Holy crow, I was not expecting Aoki's rewritten story to be this long! I guess you all are getting a two part extra lol.
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{AOKI'S POV}
Asahi runs a hair salon back in Citadel, but she agreed to be our guide. She was born and raised in Evander before immigrating here with her family.

Observation: Mom and Dad trust Asahi. Conclusion: Asahi is trustworthy.

I open the window to poke my head out. The carriage wheels are kicking up sand, which I promptly inhale. Dad pats me on the back to help me expectorate sand. Conclusion: that was highly unpleasant.

Sub-conclusion: I will not stick my head out of the carriage window in a desert ever again.

The sun beats down overhead. Warm air flows into the carriage, instantly making it feel ten times hotter inside. I carefully survey the wavy sand dunes surrounding us, like a butter yellow ocean. I've never been in the desert before.

The capital of Evander is an ever-growing spot of green, blue, and red on the horizon. Oasis is, as the city name implies, an oasis.

In fact, it's built in the largest of the 60 known oases in the Grand Southern Desert.

When we arrive, I note the change in architecture between kingdoms. In Evander, they use mud bricks rather than stone or wood. Brightly-colored stained glass windows match the colorful glass beads in the older women's hair.

Conclusion: they use materials they can acquire easily. This confirms what I read in that Architecture Over The Ages book six years, one month, thirteen days ago about architects around the continent.

Their clothes are generally loose, light, and multicolored. Fashion is used to cover the skin and thus help protect it from the sun. This corroborates what I read in Evander Fashion Trends Vol. 8 as research prior to this trip.

When we reach the royal palace, one dozen female servants and one dozen male servants come out to fetch our baggage.

I note a female, who appears to be younger than me, is carrying an ornate little green jewelry box. Observation: she's not dressed like a servant. Sub-observation: her clothing appears to be high quality. More evidence is needed to confirm.

The girl looks down at her feet. She sets her little box on a table—next to a decorative amphora—to adjust a strap on her shoes. A very similar looking, yet older girl runs up to her. She gestures to us and pulls the first girl away. They leave the box behind.

Dad and I are escorted into the throne room. Kgosi Ade relaxes on a large pile of colorful pillows.

A group of women lounge on the pillows around him. Observation: four of the women are sitting stiffly, leaning away from their husband. Hypothesis: these are the four wives with marital complaints.

Sub-observation: based on proximity and quality of jewelry, they are farthest from the Kgosi Ade and (sub-hypothesis) appear to be the least respected wives within the king's harem.

"We thank you for the gifts you have brought us, old friend." Kgosi Ade says while Dad and I sit on the pillows a servant gestures us to. "Of course, we have prepared many fine gifts for you as well. My daughters will present them now."

Thirteen girls walk out of doors hidden behind tapestries on the wall. I blink in surprise. Conclusion: these well-hidden passages are meant for servants, or escape in case of an attack.

The daughters all look very similar, but I recognize two of them from my recent memory.

The younger girl I saw earlier is the only empty-handed daughter. She twiddles her thumbs. The older girl who came to collect her is also in line.

"My dears," Kgosi Ade addresses his daughters a glowing smile. "Introduce yourselves."

They set their presents down in front of us with practiced elegance and curtsy as they say their names, oldest to youngest. The oldest appears to be around twenty-five years old: "Bia."

"Dia."

"Fia."

"Gia."

"Kia."

"Lia."

"Mia."

"Nia." This is the name of the empty-handed one. She can only curtsy and scurry away.

"Pia."

"Ria."

"Sia."

"Tia."

"Zia." The youngest daughter appears to be only six years old. Conclusion: if Kgosi Ade sires any more daughters, this will ruin the alphabetical order.

Kgosi Ade frowns. "Nia, where is your gift, my dear? Didn't you make that lovely anklet by hand?"

Nia fidgets nervously. "I-I don't know where it is, Father. I cannot find it."

"Seriously," Mia puts her hands on her hips. "Absentminded girl, you'd lose your head if it wasn't attached to your body! Where did you see it last?"

Nia frowns, pulling her eyebrows together. Observation: she's about to cry. "I-I don't know, okay! I swear I just had it. I was carrying the box when Gia-nee came to get me!"

I open my mouth. Bia looks at us anxiously.

"Apologies." She says quickly. "Please forgive Nia. She's terribly forgetful. Always misplacing things from the day she was born."

"In the entry hall when we arrived." I close my eyes, playing through the memory. "Nia-sama set it down on the corner of a small table displaying a decorative red clay amphora. In a fist-sized wooden box, painted green and carved with lotus flowers."

Everyone looks at me. Kgosi Ade whispers something to a servant, who disappears and reappears moments later with the box I saw before.

Nia gasps and quickly presents it to us with a flourish. Observation: she still looks like she's going to cry. However, she appears quite happy.

Conclusion: tears do not always have to be sad. I will keep this in mind when making future observations.

