As they drew closer to the Adventurers Guild, all of Eleonora’s companions began to notice the change in her demeanor.

  Her voice had gone quiet and the constant stream of questions she had been firing at Lucien had slowed, then stopped altogether.

  Instead, she was now walking stiffly, hands clasped tight in front of her, her gaze fixed somewhere just ahead of her shoes.

  Isadora noticed the subtle tremor in Eleonora’s hands and the way her steps had grown shorter, more hesitant.

  The maid sped up her pace just enough to fall in step beside Eleonora.

  Her sharp, ever-alert expression softened as she took in the shallow breaths, the tight shoulders, the barely contained nerves.

  Without a word, Isadora stepped closer and wrapped her arms around Eleonora, pulling her into a firm, protective embrace.

  Eleonora let out a small, surprised sound and then sagged into her, clutching at Isadora’s surcoat like an anchor.

  “My lady,” Isadora said quietly, her voice low and steady, meant only for Eleonora’s ears.

  “It’s all right. I’m here now,” Isadora said.

  “What if they laugh again? Or… or get angry? I don’t want to mess this up again."

  “You won’t,” Isadora replied without hesitation.

  “And if anyone tries, they’ll answer me.

  And plus, you have some adventures to help you now.” She glanced briefly toward Kavisha and Lucien hoping she was right.

  “You are not alone my lady.”

  Isadora released her only once she was sure Eleonora was steady again, resuming her watchful position at her side.

  Though she was still shaky and unnaturally mute.

  As they finally arrived at the guild hall Eleonora barely registered that they had arrived.

  A strange sinking feeling clawed at her as she walked in.

  Isadora rested her hand firmly at the small of her back, guiding her forward with quiet authority, while Kavisha walked on her other side.

  Somewhere behind them, Lucien was following with a lumbering gait.

  The guild hall was just as Eleonora remembered it.

  But this time every sound felt magnified, and she felt the room pressing in on her and as her chest became tight and her breathing turned shallow.

  Isadora steered her through the main floor without slowing, ignoring tables, stares, and the way conversations dipped as they passed.

  They made their way toward the back of the hall, where the guild dolls worked.

  The doll counter was like a window into another world. Behind the neat counter, with its small brass bell, stood an orderly office utterly at odds with the rest of the guild’s first floor.

  Its walls were lined with filing cabinets and neatly arranged cubbies.

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  In its center were four desks in precise rows, each equipped with an auto-memory recorder and stacks of forms waiting to be processed.

  Auto-memory recorders had been invented centuries ago by the apsara, originally commissioned for one of their Rani who had gone blind and could no longer write.

  Over time, the devices became powerful cultural symbols among the apsara; mastery of the recorder was seen as a mark of refinement, with the most esteemed ladies boasting typing speeds of five hundred words per minute or more.

  Since the founding of the Empire one hundred and seventy-five years ago, the technology had gradually spread to the mainland.

  As costs had fallen, an entire guild had formed around the profession of transcription, record keeping, and letter writing.

  The profession was dominated by women and widely regarded as prestigious.

  With it often serving as a rare path to social advancement.

  Especially since literacy was still not common.

  Those who performed the work were known as dolls, a name born from a mistranslation of an Apsaran word for “typist.”

  The term had endured because it fit the profession so well.

  Dolls were famed for their beauty, their extravagant fashion, and their meticulously cultivated poise.

  They were greeted at the counter by a half-elven woman in a gown so aggressively fashionable it bordered on parody with layers of bright fabric, exaggerated sleeves, ribbons and jewelry.

  The half-elf woman offered a warm smile and bowed gracefully.

  “Welcome to the Adventurers’ Guild Doll Office,” she said in a melodic, sweet voice. “How may I serve you today?”

  “Hello,” Isadora said, her voice calm and clear.

  Meanwhile, Eleonora was trembling like a leaf, because she felt like an unwelcome guest, as though the guild hall itself were alive, and aware of her return.

  To her it also felt as if the hall was also quietly resentful of her presence.

  She had even heard the whispered conversations as they walked by to the doll counter. Isn’t that the girl from yesterday? What the hell is she doing back? One adventure said to his drinking mate.

  While at another table someone asked, why the hell is Kavisha hanging out with the idiot noble from yesterday?

  She opened her mouth to also say hello to the doll, but no sound came out.

  The half-elf looked from Isadora to Eleonora, then to Kavisha, her brows lifting slightly with the awkward silence.

  “Registration?” she asked, already reaching for a stamp.

  “Yes,” Kavisha said smoothly, stepping in before Eleonora could panic further. “I would like to sponsor them for C-rank.”

  That earned a pause.

  The doll’s eyes flicked back to Eleonora, then to Isadora’s livery.

  “Well,” she said after a moment, her voice carefully neutral, “that’s… unusual.”

  “Kavisha,” the doll continued, “as I’m sure you know, you’ll be responsible for them during their two-month probation.”

  She reached for a large stamp, lined it up with practiced ease, and brought it down hard on the parchment.

  “Sign here.”

  Kavisha did so without hesitation.

  The doll repeated the process, placing freshly stamped forms in front of both Eleonora and Isadora.

  Eleonora could barely write out her own name; her hand was shaking so much.

  But somehow, she managed it without further embarrassing herself.

  Once the signatures were complete, the doll produced a smaller, square stamp bearing her personal seal, it was her initials flanked by a dancing fox and marked the documents.

  Next, she pulled out a fresh stack of parchment and stamped them with the party registration forms.

  “This is the standard agreement for joining an existing party,” she said.

  “I’ll need everyone to sign. Are there any additional clauses you wish to add?”

  Timidly, Eleonora spoke up.

  “Uh… yes. I would like to forgo any share of the party’s quest rewards.”

  “And I will do the same,” Isadora added, her voice firm.

  “Very well.”

  The doll moved to one of the desks with an auto-memory recorder.

  She typed the new clause into a blank section clearly reserved for amendments, then returned and set the form before them.

  “Initial here,” she said, pointing to the newly typed clause.

  Eleonora and Isadora complied.

  The doll pressed her personal stamp beside the clause making it official.

  When the final document was finally signed and stacked neatly beside the other forms, Isadora let out a slow breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

  Once they had their guild membership tokens, Isadora turned to Kavisha and Lucien.

  “Could you please take my lady outside,” Isadora said quietly.

  “She needs some air.”

  Kavisha nodded without comment.

  She offered Eleonora a gentle smile and guided her away from the counter.

  Lucien followed immediately, casting one last uneasy glance back before the doors swallowed them as they left.