Chương 123: The Marches Have a Deep History of Pettiness

She had thrown the proverbial gauntlet and a rush of excitement and anticipation filled her. The man from Golden Cow looked taken aback at first, but his expression was quickly replaced by contempt.

"We'll see, young lady. We'll see." He turned around and marched back down the street, towards the mercantile in the plaza. Tori had no doubt that he'd contact the cow man to report her unruly behavior. She knew how arrogant she sounded, but she was confident. She may not have been the heroine of the game, but she was still a transmigrator. That came with its own particular set of skills.

"Should we be wary of them?" Henrik asked behind her. She turned around and walked back into the building.

"I've been wary of them since they stole our designs," Tori replied. Actually, since I realized he was a love interest, but no one would understand that.

"Let's proceed as normal. When we bring our employees, I will do so personally and each one will have their own identification token. If they don't have a token, don't let them in." The rest of the day was spent running additional errands and stopping at Daybreak Garden so Tori could ask if a blade could be put in her lion's head cane. She ignored Henrik's look of concern as one of the master smiths assured her it was possible. She left behind her cane to be hollowed out and prepared for a blade.

"Is that necessary?" Ewan asked as they got back on to the carriage.

"You already have a dagger." It was currently strapped on her forearm, beneath her billowy sleeve.

"I know, but I just think having a blade in a cane is a novel and interesting idea." What could be more villainous than a sword hidden in a cane?

"Are you going to wait here while I go to my dress fitting at Madam Midstrom's?"

"We'll come with you and wait in the front," Axton said.

"Just in case you're confronted again." Ewan nodded.

"She does seem to attract people who work for the cow man." Tori rolled her eyes. It wasn't as if she was trying.

"I appreciate your concern." They followed her for her fitting and when Tori came out, they were inside a large, circular pitch tent Master Midstrom was working on, praising how large it was. She squinted. It was as if she were watching children in the toy aisle. Tori rubbed her head and ushered them out. They parted ways with Axton and returned to the delta with some knights. When she arrived, Bridget came to meet her with news: Gideon and Fabian were already on a boat and heading to the delta.

"Why can't he return by land?" Tori looked up as she slumped on her seat at her desk, her mouth agape with indignation.

"They know we're not an actual port, don't they?"

"We know, but returning by ship was not only the fastest way to return to Horizon, but also deemed the safest. With my husband and Kasen investigating, we were concerned that there would be unrest in groups who infiltrated Soleil. The journey from King's Harbor to Horizon is almost two weeks long by land, but a week or so by ship.

"In addition, our crew are all made up of our people. We can be more confident of the second prince's safety," Bridget told her as she stood in front of Tori's desk. For a moment, it was a bit strange. While Bridget was the daughter of a former marquis, her title was a courtesy title. Tori was now a titular countess and ranked higher. However, as children of marquis, Bridget was older than her and so within their subculture, Bridget had the higher status.

It was uncomfortable for Tori to be seated while her older cousin was standing. Tori leaned forward and motioned for Bridget to take a seat.

"Then, do you know if the palace has arranged for their transport to Horizon from Viclya?" Tori asked. She made a face.

"I don't have to host them in the interim, do I?" Bridget grinned.

"The imperial palace has been notified, so the carriage and knights who'll escort them back will arrive before them. No one says you must host them."

"So... I can usher them directly from the dock to the carriage?"

"I don't see why not." A relieved look filled Tori's face as she nodded as she leaned back.

"That's fine then. We'll do that."

"How much do you dislike the second prince?" Bridget asked, her grin widening.

"I heard you fought with his personal knight."

"It wasn't a fight. It was a fair duel and I won." Tori sat up proudly.

"And as you know, they started it. They were rude to me first."

"Do all your friends feel the same?" Bridget raised a curious brow.

"I heard the Vissage twins are in the midst of practice hunts in preparation for the Empress' birthday hunt in the Fekete Duchy. Ava told me that they're going to compete against the second prince and his knight." Tori let out a sigh and explained conditions of the hunt, including how the twins were joining Piers' hunting party not so much to honor the Empress, but to deal some disappointment to the second prince and the Emperor.

