a ballista.

“Yep!" Luna clarified, "Those who build most of the machines of Avalon,” she said, smiling. “Mostly, they are studying the proper maintenance procedures for trains. The turnout rate is pretty good amongst the foreigners, but mostly because we are only training and educating their conductors, sending them back home in a month or so to make sure they can handle and take care of the trains we sell them.”

“You can make a visit there later on,” Yuri added nonchalantly. “Listen in on a lecture or two.”

“You would let us do that…?” I asked carefully. “Would you trust us that much?”

“Duh,” Leon laughed, rolling his eyes at me. “You are my guests, and what is being taught there isn't a secret. Sure, go ahead! Don't worry, those secrets that I don't want you to learn about, you wouldn't be able to. Unless you marry my son. Then... that's a different situation.”

"..." Was... was this... a joke? Or... Damn it, I'm blushing! I can feel it! Tsk! Luckily, Meyli was clutching my robe, pulling on me so I wouldn't burst out with something crude. Looking at her, I couldn't help but sigh while I slowed my pace slightly, letting my fingers brush against her hand. “You’re fine,” I whispered in a quiet voice, knowing she was close to a panic attack. She had never liked crowds and being in the city. And here? It was more than crowded. “Just don’t let go.”

Meyli nodded, her grip tightening, and I raised my head, realizing something else. This city was... crowded. People were walking past us. They for sure recognized their ruler, but... Everything was so different. Back home, my Father would never walk the streets like this, especially not without his guards. But here...? Honestly... What is up with this city...?

...

....

......

Walking behind Rashira, my eyes slowly moved from Lancelot's Father and back to the clean, wide streets, slowly making me sigh. The city was a marvel. It also reminded me of the battle maps I used to draw as a little girl...

Of course, I wouldn't mention that to anyone, not because I was embarrassed about it, but because I just didn't want them to think I was insulting their creation. Because I was sure this city was designed from its first building blocks to its last. I could tell it from looking at the roads. They were paved evenly and lined with gutters, all of them being arranged in clean, geometric grids. More than that, the streets were wide enough for carriages passing by and then some. This Sovereign Leon had to plan it from the start... Also, not one house or shop was misaligned, showing that none of them were a late addition, something that wasn't preplanned. Everything had been developed in advance, which was the complete opposite of our city.

Oh... And the rails.

My eyes kept drifting to the trams going past us, these brightly painted red and gold, elegant carriages made of shining metal and thick glass, powered by... Something that I couldn’t identify. They made such an interesting noise and looked so... unique! I wonder if it would be faster than a galloping horse... Maybe not. But then again, it would frighten anybody on a battlefield if it started coming towards you. Yet here, people waited in multiple lines to board them, using coin-like tokens at machines beside the stops. I tried to look closer, counting the symbols on one of the metal obelisks.

“It has to be something akin to how the body transmits blood into its limbs,” I murmured to myself. “The city’s been designed on a central grid… Five… no, six major arteries, radiating outward from—"

“Something like that,” Sovereign Leon interjected from before me, catching my line of sight and looking back over his shoulder. Damn it... I was too loud. “You are right... Seltana, yes? Everything in Avalon was drawn out before the first stone was laid, and I made sure to future-proof it. I am still a step away from introducing cars to the public and installing traffic lights, but that is not at the top of my list. For now, the tram lines are indeed working like the arteries of my city.”

“...” I had no idea what he was talking about... But I caught something that was also interesting. "Do you mean, before this, there wasn't a city here?"

“We had the people scattered, some living in a stinky town,” he said with a nostalgic sigh. "But no. The city was not here. If you came here just twenty years before, this place would be empty."

"...." Just... twenty... years? No... Under that?! That's... No way... that is... “Efficient,” I mumbled, unable to hold it back.

I don't think my home city could have been built in only twenty years...

...

....

......

Getting off the flying ship was a relief. Finally, clean air and stable ground below my feet... I don't want to fly ever again! Ugh... But at least I managed to keep my grace and not embarrass myself or my lineage. Or my sisters. But I need to remind myself that if I ever get forced to get on an airship again, I must not eat before it happens! It almost came back up multiple times...

But, now, walking behind my sisters and this Sovereign, I had to realize the airship was nothing compared to this place. What the hell was this city?! How... how can it be so beautiful?! Then it clicked as I kept looking at the people, simple men and women who outdressed me without any effort...

It was their clothing that made everything majestic.

Everywhere I looked, the Avalonians wore tailored coats, embroidered jackets, frilled blouses, high boots of brushed leather, hats with feather accents, and dresses that shimmered in the sun's golden rays. It was... so beautiful! None of it looked gaudy or overly wealthy like some clan leaders I met. The ones who used to wear gold over silk and layer it like some kind of idiot... No. These people looked refined and practical, yet so very stylish, without going overboard.

What a paradise of elegance!

