"Lord Credos actually won the South Los Swordsmanship Tournament! That's incredible!"
Jane, whose face was serene and demeanor delicate, set down the newspaper in her hands and could not help praising him. The former mistress of the Dort District's Chief had now replaced her long-sleeved Bilit dress, made chiefly of wool and silk, with a black cloth dress. Her brightly colored Ram-Horn Shawl had likewise given way to a cotton shawl meant for warmth, and the jeweled ornaments in her hair had been replaced with a plain wooden hairpin.
Though simply dressed, the clothes somehow suited her serene face. Combined with her delicate demeanor, they made anyone meeting Jane for the first time think she was a young girl.
In fact, in a sense, she was.
Strictly speaking, Jane was only nineteen that year.
Freed from James's control, Jane still had a trace of timidity in her large eyes, but they had grown lively. It was as though she had come to life, radiating brilliance.
"Even though I'm a woman, I can't help admiring you every time I see you, Jane. You're truly beautiful!"
Jennifer complimented her friend.
The two had become friends the day after Jane invited her into her carriage.
It had all begun with Jane's honesty.
After seeing the corpse in Jennifer's carriage, Jane had stopped hiding what she had done. She was especially grateful when she spoke of how the Medium, Arthur Credos, had spared her.
What could Jennifer say to that?
She could only marvel at the wonders of fate.
With Arthur as their common link, their friendship had grown by leaps and bounds.
Halfway through their journey, they had already become friends who could talk about anything.
After arriving in the Inner Bay, they had become inseparable.
At her friend Jennifer's compliment, a blush