"I'm aware I'm being petty."

"No, no. You'd be surprised what pettiness can do," Bridget said.

"The marches have a deep history of pettiness." Tori cocked her head to the side.

"What?"

"Why do you think Anlar, Sur, and Osten can fund navies and armies, as well as run their marches with enough money to spare to fund your project?" Bridget smirked. Tori shook her head, indicating that she didn't know. She'd always been curious, but she figured it had to do with trade and business. She was partially correct.

"As you know, marches also engage in peacekeeping and law enforcement, particularly in matters on our borders and across multiple territories that can't be contained by a local force. Those are generally large matters. In the past thousands of years, how many pirates, bandits, thieves, illegal trading rings, and the like do you think we've ended?" Tori furrowed her brows.

"A lot." Bridget chuckled.

"Soleil does not have the finances to support such a military by itself and run a flourishing empire; it must be supported by the marches. The only thing Soleil can do is exempt us from particular taxes, so long as those taxes are put back into our military. But we needed to start somewhere, and we started by taking stolen loot and the accumulated wealth from seized parties.

"If business were particularly lucrative and useful to a community, we would make it a legitimate business and take over. After so many years, many of the businesses in the marches are at least partially owned by their march. Through that, we were well equipped to do international trade. Of course, now, we have a system in place where victims of theft can report their losses and when the thieves and their loot are captured, the losses are returned. Unclaimed loot is kept.

All of this started because the marches believed that if Soleil couldn't pay them, then they'd have to do it themselves and purposely didn't send any unclaimed loot back to the empire." Bridget shrugged her shoulders and smirked.

"Pettiness." Tori grimaced.

"Shouldn't this cause a power imbalance if the marches have too much money? Wouldn't the imperial family be displeased with the amount of wealth and military power the marches have?"

"The imperial family did the same in the beginning to fund the empire's growth. It isn't as if they're incapable. And there have been cases where the power of the marches was contested," Bridget said with a nod. She took a deep breath and leaned back.

"There are hundreds of instances in our history where this has been a problem, but we have survived due to a careful and rigorously maintained balance. The imperial family knows that to protect a peaceful, prospering empire, we must always be prepared for war. This includes preparing against internal threats as well.

"The marches know that a stable, unified central power allows us to do what we need to do without worrying much about domestic matters and international relations. It's not a perfect relationship, and there are always those on either side that want to exploit their position, but we, the marches, came from a warrior class loyal to our chief and, in thousands of years, it has not faded. The tribe is only so strong as its unification and our relationship is mutually beneficial."

"We've also married into the imperial family," Tori said. It was obvious that it was done to solidify relationships. The Empress was the most recent example, though it was a 'love match.' In this way, the imperial family was part of the marches by blood. Bridget nodded.

"Our blood ties are thick." Tori lowered her eyes.

"What would happen if a march rebelled?" Bridget took another deep breath and was quiet for a moment.

"Why would a march rebel? Ruling such an empire is a headache."

"Not an insurrection, but what if the imperial family wronged them," Tori said. Her eyes shifted to the side.

"Let's say... wrongful death?" Bridget let out a small laugh and shook her head.

"They give us minor inconveniences all the time. Your peerage for example. But it wouldn't be worth the internal strife to betray a march like that. Though, it has happened. We are a several thousand-year-old empire, after all. The imperial family deals with troublemaking family members the way the marches do. They are removed from positions of power or...."

"Or killed." Tori was aware. Blood was thick, but there was no hesitation to cut off a diseased limb.

"If you're worried that your animosity towards the second prince will cause problems, don't be," Bridget said as she leaned forward with an amused smile.

"He should know that he should do what is best for the empire by now, as do you. After all, you accepted the peerage." Tori groaned and leaned back.

"You know I can't reject it. How would it look if I did?"

"It would look bad, but it has its benefits as well as drawbacks. You have the marches behind you, Tori. There is nothing to be afraid of." Tori nodded and remained slumped against her chair. Bridget seemed to notice that she looked tired, so she excused herself. She still had to prepare their things to leave in a few days. They didn't know if the ship carrying Gideon planned to arrive the day Bridget and the kids were leaving, but it did.