Abruptly... I caught my reflection in a passing shop window. My robe suddenly felt crude, too linear, too plain. I couldn't help but let my eyes flick across a display of dresses behind the glass, each of them more intricate than the last... I wanted them. I wanted them all. One mannequin in there wore a deep green velvet gown trimmed with a touch of gold, accompanied by a tiny, sheer veil that rested just under the lip. Ah... So gorgeous!

I felt how my heart skipped a beat... And I realized, a little late, that the woman named Yuri was talking to me all of a sudden, catching my stare.

“My apologies,” I said hurriedly, my cheeks warming up. "I got... lost for a moment."

“Hehehe, I could see that. I said,” Lady Yuri repeated her words, "Our Arbuckle stores love visitors from abroad. You should see some of the things they make for Luna. It’s borderline criminal.”

"It's for the bedroom. There is nothing criminal about wearing them there!" Lady Luna smiled proudly, making me twitch the edge of my lips, but... Somehow, I wanted to see those, too. Maybe even try it out... of course, only when I'm alone!

"Arbuckle..." I muttered as I looked back at the display, seeing the name there, probably the name of the design... how unique.

"I'll call Dorian over for you," Sovereign Leon said suddenly. "He is the owner of it all and makes the clothes for me and my family. You can talk with him; he always likes a challenge and could incorporate some new Khulmani designs into next year's lineup. He can make some clothes to your specifications before they go into mass production."

“I would like that,” I murmured, trying not to sound so eager... and failing at it. My own design... Really...? Suddenly, the trip here was getting really exciting.

...

....

......

This was better than flying! This was better than fighting!

I didn’t even know where to look first. The people! The noises! The smells! Sweet bread, roasted meat, cinnamon, butter… And the constant movement! Everything moved... Ahhh! The trams hummed, these weird carriages gliding over the paved roads, people getting on and off of them while their bells chimed like birds... I want one! No, I want two!

“Can I go run around a bit?” I asked for the fifth time, jogging up next to Yuri and Leon. The two were kind-looking, and I could tell by just looking at them that they were fun-loving people. My hubby wasn't lying when he talked to me... I like it here!

“No,” came the immediate answer from all sides, but not from them, but from my sisters. Ugh. Typical.

“But what if I promise not to get lost?” I tried again, but Rashira shot me down.

“No,” She repeated, more firmly this time. “You’ll get a tour when you get one. Then you can ask. Now, stay put and keep walking!”

"Tsk..." She can be more stuck-up than Tarsine sometimes. “Hey, hubby... Don't you want to take me for a spin and show me the city? Pleeeease?" I asked as I turned to Lancy, "I need to know what that tram-thing is from the inside! And why do those lights flicker in the distance?!”

"Let's do it tomorrow... okay?" Lancelot groaned, probably not wanting to anger Rashira. Haah... I can understand that... Fiiine. I can wait.

"Okay, okay!" I smiled at him. Well... I need to be obedient sometimes, so he chooses me for sure. Whatever the others think, I am marrying this man, fufufu! He looks good, he can fight, and he has this city... Damn straight, I am staying! “I'll listen to you, hubby!" I said with a broad smile, "I’m already the favorite, anyway!”

“You’re not even married into the family.” He mumbled, but that's just semantics.

“Yet!” I answered while I hugged his arm, not letting him slip away. Dad, finally, you sent someone worthy my way!

"I like her!" Yuri burst out laughing, and I could tell she meant it. Good! I like you too, Mom Yuri! Oooooh, this is going to be so much cooler than staying back home!

...

....

......

Too much noise... too many people! This was... I hate this... Even if I clung to Rashira, I still felt like I was nothing but a leaf in a storm. How can they walk around so brazenly amongst so many... unknown people?! My eyes couldn’t stop moving... So many faces. So many noises... The buildings looked like they were towering over me... Some of the smaller ones had rotating signs and flashing lights... It was scary... I want to go home!

I was already missing the smell of wet grass and the sound of hawks calling across the open sky. The screech of the rolling box machine was like a crude imitation of vultures mocking me... But I had to endure... I didn’t cry... I was doing my best not to... I held Rashira’s robe so tightly that my knuckles were white, and when one of these foreign children running past us bumped me, I nearly fell, yelping out.

Luckily... Rashira, as always, was there for me and steadied me without a word, without looking.

“You’ll be alright,” a voice said as a hand touched my back. When I looked, I saw the woman... um... Luna, if I remember right. She was unique, like the city, with eyes that were of different colors... Like an emerald and an amethyst... Somehow, watching her face calmed me down. She... she was nice. “Avalon looks big now, but it’s made up of small, kind pieces. You'll see, and you’ll find your place here. I promise. Just... give it some time.”

Maybe... But right now, I couldn't see how, so I didn’t answer. But I didn’t look away again, either. I had to stay strong... until I was finally sent back home.