A week had passed since Cassandra's arrival at the Oreoned Duchy and her official declaration as Neonidas' concubine.
A week is the usual time for a concubine to settle into her new home, after which, with the family's consent, she is accepted into the household. Since Zalira was Neonidas' only family, she was the one who declared Cassandra's acceptance. This meant that Cassandra could no longer belong to or be a member of any other house besides the Oreoned Duchy, even if she wanted to.
Her life, fate, and body belonged to Neonidas. This unjust life of concubines would remain so until Avelina's reign, at least if everything went according to the original novel. But in the meantime, Neonidas treated Cassandra with utmost kindness. Every day, he asked if she needed anything and invited her to the table where he dined with his own family, which was unusual.
