The next morning, Clara woke her up early.
"My lady, please get up. There's a lot we need to do to get you ready."
Eleanor looked at her in confusion.
"My lady… the engagement agreement is happening in a few hours. You must look your absolute best. It's just as important as your wedding day."
Eleanor nodded and got out of bed. Her breakfast was brought in, and while she ate, Clara was rushing about getting things ready.
"All done, my lady?"
Eleanor nodded.
"Good, then let's get you in the bath. The water should be at a perfect temperature by now."
As Clara got Eleanor ready, she paid extreme attention to every little thing. Eleanor tried not to show her annoyance about her fussiness. 'I understand that this is an important day, but do we really have to take this much care? He's already seen what I look like; I feel like this is a bit much.' By the time Clara was done, over three hours had passed.
"My lady, you look beautiful!"
Eleanor was dressed in a flowy silver dress. Her hair partially up with curls at the bottom and pearl hairpins by one ear. She looked even more beautiful than she did at the party, 'I look like a goddess… Clara did an incredible job.' Eleanor stood up and spun around, the dress gracefully spinning with her.
"Oh, my lady! You love it, don't you?!"
Eleanor nodded with enthusiasm.
"I'm glad. Now, your Father should be calling for you soon. He's given me a short itinerary tell you: first, your family will have a luncheon with Lord Kent and his brother. Afterwards, you will move to your Father's office, where the details will be sorted out, and both families' stewards will be in attendance. I'm uncertain how long this will take, hopefully no longer than two hours. Refreshments will be available. After the details have been sorted out, a small ceremony will take place where all parties will sign the agreement, then you'll be able to go on a short date with Lord Kent. Finally, the day will end with dinner with both families. Do you have any questions about the itinerary, my lady?"
Eleanor shook her head. The day seemed straightforward enough.
"Oh, I'm so excited for you, my lady. Lord Kent seems like a decent man."
Eleanor nodded in agreement. Soon there was a knock at the door.
"Who is it?"
"It's Elliott. I'm here to escort my sister."
"Of course, my lord. She'll be out in just a moment."
Clara went to Eleanor and efficiently arranged everything so that she looked perfect.
"All ready, my lady. Good luck."
Eleanor smiled at Clara and opened the door, where Elliott was waiting. Elliott stared at her in stunned silence, causing her to blush more than usual.
"You look incredible, Ellie," he said when he finally pulled himself together.
She smiled in response.
"Now, let's go. Everyone should be waiting for us in the dining room."
She took Elliott's extended arm and headed towards the dining room. They entered the dining room where Lord Valen, Margrite, and the Kents were already seated. Elliott escorted her to the seat between Lord Valen and Lord Kent, then headed to his spot across from her. Margrite was seated next to Elliott, while Lucas was seated on the other side of Lord Kent.
"Hello, Lady Eleanor," greeted Lord Kent.
Eleanor smiled at him. The luncheon passed pleasantly, with Lord Kent talking extensively about the Kent Earldom.
"My, it sounds like quite a lovely place. I hear the lands are extremely fertile. I'm surprised your exports aren't higher," stated Lord Valen.
"While our land is extremely fertile, our crop yield is only a little more than what is needed to feed our people. We find it important to make sure our people are well fed before we export anything," responded Lord Kent.
"That makes sense. Your people are what makes your land, and if they're happy then your land will prosper."
"That is what our ancestors believed, and to their credit, it has been mostly true."
The luncheon continued like this with Lord Valen and Elliott asking questions about the Earldom. Eleanor was intrigued by the conversation, after all, she would be moving there eventually. When everyone had finished eating, they headed to Lord Valen's office, minus Margrite. Eleanor was escorted by her Father this time. When they got to the office, they sat a table, where the Valen family's steward was ready with documents. Lord Valen and Lord Kent sat at either end of the table, with Elliott and Eleanor on one side, and the Valen family steward and Lucas on the other. Lucas pulled out documents from a bag that was on the seat.
"Lord Kent, where is your steward?"
"I'm sorry, I should have explained, but my brother is actually our family steward."
"Interesting. I've never heard of a son of the family becoming the steward."
"It's a long family tradition of the second son becoming the steward," stated Lucas. "It's more of a precaution, since our family is known for its fight prowess, they found it better to have the second son stay out of the wars. It would prevent there being any succession issues if the Lord died while at war."
"That makes a lot of sense. I'm surprised more families don't do it."
"Probably because it prevents the second son from being able to make a name for themselves or their family. Though I don't mind. I quite enjoy the work."
"I'm glad to hear that, plus it means that Eleanor will also have another familiar face around when she moves to the Earldom."
"Indeed," said Lord Kent.
"Is there anything else that needs to be discussed before we get started?" asked Lord Valen.
Everyone shook their heads.
"Wonderful, then let us begin."