Inside her room, Ari finally let out the breath she'd been holding. As a prince, Arellan could have easily had her punished for bumping into him. Her face could have been revealed and years of being careful to hide her identity would've been ruined in an instant. She sighed heavily as she changed into one of her more simple teal gowns and Vida began braiding and decorating the princess's hair. She applied some makeup and then placed a matching sheer teal veil over Ari's head. Typically, this type of veil was used solely for wedding ceremonies in Atrana so Ari would get a lot of strange looks when she didn't go out in secret as a physician. Brides don't usually go walking around the city on their wedding day. But this was the price that Ari had to pay to keep her eyes shaded from the light.

She had hoped that by this age she would be able to control her eye color but that wasn't the case. She wondered what that meant as far as her connection to Athena. Was it not complete? Or not strong enough?

Vida appeared in front of her, shaking her from her thoughts. She was finished changing back into her usual guard's uniform. "Are you ready?" Vida asked cautiously, an eyebrow cocked at the princess.

Ari smiled and nodded. "Sorry, I'm just tired of wearing this." She flipped up an edge of the veil and it floated back down softly.

Vida nodded in understanding. "It does seem bothersome. But on the other hand, it helps your skin look amazing."

Ari laughed as they exited the room, then paused at one of the doorways down the hall. She lightly tapped on the door of her maids' room, which was answered swiftly by Milli with a slight bow.

"How can I help you, Your Highness?" Milli asked. Upon hearing 'Your Highness', the other maid in the room, Jannah, stood from her vanity chair and bowed slightly at Ari too.

Ari shook her head. "I don't need anything but I do have a request. You may feel free to deny it if you wish, so please don't feel pressured by me."

Milli and Jannah looked at each other, then nodded at the princess with big eyes.

Ari continued. "I would like for you to come to Otha with me. I would rather have people that i can trust near me than total strangers. And of course, I'll raise your wages. It's not easy to leave your family and country behind, especially just for a job."

Milli's gaze softened. "This is more than just a job. And you have to leave too, without even getting paid!"

Ari blinked in surprise, then laughed at the maid's words. "Yes, you're right."

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Jannah walked up next to Milli and grinned at Ari. "I don't have anything here anyway. I could use a change of scenery and a little extra pay." Jannah rubbed her thumb and pointer finger together with a mischievous smile.

Milli nodded enthusiastically. "I have to tell my parents, but obviously I'm coming too!"

Ari relaxed her shoulders and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I was actually worried sick that you wouldn't want to go." The three girls laughed and Vida smiled softly behind Ari.

Ari and Vida met with Arellan and his guard in front of the palace gates. Arellan raised his eyebrows at the veil on Ari's head and opened his mouth to ask about it when she held up her hand to stop him.

"I'm sensitive to light. I'm sure you've heard by now that your bride to be is actually a frail and sickly woman."

Arellan's face darkened a bit, looking almost angry at the remark. "I find that odd. You seem quite... energetic, in my opinion."

Ari raised her eyebrows at the word 'energetic'. She grinned and began walking down the road as she answered, "My health may be lacking, but I assure you that my personality can be too strong to handle."

"Mmm, I've gathered that," Arellan chuckled sincerely, causing his guard to look at him in shock. He'd never seen the prince actually laugh at something that he wasn't mocking!

They reached the market by late afternoon and food vendors were switching from lunch dishes to dinner dishes. Ari hurried over to a few stands and bought some of the last remaining snacks from lunch. She glided back to Arellan with hands full of food and a grin under her veil.

"This is the last time for me and first time for you having these. At least for a while," she said, feeling a little embarrassed about the amount of food she bought. She held up a skewered piece of meat near Arellan's face. "This one's my favorite! Try it!"

Arellan looked around to make sure nobody was watching (not that he knew anyone here, other than his guard, in the first place), then took a bite while Ari held it out for him. He chewed for a moment, then his eyebrows shot up. "What is this cooked with?" he asked, quickly swiping the stick from Ari to wolf down the rest.

Ari tried so hard to hold in her giggle as she answered, "I think it's curry and a few other spices marinated overnight but the vendors here are so stingy with their recipes." Ari pouted a little under the veil and was glad he probably couldn't see her expressions well. She always got overexcited when going to the bazaar and it was difficult to maintain her royal composure.

Arellan finished the skewer and furrowed his eyebrows. "You... have a lot of spices here?"

"Hm? Yes, we do. Agriculture influences our food greatly. What spices do you have in Otha?" Ari took a bite of some roasted squash as they walked.

Arellan thought in silence, eyebrows still furrowed. Finally he answered, "Salt."

Ari laughed. "And?"

"...Salt."

Ari's smile fell to the ground.

"We... should buy some spices while we're here," Arellan stated, a hint of nervousness lacing his voice.

Ari nodded slowly. "Yes. A lot of spices, actually. All of them." Her facial expression was slowly changing to one of terror. JUST SALT?! How did they even eat food?! "Here, take these." She shoved all of the snacks into Arellan's arms, then ran off to a shop with Vida briskly following behind.

A grin made its way onto Arellan's face as he watched Ari hurry away and took another bite of a meat skewer. His guard, Ronan, walked up to stand beside and stare at the prince with an appalled look on his face. Arellan glanced at Ronan's shock, then cleared his throat and straightened his expression.