sabriye had always been a sour demeanour, and now leaving home to some british town, it was as if someone was pulling nails. ❝ your misery needs new friends, aylin. ❞ she mutters darkly. ❝ nothing, i just simply would rather be elsewhere. ❞

"perhaps," she muses with a gentle smile, "but until it ventures out to make new friends, you have been chosen and we shall endure misery together, dear sister." it had never been easy to learn the troubles that plague sabriye; her expressions inscrutable and words unembellished, but ever since they arrived in london, the task felt utterly impossible. "did you have a place in mind?"

       "you are getting better at being on the run. soon you will be able to flee the country without notice, princess."   ji-won comments,  having been in the garden the entire time  -  so one could imagine how surprised she was to see her fellow royal  ...  acquaintance ?  potential friend ?  foe ?  ally ?  to be determined ?  -  run to where she too,  was taking a breather.  will push herself away from the hedges,  tilting her head to the bit.   "however, you could use some work on noticing your surroundings. it will come with time, or training, or both - worry not."   if the other wanted,  anyways.   "it is lovely to see you again, away from my palace."

aylin chuckles in response, mild embarrassment burns her cheeks upon getting caught in such a position. "it is—" she pauses, features crinkling in thought. "flee the country without notice?" the concept certainly intrigues her, but she unquestionably had more to learn about the art of evasion. "it was not planned, i simply felt the urge to be alone but i see that i have interrupted your peace, and so i must apologise." she wonders if the raven-haired beauty would inform her eldest brother of this interaction but she speaks nothing of it. as the pair didn't know each other all that well, it would not be appropriate. a smile tugs at her lips and she nods. "a pleasure to see you as well, ji-won — are you enjoying london?"

His brows furrow together, lips moving to the glass to take a sip. “I don’t reveal my sources -- besides, you did not deny it, so I have the answer to my question.” He sighed, shaking his head. He cared for his sister, and only had her safety at heart.

"I suppose you do." She replied, trained eyes watching his features for a singular twitch or movement. "I wanted a moment's reprieve, to truly be alone with my thoughts. I did not seek to call yours or any authority into question or cause you any worry, but I understand that my actions did." She sighed, trying to find the words to best describe her feelings. "—I just wanted to exist, but for a moment ... without having to be anyone's anything. Is that ... normal?"

      The comment alone caused Miray to laugh slightly. Their older brother did tend to know the things of which they wished he did not. He knew acquaintance often fed back to him, much to Aylin’s disbelief. “I would not be so sure, from my memory, he seems to know of things he should not.” She smirked, tilting her head. “So beware what you say.” She added with a chuckle. She was doing her best to remain optimistic, especially in regards to the social season. She hopes only that a man whom shares her values comes along. “I know, it does sound rather bizarre, but I do know that men of the ton do not always care for a ladies regard.” She shrugged her shoulders softly, before placing her palms together in front of her. Her sisters comment spurred her to scrunch her face, eyes rolling in return. “If I must, but only if you accompany me.”

Her face crinkled in thought as her eyes narrowed on her sister. "I suppose I will." Although she was thankful for the warning, she could not decipher why her sister decided to deliver it in such a manner. "I feel as though I should add that I know Altan only loves and cares for me, for us and wishes us to be safe." The only thing she could be sure of at this moment is that their brother will learn about her little adventure and she will find herself staring at his disapproving face before day's end. "They are bizarre creatures, who seem to care little for anything that does not directly benefit them," she sighed but upon meeting her sister's gaze, added a prompt, "but I am certain you will find the man you are looking for. A man who is truly worthy of you." Her smile dimmed ever so slightly at her sister's response. She often wanted to be near her family at any given time to offer her support and maintain their united front, but today she felt the desire to remain alone, without a single responsibility or facade she needed to maintain, but that did not seem to be possible. Perhaps it was naive of her to hope that her sister would allow her to remain alone. "It would be an honour, sister. I will try to hold my tongue but if someone truly odious approaches us, I cannot be held responsible for my actions."

there's an exhausted huff that leaves her as hand presses into cheek and eyes glare at the woman before her. she doesn't like the ton, with their watchful eyes and judgemental sneers. ❝ could you have not left me to sleep in, sister. ❞ the princess sneers as elbows on the table top garner unwanted attention, though she cared very little.

despite her attempts to remain expressionless, aylin cannot fight the smile that dances across her lips upon seeing her sister's dismay. "no, absolutely not," she replies, nonplussed by sabriye's demeanour and glare. "for misery loves company and if i must endure it ... so shall you." she watches her sister for a moment before asking, "what has left you feeling so tired?"

she takes in a calming breath upon hearing her brother's all too familiar voice. with a smile, she turns to face him. "brother," she greets with a slight nod, maintaining her calm manner. she had expected this, rarely did her actions escape her brother's notice, but she was hoping that he'd be distracted by the commotion of the fete. "—who did you hear such a report from?"

