Ari asked them all about what had happened with Graham. She wanted to know every detail, and she was delighted to hear that he was finally going to be kicked out of the guard.
Apparently, she had a run-in with the man a few months ago, around the time the guard had started screening people who were entering the city. Her experience was not much different from what happened with Verena and Marianne. Arianna was incredibly curious. "But I don't get it. What scared Graham so much, and why is he getting kicked out now? What's different about this time?" Verena glanced at her vest, which she had set aside. Arianna immediately looked over at it curiously. "Oh! Does it have something to do with whatever mom saw when you met her?" Her eyes lit up. "Are you someone important?"
Verena sighed, shaking her head. "Not really, in the grand scheme of things." Marianne gave her a side eye. "What? A Countess heir really isn't all that important. I have a bit of sway in the east, but the moment I leave the province, my name means very little."
Arianna sat bold-upright, her eyes going wide. "A Countess!?"
"An heir." Verena corrected her. "My father is Count Tavanor."
"Tavanor? As in, the territory right next to Duke Maurice's? The Count he was going to appoint as his successor, before his son was born?"
Verena rolled her eyes. "You stop that. Like I told your mother, unless my last name is needed for some reason, I just want to be Verena, alright?"
Arianna tilted her head, confused. "Why? You don't want to be important?"
Verena shook her head. "That's not it. I don't want to be important just because of my name. I am so much more than my title. I want people to know Verena, not Lady Tavanor. If it helps deal with a problem, like with Graham, I'll use my name. Otherwise, I want to make a name for myself. I want people to know me for who I am, and what I do, not for how big my family's vaults are."
Marianne looked at Verena with curiosity. "You've never expressed this concern before. You don't care if the people at home treat you as a noble. Why is it different, here?"
Verena shook her head. "The people at home may treat me like someone important, but they don't just treat me like a random noble. You've seen it. The way they act towards other nobles, even important ones like another Count, or a Marquess, it's not the same as how they act with me. They don't treat me as an equal, but they treat me like an individual. Take our departure, for example. They don't come out in such droves for father. They certainly don't personally apprehend people who try to attack him. Most importantly, they don't come up to father with concern when he's stressed or troubled.
"It's like I said back then. I matter to them. They worry about me. They see me as a person, not some idolized concept, on a pedestal. That's what matters, to me most."
Ari was looking at her in awe. "Do your people really see you that way?" Verena just smiled, and with a mental command, she shared her [Champion of the People] and [Hope of the People] titles with Arianna. The young dragon's eyes went wide. She turned to look back at Verena. "Wow! You're so cool!"
The words reminded Verena of their first meeting, causing her to burst into a small fit of giggles. "Oh, Ari... You are adorable."
Arianna blushed heavily, both from the compliment, and from Verena's use of her nickname. She looked away bashfully, and was trying to figure out how to respond when she was, mercifully, saved by a knock on her door.
"Ari, dear, can I come in for a moment?" The voice of Arianna's mother, Sarah, came from the other side, and she quickly got up and opened the door. "Thank you, Ari. I just wanted to let you know that dinner is almost ready."
Verena stood up. "Then, we should probably be going. I don't want to intrude."
Sarah blocked the door by opening up her wings. "Nonsense! I already told you, any friend of Ari's is a friend of mine. You two will be staying for dinner. That's not a request."
Verena shifted uncomfortably. "Um... you know I can't eat with you, right?"
Sarah smiled warmly. "You may not be able to eat our food, but that doesn't mean you can't join us for dinner." Her expression was soft and inviting, but her tone of voice was firm and unrelenting.
Hearing the tone of her voice, Verena gave in. She just nodded to Sarah. Then, just as Verena was thinking it may have been a bit of a mistake to tell the woman to treat her normally, Arianna went and made it worse. "Oh! Actually, mom, Verena and Marianne just got to the city today, so they don't have anywhere to stay. Can they stay here? Please?"
Verena immediately cut in. "That's really not necessary. You've already been so good to us. I don't want to take advantage of your hospitality."
Sarah, however, was having none of it. "That's unacceptable. Young lady, you will be staying here, for tonight at the very least. You were invited, so you're not taking advantage of anything. Now, stop complaining and come down for dinner." Sarah turned away, heading back towards the kitchen and dining room. Though she paused for just a moment as she remembered something. "Oh, also, you don't have to worry about the others. I've made sure everyone knows to give you your space, Marianne, and I told my husband you don't want any special treatment, Verena."
Verena nodded in defeat, knowing her and Marianne had no chance of defying a mother dragon who had made up her mind. "Of course. We'll be down shortly."
Once her mom was gone, Arianna just started giggling. "Hahahaha! Looks like mom's too much for you, huh?" Verena rolled her eyes, but Ari kept going. "As far as she's concerned, you're already her daughter."
Verena sighed, putting her vest back on. "Well, Marianne, it looks like we don't have to worry about looking for an inn, tonight." Marianne just smirked at her. "Now, come on. Let's go have dinner." She then turned to Arianna. "And you. You better behave, or I'll embarrass you even more than your mother does."
Ari let out a quiet, frightened squeak. "O-okay..." She looked back at Marianne, who was just smiling calmly. "Yeah, let's go have dinner."