[Ace's POV]
As we walked through the festival, side-by-side yet separated by a careful, unspoken distance, Ovelia remained quiet, her wide eyes taking in the spectacle but her lips forming no requests. It was a stark contrast to other noblewomen I had observed, who would point and demand with the certainty of their station. I found myself offering—a delicate silver bracelet here, a pair of earrings there, both from expensive boutiques and simple artisan carts. Her response was always the same: a soft, appreciative smile and a gentle shake of her head. "Just seeing them is beautiful enough," she would say, her voice sincere. The concept of owning such things seemed foreign, almost uncomfortable to her.