Tori was having breakfast with the family on the deck by the beach when the watchtower called to report that a new ship had entered the bay. She brought a piece of sausage to her lips and saw the comcry on the table light up. Ava, who was seated on her lap, tried to get it with her sticky fingers, but Tori swept it up before she could touch it with her jam-covered hands. Tori flipped the cover open and slid her finger across as she saw the name of the watch tower appear.

"This is Countess Guevera."

"My lady, a Soleil naval vessel Anlar Stingray has entered the bay." Tori furrowed her brows and looked across at Bridget. Bridget looked up from her coffee and seemed to nod in understanding." Stingray is the capital ship of the Anlar Fleet. It's Andrew's ship; he's escorting the second prince."

"Uncle Andy is coming!" Ava perked up and looked excited.

"Understood," Tori said into the comcry.

"Send an escort ship to direct it to the loading island."

"Yes, my lady." Tori closed her comcry and looked back at her cousin.

"I didn't know Andy was escorting them."

"He's on assignment right now and the route circles the gulf. It was either going to be him or Deidre." It made sense that the second prince would be escorted by someone in the O'Tuagh family.

"That means the entourage from the imperial family should be arriving soon to pick them up. I'll wait for them." She finished the remaining sausages on her plate and then lifted Ava. She stood up and put Ava back on the seat. Her entire day was cleared so she could spend time with her little cousins. The crystal talismans she'd prepared were ready and before they left after lunch, she wanted to gift it to them. She also had several games to send along with them, sweets that had been prepared, and clothing.

The games, snacks, and clothes were packed into a large crate and sent to Bridget's ship. A few hours after the report of Stingray's arrival, Tori waited on the promenade with Ava. As the Countess of Cosora, it was proper for her to formally greet the second prince. However, she was there mainly to greet her cousin.

"Andy!" Tori raised her arms and waved as the tall, brown-haired man reached the promenade. His eyes crinkled up with a smile as he turned towards them.

"Hi, Uncle Andy!" Ava followed Tori's lead and jumped, waving at the man.

"Is it just you two?" Andy laughed as he outstretched his arms to pick up Ava with one arm and then hug Tori with the other.

"Cousin Bridget is making sure everything is packed. They're leaving after lunch and will meet us at the restaurant," Tori said as Andy's arm squeezed her shoulders.

"How long are you staying?"

"We're only here to drop off His Highness and Sir von Dorn," Andy replied before letting her go. He continued to hold Ava and looked back. Tori followed his gaze and found several imperial knights surrounding the silver-haired second prince and Fabian. The two young men were tanned compared to when she last saw them at Lycée. Both looked to have gotten taller, gained some muscle, and were wearing well-worn clothing that Tori remembered seeing on sailors when she was in King's Harbor.

Fabian carried two large sacks over one shoulder and Gideon looked around, as if trying to re-familiarize himself with the area.

"Do they know why they were brought back by boat?" Tori asked, lowering her voice as she narrowed her eyes. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. She caught Andy giving a slight shake of his head.

"We told them it was simply faster than going by land. It's not a lie, but they are not aware of the poaching ring," he replied, his voice quiet.

"Eili said that all outside news was kept from them during the summer training sessions." He glanced at Tori and raised a brow.

"How are you feeling? I heard you were in a wheelchair for a while." Tori lifted the cane she was still using. It had been delivered back to her along with the crystals and while she didn't need it, she kind of liked having it.

"I'm fine. I can walk well now, but I still have strength training and massages for my legs. The cane isn't necessary, but I want to take my time to ensure a smooth recovery."

"That's good. There is no reason to strain yourself needlessly," Andy said with approval.

"Uncle, are you going back with us?" Ava asked. Andy smiled and shook his head.

"No, Stingray and I are going to continue east for our patrol round. You, your mom, and cousins will reach Anlar before me." Ava's eyes widened.

"If you're going to make a round, why don't you pick me up when you pass by?"

"We're not stopping here on the way back," Andy smirked.

"And you know you can't stay. Who will watch you if your mom and cousins go back?"

"Cousin Tori."

"She has to go to school."

