Sophie's understanding of feudal monarchies was limited to the ancient history textbooks she had studied in high school. Terms such as lord, fiefdom, and duke had long since been abandoned after the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. The principles of universal human rights and equality formed the foundation of modern society.
By the 21st century, youth culture revolved around country rock, electronic gadgets, fast food, and soda. Everything favored simplicity and convenience.
Elaborate etiquette and priceless antiques, like relics of a bygone age, had been left behind by the modern era.
Cradling the clothes Jane had selected for her, Sophie counted no fewer than seven or eight pieces altogether, including gloves, hair ornaments, and various accessories.
"Do I really have to wear all of this? It feels... a little too formal." She looked at Jane uncertainly. "They're beautiful clothes, but wouldn't it be a waste to let me wear them?"
Her thin shirt had been almost completely destroyed during Demetri's rough treatment earlier, leaving only Jane's cloak wrapped tightly around her body to preserve her modesty.
According to Volturi custom, wearing a black cloak without permission was forbidden.
Jane had therefore found her another cloak, this one red with gold trim.
There was also a fitted gown with a pale yellow bodice and a dark blue skirt. Black ribbons crisscrossed elegantly down the back before tying around the waist.
It was obvious Sophie could never put it on by herself.
"I'll probably wear it wrong if I try alone. Couldn't I wear something simpler instead? Like a plaid shirt... or jeans..."
Since the age of five, Sophie had dressed herself independently.
After turning seven, she had spent most of her life wearing school uniforms or casual T-shirts.
In all her twenty-two years, she had never chosen something so magnificently extravagant.
"I order you to wear this." Jane interrupted her refusal without hesitation.
Her sense of aesthetics had been deeply influenced by Caius and Aro.
Born into Roman nobility, Caius cherished aristocratic refinement, while Aro adored classical art. Both of them rejected the simplicity and monotony of modern fashion. Elegance and etiquette had become inseparable from their very nature.
As a result, even the guards serving them never wore jeans or T-shirts.
Naturally, Jane couldn't understand why someone from the modern world would prefer light, practical clothing.
Instead, she interpreted Sophie's resistance as nothing more than the awkwardness of someone suddenly exposed to luxury after growing up poor.
"The maids are already waiting to help you dress."
They quickly passed through countless dark, winding tunnels.
Back when she had still been human, Sophie had once followed Jane through these very passages.
At the time, even sprinting with everything she had nearly wasn't enough to keep up.
After living as a human for twenty-two years, suddenly becoming another species left her clumsy and uncoordinated.
Several times she failed to change direction in time, smashing headfirst into the tunnel walls and leaving behind human-shaped craters.
"You're such a hassle."
Jane complained, yet she reached out and grabbed Sophie's wrist anyway, helping her control her speed.
Pointing at one of the dents she'd made in the wall, Sophie asked nervously, "Does this count as damaging a historical monument? Do I have to pay compensation? I-I still have some money in my bank account."
"Be quiet. That's none of your concern. The Volturi possess more wealth than you could ever imagine."
After weaving through countless tunnels, Jane finally brought her to their destination.
Hidden deep within the mountains surrounding the palace lay a natural pool.
Above the open-air spring, a small waterfall poured down from the higher cliffs, its curtain of rushing water dividing the pool into two separate sections.
"Get in and wash yourself."
Jane issued the command as though everything had already been arranged.
She was obviously familiar with this place.
The inner pool, concealed behind the waterfall, bore unmistakable signs of careful human construction.
Sophie looked around.
She liked the scenery very much.
But...
Bathing outdoors?
"W-Wouldn't it be better if there were an indoor bath?" she asked hesitantly. "What if someone accidentally walks in?"
"Sophie."
It was the first time Jane had ever called her by name.
"I don't like repeating my orders. Take off your clothes, get into the water, and wash yourself. Now."
The moment Jane spoke her name...
Sophie surrendered completely.
She looks so beautiful when she says my name...
Jane sat elegantly by the edge of the pool, fully dressed, watching as Sophie slowly removed her clothes one piece at a time.
That wasn't entirely accurate.
The only intact article of clothing Sophie still possessed was Jane's cloak.
She carefully removed it, instinctively folding it neatly before setting it aside.
Everything else hanging from her body consisted of little more than shredded scraps of fabric barely clinging together.
She pulled off one torn piece after another.
By the time she finished, the ground was littered with ripped cloth.
Sophie had shared changing rooms with other girls before. Dozens of girls would strip and change together while chatting noisily. So she had never imagined that with only the two of them present...
Undressing in front of Jane would leave her feeling so awkward.
Embarrassing.
Utterly embarrassing.
Her toes, still stained with dirt and bits of grass, curled uncontrollably against the stone, completely beyond her conscious control.
Abandoning the pile of torn clothing, she ignored the carved stone steps leading into the water and leaped directly into the pool.
The icy water swallowed her whole.
A few remaining scraps of cloth that she hadn't managed to remove floated to the surface before drifting away.
As the flowing water cooled her emotions, Sophie reached a reasonable conclusion.
The embarrassment probably came from the fact that she was the only one naked while Jane remained fully dressed.
Her human instincts as a social creature made her feel painfully out of place.
If both of them had been bathing together...
Sophie believed she could definitely chat with Jane without blushing.
Actually, maybe not.
She remained submerged for an impossibly long time.
Long enough to far exceed the limits of any human.
Only after mentally preparing herself did Sophie finally count down.
Three...
Two...
One!
She surfaced.
The waterfall still flowed with its steady murmur.
But Jane was gone.
Sophie looked toward the place where Jane had been sitting.
No one was there.
Only a single object had been left beside the chair.
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