Back on track, Countess Merlise had every one of the ladies face one another and separated by a meter in the middle for someone to walk through.

Merlise directed Elric to the middle, “Lady Fantasia, please demonstrate your knowledge of aristocratic etiquette.”

Then she called for the very first lady from the two lines out to help Elric demonstrate.

Elric wasn’t nervous. The princess forced him to learn plenty about court etiquette when on the road. While he didn’t really manage to practice all the procedures at once, he did manage to practice and learn a vast majority of the steps, especially the ones Flania used most. He had been forced to learn these things in fear of being punished by the princess if he failed in properly mimicking everything. And with the princess being an expert on etiquette, how could Elric possibly 

not

 be adequate at it?

And so Elric did as he was asked. Naturally, as with all the grace expected from a young lady-in-waiting.

The result was staggering. None of the ladies-in-waiting or Merlise could believe their eyes. How could such a burlish man like Kebrilio have such a refined niece!? The way she conducted herself was sublime, from how she acted out several ceremonial rites and gestures to even several of the more complex court rites. Merlise saw several points where it looked like Fantasia was a little awkward in, but that was merely just a lack of practice. There were some aspects of Fantasia’s movements that were better than those of the seasoned women of court.

Merlise was sure of it. This young lady in front of her was a flower that had yet to blossom. And she would most definitely do her best to ensure Fantasia blossomed!

But while Elric’s actions earned the praise and admiration from the countess, envious glares were being thrown at her from the young ladies.

Fantasia was their number one enemy from here on out! She was too dangerous a foe to risk helping! Every single lady-in-waiting here had to struggle to receive the countess’ guidance! They had each battled one another to gain the upper hand over one another, and Fantasia would be no different! 

Their indifference to him was actually a blessing in disguise for Elric. He was actually glad no one was talking to him, since that meant he didn’t have to talk as much and wouldn’t risk messing up. This was definitely the safest scenario.

Several hours later and the countess was reeling from her personal tutoring of Fantasia. How amazing was this young lady?! Fantasia was sure to have memorized something after being taught once and then have perfectly mastered after a second explanation! If only she knew that Elric managed to pass Flania’s bridal training. All the countess really had to do know was touch upon several other fields to ensure Fantasia was well-rounded!

A few more hours went by before Merlise dismissed them all. Twenty-something ladies streamed out from the gazebo with Elric following right behind. The day had left him so weary! And wearing those earrings killed his head to wear! All he wanted to do right now was go back home and throw off everything so he could sleep.

He was met with an astonishing sight the moment he stepped out from the countess’ residence and onto the streets. All around him, the other ladies were being ushered onto their coaches by their attendants. Quickly, the coaches were loaded and sent back onto the streets, leaving Elric alone there with nary a soul to accompany him.

How was he going to return home then? He and Kebrilio never talked about it now that he thought about it. Was he supposed to manage on his own then?

Dithering on the streets, Elric wondered to himself what he should do.

Another hour went by. The sky was fading in daylight fast. Karth was currently in a season of shorter days, so dusk came by faster than usual. 

That left Elric debating if he should take the risk and go through the alleys despite his outfit.

He gave up. Facing the general direction of his residence, Elric began the trek back home amid the shocked glances everyone was giving him.

So tired was Elric that he never noticed some of the more stranger glances he received. Practically every male his age was staring deeply at him. Despite the outlandish attire she wore, they all thought this young lady was simply breathtaking.

Elric soon came to realize the strange sort of people following him. They were all males! Turning his head, he saw even coaches come to a stop so the pig-faced males in them could cat-call at him.

Elric was at a loss. Should he be happy that he was so attractive? That it didn’t look like anyone would be able to tell that he was actually a guy? Or should he be frustrated that all eyes were on him? It was most certainly embarrassing, Elric had never been in such a situation before! He was afraid that something out of his control might happen.

His biggest concern with the situation was actually how ‘free’ this nation felt. The atmosphere felt less restricting than his own country with how unimpeded people were. Seeing lovers with a bouquet in hand was a common sight on a daily basis, but today there were a line of males following a girl (him). He 

did

 see something like this once before in Karth, but he just never imagined that he’d be in such a situation himself. Back in Sovereign, anyone attempting to do this would be caught by the watch for suspicious activity or for disturbance of public order. Either way, they’d be sent to the dungeons for two or three days.

He began to walk even faster, but it was futile. The men behind him switched up their paces as well to keep up with him. Now this was starting to get more worrisome. Elric had half a mind to start running, but what good would that do? His outfit was far too noticeable and far too liable for him to stumble and trip over.

He wasn’t going to look back. Not with a situation as bad as this. Several of the pursuers somehow managed to procure even more bouquets, something Elric was horrified to imagine the reason why. What if they started to propose to him? Karthian proposals were something Elric had no desire to be a part of. They were utterly shameless, and Elric just had to wonder how many women only accepted a proposal so they could avoid being pestered with proposals over and over again.

Knowing a little bit about his predicament, Elric began to analyze the possible ramifications.

It’d be all over for him if he were to get himself trapped by these people. Not only would escape be impossible, but Elric was afraid the group would decide to do something insidious in such a case.

But escape didn’t seem possible, let alone avoid being surrounded.

Ducking into the alleyway wasn’t a guaranteed escape route. If anything, it’d make escape impossible if both entrances were blocked off. And being stuck with no way out in a dark alleyway? Elric shuddered to think about it. 

Elric was starting to think more like a girl now that he was dressed like one. Maybe he really 

did

 have potential for being a girl?