"Not yet she doesn't." Andy sighed and put her back on the ground.

"Ava, you can come back next year." Ava wrinkled her nose and kicked the ground, annoyed.

"That's what everyone tells me...." Andy chuckled and took her hand. He looked towards Tori and made a subtle nod of his head towards Gideon and Fabian. Tori wanted to wrinkle her nose in distaste, as well, but she was an adult and there was a certain amount of decorum expected of her. She tried to force a smile on her face, but instead felt the corner of her lips twitch, as if the very act of smiling at the two love interests was an affront to God.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness." Tori stopped in front of Gideon and Fabian. She settled on a placid expression.

"If you'll follow me, an imperial carriage is waiting to bring you back to Horizon. A half dozen additional imperial knights will be escorting you." She lifted her arm and motioned towards the parking and drop off area just across the promenade. Who cared if the two teenagers just got off a boat after several days at sea? The sooner they were out of the delta, the sooner they weren't her responsibility.

"Lady Guevera." Gideon gave her a curt nod of his head and behind him, Fabian avoided her eyes, but bowed his head.

"Thank you for your arrangements." They both knew it was an empty phrase, but Tori pretended he was sincere and walked ahead of them to lead them to the awaiting carriages.

"Sir Dobchek is the lead knight," Tori said as they reached the carriage. Sir Dobchek was a first-tier knight who Piers personally assigned to her. Since he had experience guarding the imperial family, she asked him to take the lead. The man gave Gideon a bow of his head.

"Welcome back, Your Highness."

"Thank you, Sir Dobchek." Gideon gave him a bow as the footman opened the door to the carriage. Gideon and Fabian climbed into the modest carriage. Two of the knights escorting them from the ship joined them inside. They sat opposite each other, and the carriage door was shut.

"My lady, Sir Atienza has left Horizon and will replace us with five additional knights," Sir Dobchek told Tori.

"They will escort you and the Vissage twins to Granite Tower."

"Thank you, Sir Dobchek. Has the kitchen prepared your rations for the journey?"

"Yes, Countess. Thank you for your attention." Sir Dobchek bowed once more, and Tori stepped back. He mounted and rode his horse to the front of the carriage, then shouted for them to start. Tori stood in place, watching the carriage with a small train of knights following it head up the path. She released a heavy breath and turned around. Andy raised a brow and looked at her.

"Did he call you Countess?" Tori gave him a small nod.

"Let's head to the restaurant and I'll tell you all about it." Andy furrowed his brows, but nodded and followed her to the restaurant with Ava in tow. Ava insisted on sitting next to Tori as they waited for the rest of the family to arrive. Andy was treated to the saga of Tori's newest burden and gave her a look of sympathy. The small family gettogether was short-lived. Bridget and the children needed to leave, Andy needed to get back on his ship, and her parents were preparing to leave the next day.

"Then, we'll board first, and you can follow out," Bridget said as they finished their meal. Andy nodded from where he sat next to Sebastian.

"Tori, I'll come again with the naval engineers and architects to look over the proposed site for the fort."

"Okay. It doesn't get very cold here, but it does rain a lot and there is wind," Tori said.

"So be prepared for that."

"Cousin Tori, can I come visit when Uncle Andy comes again?" Ava asked as she tugged on Tori's sleeve.

"He may come when you are still having lessons, so you can't come at that time," Tori told her gently. She lifted her hand and stroked back Ava's head. The little girl's chubby face fell. Her small hand tightened on Tori's sleeve, obviously not wanting to leave. Tori sighed.

"I got you and your cousins something." Ava's eyes rose and met hers. She still looked upset, but there was a glint of curiosity. Across the table, Aiden and Maeve also looked interested.

"What did you get me?" Tori waved over a knight, who brought her a canvas bag. Tori put it on her lap and reached in.

"I made safety talismans for you three and Riri." She took out some pale velvet bags of varying sizes and handed one to each person. Riri wasn't there, but Tori would give it to him before she left for the hunt. Ava took the bag in her hands and tilted her head, looking at it curiously and feeling around the sides. Her brows furrowed.

"Can I open it?"

