Aysha woke up feeling more refreshed than she'd ever been. It had been so long since she'd slept peacefully without a single nightmare or image of the day's events.

A knock could be heard on the door. "Ma'am? Are you awake? I was instructed to dress you by the Mistress."

Aysha jumped up and opened the door to see the old maid. She opened the door and took the outfit from the maid. "I can dress myself."

The maid bowed low. "Of course, ma'am. When you are finished, I will escort you to the dining room."

Aysha closed the door and examined the clothes that Craytia had given to her. She wore them silently hoping that they didn't turn out to be terrible.

Aysha wasn't too surprised to see that they weren't. She observed herself in the full body mirror on the wall across from her bed. She spun around a few times, most definitely enjoying the fit. Tight, black leather pants with a black belt that hung on her hip made for holding her gun. A simple gray shirt paired with a black leather jacket. A hood hung on the back of the jacket. A black gait covered half of her face. Black combat boots were laced up and in each shoe were two deadly blades.

Aysha had to admit that this was better than her torn, blue jeans, and ratty black shirt.

She strutted out of the room and glanced at the maid. "I'm ready."

They walked down the stairs to the dining room that was in a more enclosed area. If you stepped into the house or looked down from the top of the stairs, you wouldn't immediately see it. The first thing your eyes would be drawn to would be the giant, black, flat screen TV hanging on a wall. A white leather sofa was paired with what looked to be a sheepskin rug on the floor.

For someone so rich, Craytia's home was minimally decorated.

It wasn't until you got to the bottom of the stairs and noticed the opening not too far away from the TV which you walked through that you were in the dining room. Even the dining room was just as spacious as the living room. A glass table with wooden legs and two chairs right next to each other. The table had a white lace-like cloth draped over it as well as red table mats for two guests.

Craytia walked in from a door at the opposite end that Aysha assumed led it to the kitchen. Craytia walked in with an emerald green dress that hugged her curves. A small slit was seen on her right leg. As she walked toward Craytia, her hips swayed in a seductive manner, the diamond-studded heels clicked on the white, tiled floor, and her white earrings moved with her head.

"I thought we'd be having dinner...?"

Craytia laughed. "Of course we are. I made a last minute decision for us to go to an inner circle noble gathering. I want to show you off."

Aysha nodded. Of course she was going to be shown off to others like some sort of prized pet. Aysha felt bitter. She wasn't some sort of rare, exotic pet that she could carry and show off to others whenever she felt like it. She was a person as well, but she had sold that right when she agreed to accept Craytia as her sponsor.

Aysha would've preferred standing in the corner, but she ended up following Craytia around like a puppy. She was hating this treatment, but she knew that Craytia had a pretense to keep up.

They were in a resplendent ballroom. A golden chandelier hung from the ceiling. There was a white table filled with an assortment of snacks. Waiters went around offering samples to people as well as cups of champagne. A small group of musicians sat in the front playing soft classical music. Everyone was wearing tuxedos or designer dresses of some kind.Aysha was holding a cup herself, but she wouldn't allow herself to become drunk and relegated to taking small sips.

Famous nobles mingled with each other catching up and so forth. Everyone was dressed in intimidating, but beautifully gorgeous outfits. Clothes that Aysha knew that she'd never have enough money to afford. They enjoyed the money they had and used it so recklessly without any care, because they knew it could easily be replaced.

Lucky them, unfortunately not everyone had that privilege.

A man with a wrinkled face and a small beard approached Aysha. His face seemed aged, but the smile on his face told a story of a long-lived life.

A calming life.

A sweet life.

"Well, hello, are you Craytia's sponsor for the year?"

Aysha nodded with a bright smile. While they'd been in the car, Craytia had reminded her to smile and be polite but to stay on her guard. She had to choose her words wisely. One wrong move and they'd think Craytia had chosen someone incompetent.

"Yes, I am."

The man chuckled. "Lucky you. You're the only sponsor of hers that's actually lived for this long. Did she tell you that the Trials were in a week?"

"Yes, she has."

Short concise responses that left no room for any assumptions.

"Here's some advice, kill her now and take her place before the Trials. The Trials are cruel and heart-wrenching things. Trust me when I say that you don't want to be part of them."

They exchanged a simple nod as Aysha mulled over his words in her mind.