The golden glow of the Sunlit River slowly faded as the sun rested below the horizon. The sky changed into an endless indigo, dotted with the faint silver prickles of early stars.
The wooden ferry bumped gently against the docks. Ignis was the first to step off the boat. His black shirt was still wet, clinging tightly to his chest. His leather boots made a loud, annoying squishing sound with every single step he took on the wooden planks.
"I hate water," Ignis grumbled, crossing his arms and shivering in the cool evening breeze. "My boots are ruined. My clothes are sticky. I feel like a drowned rat."
"Then take the boots off," Catherine suggested smoothly, walking past him, holding the hem of her pristine white dress so it wouldn't touch the wet wooden plank.
"And walk barefoot on the street like a common peasant?" Ignis muffled, looking offended by the idea. "I am a royal. We do not expose our toes to the public."