"Of course!" Tori smiled. Across from her, Aiden and Maeve were already tugging open the drawstring.

"Is this a talisman?" Aiden's loud voice filled the restaurant as he took out a sturdy gold chain with a medallion hanging from it. The medallion encased a circular yellow crystal engraved with Old Sulfae.

"Mine is blue!" Maeve pulled out the silver circlet. She seemed to think it would go over her head, but it was too small.

"Cousin, it doesn't fit."

"It's for your neck," Tori said. Her mother, who was seated beside Maeve, carefully helped the child put it around her neck. Maeve's eyes were fixed on the blue stone with the dark lines and Old Sulfae encased securely on the ring.

"I think this one is too small for my neck." Ava tugged Tori's sleeve once more and held up the silver cuff with the same blue stone as Maeve's.

"This goes on your wrist. It'll overlap now, but as you grow older, it can be stretched," Tori said. She helped the little girl put it around her left wrist. Ava stared at it with wide eyes.

"What does it do?"

"They are engraved with Old Sulfae for safety; that is luck, protection, and quick reflexes," Tori told them.

"The yellow tiger eye on Aiden's medallion is for integrity, self-control, and strength. It's good for the heir of the march."

"Oh... thank you, Cousin Tori!" Aiden had the chain around his neck, but held the medallion that was smaller than his palm. He looked across the table and gave her a wide smile.

"What about the blue ones?" Maeve asked on the edge of her seat.

"Blue tiger eye is for strength and courage. It is very suitable for warriors."

"I'm a warrior...." Ava whispered, almost in awe.

"These... kind of make my safety talisman pale in comparison." Andy chuckled.

"At least you have one." Sebastian smirked.

"What do you three say to your cousin?" Bridget asked. A trio of voices chorused their thanks and Tori gathered Ava on her lap to hug her. Ava clung to her until the very end, insisting Tori go with them all the way to the landing island to see them off. The little girl sniffled as she was carried on board her mother's ship. It was good that Riri saw her off at the promenade, or else she would've been embarrassed. They all stood on deck as the ship's sails were unfurled and the vessel set sail for the horizon.

Tori let out a heavy sigh as her eyes reddened and a pressure appeared at the bridge of her nose. An hour later, she hugged Andy and sent him on his way. The next day, her parents boarded Sur Oro.

"By the time you return from the hunt and the banquet, we should be in Tres Arcos and on the way to Presidio," her mother said as she held Tori against her and rested her head against hers.

"If you have any questions or need clarification on your duties as countess, you will call me."

"Yes, Mama."

"I would stay longer, but if your Papa and I do, then we'd be obligated to go to the banquet," Antonia said, still holding Tori. She narrowed her eyes and glared in the direction of Horizon. Her voice dropped and was filled with vitriol.

"And I don't want to see that little silver-haired bastard."

"Yes, Papa may lose his temper and do something unsightly." Gregorio chuckled and his words sounded like a joke, but Tori could feel the sincerity in them. She swallowed and gave her parents a reassuring smile.

"I will represent Cosora and the family well. Don't worry."

"You just have to attend," her father told her gently as he stroked the top of her head.

"After the formal greeting, you don't have to talk to any of them. Especially not the first prince. In fact, you can leave after the greeting." Tori's lips pulled into a line.

"I see...."

"I will miss you, my baby." Antonia squeezed her once more and Tori was passed to her father before her parents reluctantly boarded Sur Oro. Tori stood on the landing island, watching the ship sail away and sniffled. She'd long accepted that whatever feelings she had for her Soleil family were influenced by Victoria, and she had no problem with that. She was fairly sure that even without Victoria, she would love this family. Perhaps not to the extent that she did now, but it was easy to love the Gueveras.

Every time she was with them, and her extended family, she grew to love them a little more.

"Duchess Fekete's invitation said that they would provide bows and arrows for us if we don't have our own," JP said as he handed Tori a rather thick envelope.

"But we've decided to bring ours, as we're used to them."

