Getting outside of the estate, elanore walked through her beautiful front yard. Elanore looked to her left to see her dad snap his fingers. Afterwards, many armed guards surrounded her family just as they got close to the gate.
As they stood before the members of the Evershire family, 12 guards knelt down.
"At your command, your highness." The tallest one spoke, clearly showing some form of authority.
'He's probably the leader.' Elanore mentally noted.
"I want you to surround us, make sure nobody gets close. Ease up Richard."
The leader spoke chuckling "Cant set a bad example. Then more of these knuckleheads will try and it wont end well for em."
Katrina interrupted the conversation. "Stop now.
Dad if we surround elanore with guards she wont even be able to meet some of her closest friends."
After an uncertain starting contest, Lucian finally relented.
"I want you to hide in plain sight. In case i fail to stop any criminal from ruining my daughters day."
Richard gave a sharp nod before signaling the others with a subtle hand gesture. Within moments, the guards dispersed—some blending into the bustling marketplace crowds, others slipping into alleyways with practiced ease. Elanore blinked. *They vanished like shadows*
Katrina hugged lucian from the side. "Thank you so much dad. I dont show my appreciation enough."
"Yes yes. Im assuming youre not trying to ask for anything else then?"
"…Maybe"
The marketplace assaulted Elanore's senses the moment they stepped beyond the estate gates—spices hanging in thick clouds, the metallic tang of blacksmiths' forges, the way voices overlapped like a discordant choir. Katrina threaded through the chaos with the precision of someone who'd memorized every cobblestone, while Elanore stumbled after her, boots catching on uneven pavement.
As they walked, many made way for them. To step in the way of most nobles was akin to a death sentence. Most nobles, even young ones were raised to despise and detest the poor. Nobody was in a rush to get made an example of.
As Elanore and her sister waded through the streets, she looked up to see Katrina starting at her, seemingly trying to gauge how she was feeling.
Elanore was just trying to get through the crowd without embarrassing herself. The stares she and her sister were getting ranged from being amazed at her sisters beauty, to being mildly annoyed for having to steer clear of people who were moving past them.
Eventually they got to a nice shop, through the windows one could see a vast selection of clothes. nice puffy dresses and stunning suits caught the attention of many, but the cost meant that a lot of window shopping was happening.
as they walked in, the vendor was standing at a nearby desk. She greeted the two girls kindly. "Hello, how may I…Katrina?"
Katrina : "Hello Annie, been a while."
The young girl with a head full of curly hair
Got a little shocked but recomposed herself quickly. " It's good to see you as well. Is there anything you'd like out of this Fine assortment of clothes?"
"No. While i do wish this young maiden would agree to look good while she fights, she remains keen on not getting anything flashy. Instead, id like to see your assortment of weapons."
The shopkeeper's eyebrows shot up. "Weapons? For the young miss?" Her gaze flickered between Katrina's expectant smirk and Elanore's determined posture. Then, with a conspiratorial grin, she lifted a section of the counter, revealing a hidden staircase. "Right this way—I keep the *real* merchandise downstairs."