[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/nAyf7qz.png[/img][/center]

Well-trimmed. Well-worn. Well-traveled.

His fingers brushed against the leaves of the hedgerows as he strode through familiar paths. Back in his childhood, back when his place in the House wasn't so certain, he would slip into the estate from the servant's path, ducking underneath the shrubs to avoid the gaze of his pure-blooded siblings. There hadn't been a sense of shame, just of anxiety, of being perceived and of being judged. Now? It was almost...endearing, this path. He had been worried about so little before, huh? So worried that he couldn't even admire how lush the greenery was, how exacting the lines were. The way the sky opened up ahead. How even the walls that surrounded the property had a form of beauty to them. They endured.

Until they didn't.

Ferrucio's expression shifted slightly, the stark sunlight casting sharp shadows across his features, only for those shadows to disappear when he lifted his head up once more when the men-at-arms spoke up. This was new, wasn't it? He never did go anywhere without permission before, at least not when he had stayed at the estate. There was no need for any questions, when the staff had been informed ahead of time of his destination. And then there was...

Huh, so fate had given him the 'first' day?

Orientation. He hardly recalled anything of it now, so certain he was that none of the speeches or performances were things that applied to him. There was Sherry, basking in attention and expectations, and there was Ferrucio, tucked away in the shadow, a somber, shrunken boy simply waiting for her next order. Fouler memories sprung from that relationship, a frown settling briefly upon his lips, before he let that grudge go. He had been her accomplice in the end. No matter what had transpired over the last ten years, she'd have ultimately met the same fate as all the rest. There was no reason to dwell on it. Until this pleasant dream ended, he wanted to enjoy what he could.

[b]"Yes, I should,"[/b] Ferrucio spoke. [b]"The faster I can get this done, the better. So open up the gate and let me through."[/b]