"She didn't say there were any restrictions on the particular kind of bow or arrows and Dede's arrows are specifically for hunting," Sonia added. Tori read the contents of the invitation envelope and nodded. They left the inn halfway between Viclya and Granite Tower that morning and would arrive at Granite Tower before sunset. The Fekete Duchy was next to the Cosora Delta, so it didn't take long to enter its territory, however the Granite Tower was about a day's travel inside.

Their imperial carriage was escorted by four imperial knights and two female Guevera knights who were assigned to Tori until she returned to Lycée. Along with them were the two bay horses Dede brought for the twins: Acorn and Nutmeg.

"Did you read over the list of game animals?" Tori asked. She raised her eyes over the top of the invitation.

"You have a chance at getting a boar."

"Let's lower our expectations," Sonia replied as she held her hands up.

"JP and I aren't exactly seasoned hunters. I'm not sure Dede could get a boar by himself."

"He said that they're usually hunted by group effort," JP said. He knit his brows.

"Although, we will be in a group...."

"Knights can't kill game animals. They can track at most." Sonia sighed. It was a bit disappointing, but with many nobles present, it was likely that they all would have a pair guarding them. The guards or knights should keep their priority on the safety of their charges. Asking them to track was already asking for more than necessary.

"Tori, what about Sir Axton and His Highness? How are their hunting skills?" JP asked. The two had treated their training as if success depended completely on them because they didn't know the level of ability Axton and Piers had.

"Axton has some experience, since he's had to hunt for food during training and at the border, but he's not great at it," Tori said. Her eyes drifted to the side.

"I'm not so sure about Piers...." I don't even know if he knows how to use a bow and arrow. But he's good at practically everything, I bet he's good at archery, too. Unfair.

"At least Sir Axton may be able to help," Sonia said. She looked at Tori.

"Don't get your hopes up for anything spectacular. At most, some rabbits, and pheasants."

"That's fair." They'd only been learning for a few weeks.

"How is it being scored?" JP reached out his hand and Tori returned the invitation to him. The twins leaned in and flipped through to find the score sheet. Each animal was assigned a number by perceived difficulty. The infamous black boar of Fekete were scored the highest, at ten. Foxes were six, deer were only five; rabbits and weasels were three, and game birds were two. There were several other animals listed, but Tori was trying to keep her expectations grounded.

She didn't expect Sonia and JP to catch wild pigs, wolves, or exotic ungulates. If they were able to get some pheasants or a duck, she'd be satisfied. But she'd be even more satisfied if they hunted enough small game to topple the second prince.

"I wish we knew who else is in the second prince's party," Sonia said with a frown as she leaned back.

"He'll have the same number of knights, won't he?"

"Yes, and with the same restrictions on them. Von Dorn apparently has some archery experience, but I don't know if he's actively hunted. The same with the second prince."

"Do you think they'd hire someone to hunt for their party?" Tori shook her head.

"Professional hunters or hunters related to a guild aren't allowed. At most, they are friends invited, like you. I don't know who else the second prince can invite." Sonia and JP looked at each other.

"Come to think of it, I don't know who else the second prince is acquainted enough with at Lycée aside from Guthry and Hart," JP said. His sister nodded.

"And those two are on house arrest the rest of the summer."

"He could've invited another noble who doesn't go to Lycée," Tori said.

"A relative perhaps?" The only one she could think of was Prince Emil, but she didn't know if he hunted.

"I just realized that the second prince doesn't have many friends." Sonia looked a bit perplexed, as if she'd never thought about it until now. She looked at her brother for verification. JP seemed to think for a moment before he hesitantly nodded.

"He has a good relationship with most people, but I haven't heard of him being close to many others. Obviously, he's around von Dorn, but he's not part of any extracurricular group. Guthry and Hart, of course. I've seen him around Alvere, but not as much as Guthry and Hart. In fact, outside of them, he seems to keep to himself."

"Huh...." Tori crossed her legs. If JP was right, then technically, Piers had more friends than Gideon. Perhaps not as many acquaintances, but as far as an actual friendship, Piers was quite friendly to her friends. Ewan and Albert in particular. This was surprising. She looked out the window and craned her neck. Tori scooted to the side of the carriage and pressed her head against the window.

