Marsh and Victor looked at Mogi with visible shock on their faces.

Victor leaned his head forward questioningly.

"And how do you plan to do that? The three of us have no chance of getting into that manor in the first place. The gates are heavily guarded as far as I'm aware and that's just the first obstacle of many."

Victor looked to the side scoffing.

"Stop wasting our time with your stupid plans, we have better things to do than fantasize about your pipe dreams."

Mogi leaned forward in his chair with a grin, placing his left hand on his cheek and his left elbow on the table.

"Wow. So cold your not even willing to hear me out."

Mogi sat back stretching his arms while yawning.

"We sneak in through a wagon delivering goods to the manor. I know one that is leaving tomorrow that will be easy to hop a ride in."

Victor raised an eyebrow with a dismissal attitude.

"And you expect them to not notice our clothes and appearance. Their servants are well kept you know, we'll stick out like a sore thumb."

Mogi rubbed his hands together.

"You seriously believe that I hadn't thought of that. Don't worry I have that handled.

Victor shook his head.

"You still don't get it do you. No matter how much you prepare, you can't be ready for anything. What if they see past our disguises? And even if they don't they will surely see valuables being stolen."

Mogi smilied.

"Don't worry. The plan may seem simple, but simple plans are usually the best, and its not like I don't have failsafes in mind."

Marsh sat quietly waiting for the chance to give his opinion.

"I don't think we should do it. It's not like I don't trust your plan Mogi, but is there really any point. Our life is really not that bad..."

At that moment Marsh's stomach grumbled. His flushed face as he bowed down in embarrassment.

"I know that we're all hungry, but I don't want to lose what we have. I'm afraid of us being caught, but I'm even more scared of us gaining wealth. I feel like we will drift apart, going our separate ways and eventually we might not be together anymore."

Victor looked at Marsh confused.

"You don't have to worry about us drifting apart. We've been together for over a decade already. Nothing will bring us apart."

Mogi quickly nodded.

"Plus something needs to change. If I don't get proper nutrition soon I might be a midget for life."

Marsh's muscles seemed to lose some tension and he lightly grinned.

"Your not a midget silly."

Victor ignored Marsh looking in the air as if imagining something.

"I agree with Mogi. Something does need to change. We can't be slum rats forever."

Marsh nodded his head hesitantly.

Mogi sat up with a shrug.

"I guess it is decided. Tomorrow we become rich."

**********

The rattling sound of hooves on the cobbled road reverberated throughout downtown. Carriages slowly rolled through the streets surrounded by hoards of people active during the early morning.

The romantic architecture gave the city a looming presence that could be slightly intimidating to one who was not used to it.

Wafts of steam slithered through the air like a sea of snakes escaping from freshly baked bread out into the sky. Constant chatter of different bargains occurring at shopping stalls gave life to the bright streets of Casadonia.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

The three orphans stuck close together as they slowly forced their way through the crowd. Mogi lead the way, with Vic and Marsh trailing right behind him.

Marsh looked around the bustling street nervously.

"Where exactly are we going?"

Mogi glanced behind at Marsh and then pointed to a door leading to a clothing shop at the corner of a building.

"There."

A fancy ornate sign hung outside the door reading Arbol Tailor. From his investigations Mogi had found out that the Vargas had a close relationship with the owner of the shop, Arbol, and exclusively bought him. A Vargas wagon should be arriving soon to pick up an order for more clothes. It happened around every two weeks, so if they missed their chance today, they would have to wait or roll the dice on a riskier plan.

The Vargas had a multide of servants and were very uptight on their appearance. This did not coincide with the labor some of the servants did, leading to the frequent necessity of new clothes to replaces those that were destroyed in work.

Mogi continued wading throughout the crowded street.

"Technically we don't need to go in there, but we might as well take a peek at what's inside."

Mogi quickly explained his knowledge to the other two boys who seemed more confident knowing what the plan was.

The boys made their way over to the entrance of the shop. Mogi glanced up at the sign hanging from two rusty chains, slowly swaying in the wind with a creak. Mogi turned to Marsh, attempting to straighten his ragged clothes like a concerned mother. After removing some invisible 'dust' particles from Marsh's brown tunic, Mogi looked up at his companions.

"Marsh come inside with me. Vic you stay outside and watch out for the Vargas carriage. If it comes let us know immediately."

