Sara stared at Eren’s retreating back as he left her room, reaching the door, he and the black-haired girl exchanged a strange look before he left the room, the girl then sighed and walked inside, closing the door behind her. Sara, for some reason expected the girl to be just like those rude priests who couldn’t stand to be in the same room as her, however, she turned to her with a very polite smile, placed one foot in front of the other and bowed ever so slightly, Sara watched the act with baffled eyes, she knew all about the courtesies and the formal way to great someone, but the way Geraldine did it made hers look like a duck attempts to get up, Geraldine was so steady and graceful, her back remained straight as a wall, only her head move in an elegant and slow motion before it rose again, her feet were placed in a way that gave her whole body a defined silhouette even behind her puffy skirt. “Good evening Miss.” Geraldine greeted with a smile and a beautiful voice, a very beautiful melodious voice, Sara thought. She didn’t know why but something innerved her about the beautiful girl with the beautiful voice, not being able to point out what bothered her, Sara greeted her back. “Allow me to introduce myself properly, my name is Geraldine Renaldy and I have been assigned by the L…Duke as your personal assistant, please let me know if you needed anything.” Sara stared at the girl with a confused expression. A personal assistant? For her? Sara knew all about personal assistants, they were well trained young women who accompanied the noble ladies and helped them appear in the best possible way in the eyes of the upper class, these assistants were the graduates of a dignified  private school where they have learned all the proper manners of a lady as well as everything a lady might need, they were very knowledgeable when it came to fashion and appearances as one of their most important tasks was to dress their ladies properly for each season and occasion, as well assist them to be on their finest behavior with perfect manners and etiquettes, plan their meetings and dates, write their letters, save them from  awkward situations and sometimes, if the lady isn’t very educated on a certain topic herself, help them with enough notes and remarks to start a conversation. Sara was still unable to understand why did Eren brought her a personal assistant, not only their services were very expensive, but she was no nobility to begin with, she was a bastard with no titles nor status, her expression became a worried one when she thought he might have not understood that fact about her. The keen of the assistant didn’t seem to miss the change in the girl’s face, not that it was subtle nor hidden, the girl was just as the Duke described, transparent like an open book, stepping forward with a gentle smile, Geraldine placed the folded dress on the bed before turning to Sara. “May I have the honor to know your name, My lady?” “Oh, it is Sara”, Sara almost slapped herself for her rudeness and lack of manners, she should have introduced herself right away, seeing the still expecting look on Geraldine’s face, she understood she was waiting to hear her her full name, not knowing what to say as she couldn’t reveal her identity to another stranger, She offered a nervous smile instead, one that the trained assistant understood right away. “The Duke have told me that he has a special guest that deserved the absolute best care and service. However, allow me to admit that I did not except someone of your beauty.”, Sara’s cheeks blushed right away, she didn’t expect the compliment nor did she expect for Eren to go to that extent for her. Since she was old enough to remember, Sara was always treated in a way where any act of kindness she received was always attached to some form of gloating with everyone hanging it around her head. Her father, whether intentionally or not always made his visits sound like a big favor, the priests, more bluntly, always reminded her of how lucky she was to be received in their holy tower, everything she had in her not so generous life was something she was constantly told to be grateful for, a feeling of unworthiness grew in her subconsciousness without her knowing, and beside her identity and freedom, Sara didn’t feel like she ever deserved anything. Therefore, she grew up to glorify any act of kindness toward her and give it way more than its actual volume. To see the things Eren was doing to her although he had no obligation, Sara’s heart was overwhelmed with feelings, she was beyond grateful for all his care and kindness, he not only accepted her without a second thought but also sheltered and fed her, and now even brought her a personal assistant to tend to her… “Thank you…” smiling shyly at the black-haired girl, “You are so beautiful as well.” Geraldine stared at Sara for a couple of seconds before chuckling a little, the girl was very adorable with her gullibility, walking to stand next to her, she smiled brightly. “Thank you, Lady Sara, but a noble lady is not obliged to return compliments, it is proper enough to thank the person, you are indeed very beautiful and should take pride in that. Now…”, heading toward another door, she opened it and gestured for Sara to get inside. “How about a good bath while dinner is being prepared.” Sara wasn’t exactly comfortable with being naked in front of others and there for she politely asked the assistant to bath alone, not wanting to keep her waiting, Sara quickly discarded herself of her clothes and stood in front of the sink to observe herself in the small