She noted her sisters glance, a chuckle leaving her lips as she did. Her guards had considered her and she appreciated such notions. She had grown closer to her staff and their service was appreciated. “Altan is clearly preoccupied elsewhere -- in fact, I have not seen him this evening - have you?” She queried, brows raised as she did. She noted her sisters comment and shook her head profusely. She had no intentions of finding a man who was unable to remain faithful. She knew of the heartaches such can cause, and she wanted to marry for love. However, growing concerns remained in her mind of her parents ambition to ensure an arranged marriage. “I can do so but trust me, many men in this town are interested in stealing virtues, so be careful of such.” She knew how this could effect a princess, and did not intend to give them the time of day. “I see -- well , there is plenty of time to find an eligible man , the night is young, as are we.”

"No—" She began as she tried to recall the last time she saw their eldest brother. Aylin had caught brief glimpses of him on his dates but hadn't spoken to him since the morning. "But it seems to matter little ... I would not be surprised to learn that he had eyes and ears everywhere." Her expression dimmed slightly as her sister's earnest replies more or less took the fun out of her teasing. Aylin could not even imagine the type of pressure her sister was under. The way Miray imagined her life was directly opposed to what their parents wanted for her, as they valued status and she valued love. It was certainly a tough road to navigate. "Stealing virtues ... how tiresome. If they are not hunting animals, they are hunting virtues." She muttered with a roll of her eyes. "I will try not to lose sleep over such a tragedy sister," she chuckled in jest. "Will you return to the stalls in the hopes of enticing a gentleman?"

      She chuckled softly upon hearing her sisters words, knowing she had indeed startled her, despite it not being her intention. “Touché, my love.” She responded, sighing deeply as she did. Her sister was not far wrong, her guard had been asked to remain around the corner, not far to return to her aid if needed. “He is hiding perfectly in distance, but I asked him to give us a moment.” She exclaimed, shrugging her shoulders lately. Her next remark spurred her to roll her eyes, sighing as she did. She had not seen a man of the ton to take her eye, in fact, the opposite. “My date was swell, but the male I feel is notorious for being a rake, so it shall not be.” She laughed, sighing as she did. “How was yours?”

Aylin chuckled as her gaze moved past her sister, searching for the aforementioned guard. She took a moment to search their surroundings for the familiar face but found she was unable to spot him. Well hidden indeed, perhaps the brunette needed to give him more credit. When her eyes returned to her sister, she scrunched her face up ever so slightly. "How much trouble do you think I am in, for running away?" She asked, the ramifications of her actions finally hitting her. "Altan will not be happy." She could already hear the lecture she'd have to endure from their eldest brother. At this point, she could only hope he was in a good mood from meeting an enchanting young lady. Her expression lit up with mischief upon hearing her sister's answer. "Have you no interest in taming the rake? Or, indulging in some gardening yourself?" She joked with a soft chuckle. "You must point him out if he appears so I am able to evaluate him properly." When the question is posed to her, she shrugged. "Pleasant enough ... I will not need to engage the modiste's services either." She sighed dramatically. "Doomed to be unwed for yet another day, what will become of us sister?" She asked, tone doused in sarcasm.

she had been in her own little world, her focus drifting between finding her family and seeking out some alone time, when she had come across the other. she hadn't meant to startle them but grew a little concerned as she offered an apologetic smile. "i am truly sorry about that, i was in my own little world and didn't even notice you there," she offered softly with a small nod of her head. "are you alright now? do you need a drink or anything? can i lead you to a bench perhaps?" she offered rapidly as she kept her eyes trained on the other for a moment longer.

"yes, no — i am well, i—" she took in a deep breath to steady herself and regain her composure. embarrassment quickly replaced shock as the realisation that she had unwittingly disturbed another's peace dawned on her. "please," she shook her head, her lips curving into a slight smile. while she was certain she hadn't met the woman before, she found comfort in the immediacy in which kindness was offered. "it is i who owes the apology. i do hope you can forgive me for invading your space. i ... i should have paid better attention. is there a way i can remedy my blunder?"

      A smile halters slightly, noting her sisters fright at her company. She wonders if this was just out of lack of attention, or if something has frightened her before. She however, would not pry, knowing this were none of her business, but this did not evade her worries. “Rahatlamak.” She reassures, hand moving to rub her sisters shoulder gently.  “I am sorry to startle you, sister -- can I ask why you are outside alone without a guard? You know man of the ton can often be -- eager, and being alone may pose the wrong idea.”

"Kız Kardeş." The word left her in a breath with a chuckle and all worry in her being dissipated upon realising she had been found by her sister. "You may but it does not mean that I shall answer." Despite the clear concern on her sister's face, she cannot bring herself to answer sincerely, for she did not know why she felt the need to evade everyone. Even she was confused by her own behaviour. "But do not fear, as I assume your guard is no more than ten paces away at this very moment? They shall protect us from the men of the ton ... speaking of, how was your date? Shall we request the modiste begin preparations on your wedding dress?"

HANDE ERÇEL SEN ÇAL KAPIMI, EPISODE 1