The Vargas carriages themselves were easy to spot if one knew what they were looking for. An ornate maroon design and an infamous insignia were hard to miss. The insignia, a howling wolf with black tentacles emerging from its back, was a disturbing sight to even Mogi. But it seemed about right. Nobles were crazy and selfish after all. Mogi was half convinced they weren't human anyways by the way they acted.

A bell rung as Mogi dragged Marsh into the store. A clerk greeted them with a friendly smile.

The clerk was a young women who was around 19 to 20 years old, which was not much older than Mogi and Marsh who were both 17. Oddly enough Victor was the youngest of the three of them at 16 with his birthday landing in the fall. The warm weather outside meant that it was summer and Vic's birthday had yet to arrive.

The clerk's brown locks flowed in a half ponytail which complimented her cute face and shimmering brown eyes.

"Welcome to Arbol Tailor. How may I help you guys?"

Mogi gave a shallow bow and indicated to Marsh.

"The young lord is looking for clothes. He's about to be matched for marriage and we can't have him running around in some peasant clothes."

Mogi quickly glared at Marsh with feigned annoyance.

"Even if said clothes are comfortable, a young noble like you needs to be held up to some standards. You were spoiled too much in your younger years. Now your father is blaming me for the way you've ended up and on my ass to get you straightened out."

Mogi shook his head with a palm on his face.

Marsh blinked a few times with a confused look on his face.

"What?"

Mogi coughed giving Marsh a glare.

A spark flashed across Marsh's face as he finally got the memo. A slight scowl appear on his beautiful face as he dark blue eyes rolled.

"I don't see the need to have to wear certain clothes anyways. They are just clothes, it's not like they're that big of a deal."

Luckily the clerk didn't seem to notice Marsh's poor acting as she was dreamily staring at his perfect facial proportions. Suddenly her back straighten shaking her out of her daze.

"Sorry. What did you guys need again? Some clothes fit for a noble?"

Mogi nodded, turning to face the clerk. His eyes widened and his mouth opened in a display of shock.

"You're Abigail Arbol!"

Mogi turned to Marsh giving him a light punch on his arm.

"You better get your act together in front of one of your potential suitors."

Marsh pretended to be shocked, then shyly glanced away from Abigail with his hand on the back of his neck.

"Wh-what would you recommend me to get?"

Abigail seemed distracted and her lips trembled in a quiet murmur.

"So cute."

Marsh's face flushed cherry red, his introverted self wanting to run away from the situation.

"Umm..."

The clerk's cheeks slowly set aflame as she realized what she said out loud. She hurriedly shuffled out from behind the desk avoiding eye contact, attempting to regain her composure.

"F-follow me, I'll show you what I recommend."

Abigail quickly led them around the shop recommending a regal blue tunic with gold embroideries that complemented the darker shade along with a black undershirt and pants that's smooth material matched up to the quality of the tunic.

Marsh went into the changing room to try on the clothes and when he came out... Mogi didn't know how to feel. He looked the part of a majestic prince. His shy character only seemed excentuate his kind hearted nature. Any reasonable female would fall for him, even Mogi was feeling some type of way.

'Damn I wish I was as hot as him. At least if I was that hot I wouldn't waste it by being too shy to talk with girls.'

Abigail's jaw dropped unable to keep her eyes off of Marsh.

Marsh looked up shyly. He played around with his new clothes as if he couldn't seem to get comfortable.

"Does it look ok?"

Abigail blinked still staring at Marsh.

"Yes."

Marsh let out a breath of air in relief.

Mogi turned to Abigail.

"How much will it cost?"

Seemingly on autopilot, Abigail blinked.

"It's on the house today. You've compensated me enough to treating me to this sight."

Marsh broke out into a huge grin.

"Thank you! I'll remember this... um Abigail right. I'll remember this for when I choose my suitor."

With lovestruck eyes, Abigail continued to gawk at Marsh. Her face suddenly flushed as she bowed to Marsh.

"Don't worry about it. It was my pleasure."

Marsh nodded to Abigail with a smile as they went to leave the shop. The bell rung again as Mogi opened the door for Marsh to exit.

Abigail glanced at Marsh with a longing look.

"Please pick me. Please pick me as your partner."

Marsh looked back to Abigail shyly.

"I would be more than willing to. You are such a wonderful young lady. I don't..."

Mogi dragged Marsh out before he could say something self deprecating, leaving Abigail heart-struck and hopeful for another meeting with Marsh.