mirror while the tub was being filled. Beauty? Sara asked herself while mourning her pitiful appearance, her dry crannied lips and the dark circles under her red eyes, her skin was paler than usual without its usual glow, her hair was bird nest again and the dress which was now on the ground was an awful muddy mess. Sighing, Sara grabbed the necessary toiletries and began to wash her body, scrubbing away the dirt and sweat harshly as she thought about a certain black-haired assistant. Compared to her pitiful self, Geraldine was just what a lady should look like, she was completely flawless, her appearance was polished perfectly, her hair was shiny with it rich dark color and decorated in a way that complemented her face in the best way, the dress she wore showed her thin delicate built, her upper body looked like it was sculpted by an artist while her lower one hid behind the puffy skirt, the way she moved and talked was also so lady like, she looked confident in her own skin, knowing exactly what to say and how to say it, and Sara didn’t know why it slightly, just slightly, bothered her. Shaking her head, Sara finished her bath and told herself she had no reason to compare herself to Geraldine, they had no rivalry going on between them, the good girl was there to help her and it was rude to be upset of how good looking she was, but again, the memory of that look she shared with Eren jumped to her mind. Walking out in a bathrobe, Sara was greeted with Geraldine’s slight frown. “Did you bathe in boiled water?” she asked, unsure of why the silver haired girl’s skin looked reddish. “I did, I love to bathe in hot water, it makes me feel cleaner...”, Sara said, truth was, she missed her hot baths since she couldn’t have any in the shack, not having the time to fully enjoy this one, she wondered if it was okay to take another one after dinner.. “Okay, I will remember that.” Geraldine said before handing her a navy blue dress to wear, saying it was a suitable dress with the right color for a private dinner indoors, the dress was actually very beautiful but didn’t have the puffy skirt, the assistant explained it that puffy skirts needed a lot of practice to walk and sit in, however, she chose to not tell the girl that from her observations, a puffy skirt was merely a way for her to embarrass herself. Putting on the dress, Sara changed her mind about it instantly, it wasn’t grand like Geraldine’s and definitely didn’t stand out, however, it complemented her body, the design gave her a very feminine silhouette, not as thin as her assistant’s but still very agreeable, she loved how it revealed her neck and collar bones and the tip of her shoulders, the sleeves reached her wrists and the several layers of the skirts dress gave her hips extra volume without having to endure the nuisance of a metallic cage. Sara touched the lacy neck line of her dress while Geraldine busied herself with braiding her silver locks in a side bride into a fancy but simple braid with some beautiful blue hairpins, she somehow, felt as if the whole thing was unreal, in a blink of an eye she was transformed from a mere bastards into a …. A lady, Sara thought as she allowed Geraldine to apply a moisturizer on her lips. Finishing the preparations, Geraldine lead Sara through the corridors into a doubled door, Saying the duke was waiting for her inside, she wondered if her assistant wasn’t going to join them, and in a way, she wished she doesn’t as she and Eren had so many private matters to talk about, not to mention she didn’t want to spend the dinner comparing herself and etiquettes to Geraldine’s. However, Geraldine left after wishing Sara a good dinner and night as she had important matters to take care of, bidding the girl her goodbyes, Geraldine promised to show up the next day and spend time with her, once left alone, Sara took a deep breath before knocking on the door. When she heard Eren’s voice telling her to get in, Sara opened the double doors and walked in into the large room, it looked like a big study with a large desk on one corner but a sitting area the other, the room unlike hers had a warmer and more sophisticated touch as the furniture was a mix or brown and red pieces. Seeing it was her, Eren stood from his chair and walked toward her, leaving all his papers scattered on the large desk, dressed in black as usual, he looked at her with clear admiration that he soon voiced. “You look so beautiful, my fair lady”, smiling shyly, Sara thanked him, they exchanged some small irrelevant talks before Eren invited her to his patio. Seeing her stunned expression once they were at the entrance of the patio, Eren frowned, not understanding what happened, he called her gently… “It is…Beautiful…” Sara whispered to herself but Eren heard it, her eyes were fixated on the patio with the eyes of a child who saw for the very first time after living his entire life in darkness. “The table? Oh, wait until you taste it…” “The night..” her voice was louder this time as she meant to answer him but her voice was shaky and wavering, she looked at him, astonishment written all over her face, her pure eyes shining like glass, she looked at him for few seconds before looking back at the sky, she expected to see nothing but darkness, however, the sky was not black but dark blue with so so many tiny dotes that shines like distant candles, “It is the first time I see the night sky…”. Eren had no idea how to reply to that, he just stared at her for few seconds before smiling back at her warmly while taking her hand in his… “It is, Just like you, my fair lady…”