Dad and Kgosi Ade talk business. I listen carefully, observing the two rulers and how they interact. 80% of conversation is nonverbal, after all.

After the meeting is done, Dad and I are given time to settle into our room. When it's time for dinner, Fia, Kia, and Nia come to collect us. I thank them all, addressing each sister by name.

Nia blinks. "You can tell us apart?"

I tilt my head. "Shall I stop?"

"No, no!" Nia looks at her sisters, then back at me. "Even if you remember our faces, our names are very similar. We tend to share most of our things, so everyone mistakes us at some point."

"I won't, Nia-sama." I assure her.

Nia beams at me. The three girls escort us to dinner, seating us at a circular table. Dad and I sit opposite to Kgosi Ade. Nia sits on my right while little Zia plants herself on my left, between me and Dad.

Zia is very excited for the new company. She talks animatedly to us the entire time: "Bia-nee said this! Sia-nee did that! Tia-nee played with me today!"

Observation: we're all facing each other, laughing and talking casually. Conclusion: dinner in Evander is a lively event, even with royalty.

"Why, my Nia here is an excellent dancer. The best, I dare say! Why don't you show them, my dear?" Kgosi Ade pats Mia on the shoulders proudly. Beside me, Nia stiffens almost imperceptibly.

Hypothesis: Kgosi Ade makes mistakes like this frequently. Observation: Nia is disappointed.

I turn to her. "I would be delighted to see Evander's traditional dance, Nia-sama."

Kgosi Ade frowns. All thirteen sisters' mouths drop open in awe and surprise.

Kgosi Ade looks at his seventh daughter, "You're—"

"Mia-sama." I interject. Dad pinches me under the table. I continue, "She and Nia-sama are identical twins, so their faces are quite similar. Both have inherited your Majesty's round eyes and high cheek bones. However, Nia-sama's face is wider while Mia-sama's is longer. Nia-sama has a small birthmark on her right temple that Mia-sama doesn't."

Nia gasps, reaching up to touch her unique, duck-shaped birthmark. Observation: Nia is crying. Sub-observation: Nia is happy.

Kgosi Ade smiles tightly. "You have excellent memory, Aoki-dono. Nia, my dear, if you will."

"Yes, Father." Nia nods breathlessly. She stands and prepares to dance, her face flushed.

Over the course of the six days, seven hours, 14 minutes, I help Dad to gather information about the potential sloughing of tribes and the reasons why, while also helping to appease them.

Conclusion: Kgosi Ade does not love all 22 of his wives equally. More specifically, the four wives in question receive less favor, which lead their tribes to believe that Kgosi Ade favors them less as well.

Of the wives attempting to divorce, two are childless. One is the mother of Ria, while the last wife is the mother of Mia and Nia.

Observation: I keep running into Nia. Conclusion: being with Nia elicits feelings akin to happiness, but she's very forgetful and that is aggravating.

Over the course of six days, seven hours, I've helped Nia find 32 misplaced objects and seen her dance five times. Twice at dinner and thrice while practicing. She's invited me to watch her dance practice as thanks for helping her find her misplaced items.

Observation: the traditional dance of Evander has a lot of gyration and swaying of the hips. Sub-observation: Nia is a really amazing dancer.

Once Dad and I have been in Evander for 14 days, the four disgruntled tribes agree to meet with Kgosi Ade and discuss the divorce and separation matters.

Kgosi Ade convinces the tribes that he still favors them. The issue is closed when one of the four wives falls ill mid-discussion. A doctor examines her and determines that she's with child. The four tribes agree not to split and Evander is unified once more.

Kgosi Ade's thirteen daughters see us off. As Asahi rolls the carriage away, I look out the back window.

Observation: Nia has crumpled to her knees in front of the palace. Mia and her other sisters are trying to comfort her. Sub-observation: Nia is crying.

Conclusion: I want to jump out of the carriage, run back to the princesses, and ask Nia why she's crying. Are her tears due to happiness or sadness?

The horses are trotting at roughly 12 miles per hour. If one were to jump out of a carriage moving at this speed, the probability of sustaining serious injury upon hitting the ground is statistically significant.

Conclusion: my previous conclusion is an irrational desire and should not be fulfilled.

The ride back to Citadel feels much slower than the ride out. My heart is heavy. I've never felt like this before. I should research when I get back home. I need to know what this feeling is.

"How was Evander, Aoki?" Miu asks as soon as we're back. Observation: she's jealous.

"Enlightening." I replay Nia's dances in my head for the 39th time since leaving Evander.

Miu appraises me up and down. "You're tan."

"There's not much shade in Evander."

Shimon and Sora plow into my legs, causing me to loose my balance.

"Aniue! Aniue back!" Sora bawls.

"We mist you!" Shimon cries.

Sora suddenly crouches and pulls at an anklet encircling my right leg. "Aniue, what dis?"

Observation: smiling genuinely has become slightly easier. The cause and effect must be researched further. "It was a gift."