Morning came too fast.
Elowen sat on the edge of her bed, still half-asleep, her hair a little messy as she hugged Pippin.
"…I don't wanna wake up…" she mumbled.
Mira smiled as she gently fixed her hair.
"You must, young miss."
"…Why…" Elowen groaned softly.
Mira paused.
Then—
"The Duke has arranged for your education."
Elowen blinked.
"…Edu… what?"
"Training," Mira said simply. "To become a proper noble lady."
Elowen froze.
"…A what…?"
"A noble lady."
Elowen slowly turned her head.
"…But I'm already Elowen…"
Mira couldn't help but smile.
"Yes, you are. But as a daughter of House Evercrest, you must learn etiquette, speech, posture, manners everything expected of nobility."
Elowen stared at her.
"…That sounds like a lot…"
"It is," Mira admitted.
Elowen flopped back onto the bed.
"…I don't wanna be a noble…"
Mira gently pulled her back up.
"You don't have a choice, young miss."
Elowen pouted.
"…That's not fair…"
After getting dressed, Elowen walked beside Mira through the halls.
"…So I have to learn all this stuff?" she asked.
"Yes."
"…Alone?"
Mira shook her head.
"No. You will be taking lessons alongside Lady Lavinia."
Elowen blinked.
"…With her…?"
Mira nodded.
"She has already been trained for years."
Elowen looked down at her hands.
"…Then I'll be bad at it…"
Her voice was small.
Mira softened.
"That's alright. You're just starting."
Elowen wasn't fully convinced.
"…Okay…"
They stopped in front of a large door.
Mira adjusted Elowen's sleeves.
"Your first lesson is today."
Elowen stiffened.
"…Today?!"
Mira nodded.
"And your instructor is "
She paused slightly.
"…Baroness Dotevil."
Elowen blinked.
"…Dotevil…?"
Mira leaned down slightly, lowering her voice.
"She is very well known."
Elowen tilted her head.
"…For what?"
Mira gave a small, careful smile.
"For turning noble daughters into perfect ladies… and ideal wives."
Elowen's eyes widened.
"…Wives?!"
"Ignore that part," Mira said quickly.
But Elowen was already panicking a little.
"…I don't wanna be a wife!"
"You're seven," Mira said gently. "No one is marrying you."
"…Okay…" Elowen said, still suspicious.
The doors opened.
Inside
a woman stood waiting.
Tall.
Elegant.
Strict.
Her posture was perfect, her gaze sharp, and her presence alone made the room feel… serious.
Elowen froze instantly.
"…She's scary…"
[Assessment: High intimidation factor.]
The woman's eyes landed on her.
"Lady Elowen."
Elowen straightened immediately.
"…Y-Yes!"
Then another voice.
"Good morning, Baroness."
Elowen turned.
Lavinia stood there, already poised and graceful.
Perfect posture.
Perfect smile.
Perfect everything.
"…Oh…"
Elowen suddenly felt very small.
Very… not perfect.
"Stand beside Lady Lavinia," the Baroness instructed.
Elowen hurried over, standing next to her.
She peeked at Lavinia.
Lavinia didn't move.
Didn't fidget.
Didn't look nervous.
"…She's like a doll…" Elowen thought.
"Lesson one," Baroness Dotevil said.
"Posture."
Elowen stiffened.
"…Posture…?"
"Back straight."
Elowen quickly straightened.
"Chin up."
She lifted her chin.
"Shoulders relaxed."
She tried.
"…This is hard…"
The Baroness walked around them slowly.
"Lady Lavinia excellent, as always."
Lavinia smiled softly.
"Thank you, Baroness."
Then
she stopped in front of Elowen.
Silence.
Elowen held her breath.
"…Am I doing it wrong…?"
The Baroness leaned slightly closer.
"…You are trying."
Elowen blinked.
"…Is that bad…?"
A pause.
"…It is insufficient."
Elowen deflated slightly.
"…Oh…"
The lesson continued.
Walking.
Sitting.
Speaking.
Everything had rules.
Everything had a "right way."
Elowen stumbled more than once.
Got corrected more than once.
"…My legs hurt…" she whispered.
[Endure.]
"…You're not helping…"
Meanwhile
Lavinia moved flawlessly.
Every step graceful.
Every word perfect.
Every movement effortless.
Elowen watched her.
"…She's really good…"
Then she looked at herself.
"…I'm really not…"
After a long time
the lesson ended.
"Practice," Baroness Dotevil said firmly. "Perfection is not optional."
Elowen nodded weakly.
"…Yes…"
As they left the room, Elowen's shoulders dropped.
"…That was hard…"
Mira smiled gently.
"You did well."
"I did not…" Elowen muttered.
"You tried," Mira said.
Elowen paused.
"…That's what she said…"
Mira laughed softly.
"…Then she noticed you."
Elowen blinked.
"…Really?"
Mira nodded.
Elowen thought about it.
Then smiled just a little.
"…Okay…"
She hugged Pippin tighter.
"…I'll try again…"
Not because she wanted to be perfect.
But because she didn't want to be left behind.And somewhere deep down she wanted to belong.