"Is that it? Is that Granite Tower?" Both JP and Sonia moved towards the window. JP reached forward and opened the latch to pull in the glass and they were able to get a better look at a tall, black tower rising from the ground in front of a backdrop of forested mountains.

"It's granite and it's a tower," Sonia said.

"I'd say that's it." According to what Tori looked into, Granite Tower was a six-story tall keep at the western-most corner of the Fekete's ancestral castle. Like the other ancestral castles of the duchies, the center of the estate was the original ancient fortification while recent additions extended outwards. The entire complex was called Granite Tower, despite being an average of two stories.

However, the same black granite used for the keep made up the rest of the complex, making it look particularly harmonious despite the different architecture used through the ages. As they approached, they could make out the tall walls and the ivy that crawled up them. The carriage went through the town that had sprung up around the estate. To the west of the town were farms, but to the east of the estate was thick forest. It was more a castle than a palace or manor house at first glance.

The carriage followed a winding path through two gate houses to get to the courtyard just below the Granite Tower keep. If it was meant to intimidate, it did a good job. They weren't the only ones who had arrived. The courtyard had at least half a dozen carriages alone and even more riders on horseback. Their carriage had to wait a few minutes to get to the front doors, where Duchess Fekete and her husband were greeting arrivals. Tori straightened her clothes.

She'd left the delta in a summer dress from Lions Gate, but as the weather was a bit cooler at Granite Tower, she was now wearing one of the dresses gifted to her from Duchess Tetri that she had yet to wear. It was an ankle length, cobalt blue fitted dress with a pastel pink apron with pockets worn over a white linen blouse. While simple, the material was expensive. The dress was velvet. She wore little jewelry; only her crystal bracelet, and had a leather satchel.

Their footman opened the door and announced her arrival.

"Countess Victoria de Guevera of Cosora!" Tori took a deep breath, straightened her back, and stepped out of the carriage.

"Countess Tori!" Duchess Fekete immediately came to greet her with her arms open.

"Welcome to Granite Tower!"

"Thank you for having us, Your Grace." Tori held out her arms and grasped the Duchess,' giving her air kisses on the cheek before being released and bowing her head to Duke Fekete.

"Are those clothes from Tetri?" Duchess Fekete narrowed her eyes and swept up and down Tori's figure as Sonia and JP stepped out of the carriage behind her.

"Yes, I don't really have casual dresses suitable for this climate right now, so I thought-""This will not do!" The Duchess cried out and lifted her hand. A woman rushed forward and bowed her head at her side.

"Prepare three sets of local dresses for the Countess in blues. Yes, she will look best in blues."

"Nessa, don't put such pressure on the Countess...." the Duke sighed, but the Duchess ignored him.

"No, she's in Fekete! She will wear Fekete clothing! Did we not wear Cosora Delta clothing in Cosora?" The Duchess gave her husband a demanding look and he nodded. He gave Tori an apologetic look, but Tori barely managed to hold back her laughter and shook her head to silently assure him that it was fine.

"I am happy to wear local dresses. I want to start a collection of regional clothing," Tori said.

"If any have particularly good embroidery, I will gift it to Ilyana. She is collecting embroidery work."

"I will prepare a set for her, as well," the Duchess said. She turned to Sonia and JP and smiled. The Duchess had a bit of affinity for the twins, as she, too, was an equestrian and archer when she was in Lycée.

"Young Mister and Miss Vissage, a pleasure to see you again. I look forward to seeing if this year's Three-Day Competition champions will be successful in the hunt."

"Our hunting experience is limited, but we will try to represent Tori as best as possible," JP said as he and Sonia bowed their heads.

"Oh, and you brought Alexander!" The Duchess looked highly amused as she lowered her smiling eyes.

"Is he going on the hunt, too?" she laughed. Tori's stiffened. She whirled around, following the Duchess' gaze and found the fluffy gray cat sitting at her feet, as if he'd always been there.

"Alexander! What are you doing here?" Tori bent down and swept him into her arms. Before she could ask the cat questions that she knew he wouldn't be able to answer, because he was a cat, another carriage rolled to a stop behind them. The footman jumped down and the door to a modest new carriage opened. A voice rang through the courtyard.

"Baroness Alessa Hart!"