When the awaited day arrived Celine finally took a proper look at her closet.

Celine lived in the western wing of the Aquitaine manor, habituated only by a small portion of the maids and Celine herself. Her father and brother lived in the rest of the mansion. She had her own garden to roam, food cooked to her tastes only, and more than that, she could roam wherever she wanted in her nightgown without consequence.

It was a bad habit, honestly. She had only started doing so after regressing in time.

Regardless, now was the second time she was properly picking out a dress to wear. The first time was Sirin's visit, but now, she was going on an outing.

The closet was filled with well-kept dresses of many styles and colors, but all of them suited her well enough. Celine picked out a white dress with blue rose patterns and ruffles that, though too childish for her tastes, suited her mild-colored hair quite well. Miriam tied her hair into a braided bun, secured her sunhat quite snugly, and then it was time to leave.

The two walked down the halls of the manor, the large windows casting diagonal shadows on the corridor. Celine had to pass through the other wing of the manor to leave through the main entrance, where her carriage awaited.

Celine honestly didn't want to see any family members even now, after years of not seeing their faces. But as her life typically went, she wasn't so fortunate.

Just as she entered the main hall of the Aquitaine manor, Albert bumped right into her. Celine was the one who stumbled back a few steps. She steadied herself before looking up at her brother, whose expression had gone from startled to slightly irritated.

Albert Aquitaine, the star child of the family, bearing the silver hair and eyes that spoke of the Aquitaine Duchy's bloodline. He was acquaintances with Prince Midas, and studied at the magic tower.

"Celine," he said, his tone clipped, "is it already time for your sole monthly excursion?"

Celine brushed herself off momentarily before looking up at him with apathy equivalent to her brother's. All these years without seeing each other and Celine hadn't missed Albert or their father and ounce. Sadly, she did feel a pang of guilt, which she promptly squashed.

There was no reason to feel apologetic towards any of them. Their honor had remained quite unscathed throughout her entire past life, Celene was the only one to die early.

She was the outlier, in every way. Hah, had she hoped they'd die along with her? Celine stashed the thought away before she had any ill-timed realizations.

"I'm just on my way out, brother," she said simply.

Albert gave her a once over then, eyeing her sunhat and dress.

"You've been quiet lately. I thought you'd mope after the engagement some more."

Celine nearly scoffed. Mope? Celine hadn't moped even in her past life. It has been a convenience! These fools didn't know a thing, seriously. But now, standing before him as a younger version of herself, she swallowed the bitter retort she wanted to give.

"Mope? I'm not moping, brother. I'm merely... adjusting. It's a lot to take in, you see." she said, placidly.

Albert raised an eyebrow. "If you say so. Well, do be careful. The capital is full with rumors about your engagement already. People will be watching you closely now."

Celine nodded at Captain Obvious, who strode past her without a second glance. How typical of the guy— distant, cool, and indifferent to her presence unless it concerned the family's reputation. Well, at least she hadn't been sad about his treatment of her in a long time.

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Miriam, standing quietly behind her, stepped forward. "Shall we go, my lady?"

Celine nodded, feeling slightly bitter. Regardless, she moved on, stepping outside the Manor's opulent front doors into the sunlight.

The carriage ride was uneventful, and the rattling of the carriage wheels on cobblestone cleared Celine's head. She stared out the carriage window, subconsciously digging her nails into the fabric of her dress.

She missed Laura, Vivian, and Marie dearly, and yet she felt trepidation at the idea of seeing them again. Knowing that, perhaps, one of them had plotted against her. It could be one, two, or perhaps all three of them wished for her demise.

The guilt and shame of suspecting innocent people would feel far better than the feeling of betrayal if one of them had tried to kill her. Whatever. She needed to know.

When Celine arrived at the tea shop, she gracefully stepped out of her carriage. Along with Miriam, she took a knight along as was typical of when noble ladies on outings. looking The familiar building loomed ahead, the walls painted cream and brown. The balconies were lined with fresh flowers, and a maid greeted Miriam when she stepped in.

There, at the usual table, were her three friends, already chatting away happily.

Vivian turned her head when the bell of the front door rang, her soft expression turning into one of joy at the sight of Celine.

"Lady Celine, you've arrived," she called out, pleased to see her. Even though they were friends, Vivian always used polite speech.

"Wow! Right on time! I just got here too!" said Laura, who scooted a chair backward for Celine to sit on.

"We've missed you, Celine. You've had quite a busy few weeks, right?" Marie asked.

"Of course, I'm adjusting. But it's all over now. The excitement will settle down soon." Celine said, a gloved finger on her chin. She wondered how she was going to figure out if any of them had bad intentions.

"It definitely will, don't worry." Said Vivian, who tucked her hair behind her ear. "I still can't wrap my head around you being the future empress... The rest of us aren't even close to an engagement yet," she murmured.

"Yeah, do you think she'll mandate study sessions as queen?" Laura teased, smiling. "Ah! I completely forgot that I need to get you an engagement gift!"

"There's no need for that, Laura." Celine cleared her throat. "I have enough little trinkets from you by now." Indeed, after she regressed, her desk had been filled with pens, paperweights, perfumes, and other knickknacks with far less practical use.

"Yeah Laura, if you keep spending money on people so frequently, you'll drive the Aventiu Marquesate to ruin," Marie said. She always jumped at opportunities to tease Laura.

"Besides, that, I always knew you were destined for greatness," said Vivian, who looked at Celine with a clear expression. "This engagement isn't unexpected at all, despite what others might say."

Yes, Celine was the least popular ducal child. Celine also hadn't been very social either, which meant that out of all the noble girls, it was unexpected for her of all people to become engaged with him. The fact that her hair, ashy brown, ill-fitting to her family's symbolic silver hair, only worsened this reputation. Oftentimes Celine didn't feel like a member of the Duchy at all. It was due to a past event that caused the engagement, and it was only just now released to the public.

But just as Vivian said, the gossip and outrage would be momentary. However, it would come up once she entered the Royal Academy.

"Greatness is quite exhausting," Celine replied, trying to keep the mood playful. "I might just prefer a quiet life in the country." She sipped the tea they'd ordered somewhere down the line.

Laura gasped dramatically. "What? You, in the countryside? Impossible! Where did our ambitious Celine go? You must be tired... Oh dear." She dabbed at Celine's forehead with a napkin as if she was sick. Celine batted her hand away lightly, smiling.

"Well, if you do end up as empress," Marie said with a grin, "remember that fancy invitations to the palace are expected of you. Don't let your dear friends miss out on the luxury." Vivian smiled politely at Marie's joke, fiddling with her bracelet.

"I will. The palace is quite beautiful, after all. I wouldn't abandon you guys," Celine said. She didn't know if her own words were true. She felt disgusting, saying sweet words while watching so carefully for their reactions.

The meetup ended without consequence. Celine hadn't found any reason to be worried, but she also didn't absolve any of them of wariness. She wasn't any closer to finding anything out, but what she did know was that she wasn't crazy in her past life.

They looked and spoke to her with affection and love. If one of them was playing her, it wasn't entirely because Celine was foolish. That was a relief. And yet, the feeling of not trusting her friends was unpleasant. Celine wondered if she was growing or just blindly stumbling through the dark once more.

Celine left last, seeing her friends off as their carriages were retrieved. It was early evening when she left the parlor, climbing into her carriage. Yet again, the carriage's rumble quieted her thoughts until she reached the Aquitaine Manor.

Upon returning to her wing, Sedgwick bowed to her and handed her another letter, one that was golden with patterns embossed on it.

"Lady Celine, you have a letter from the royal palace."