"What if I want to fly?"

Eloise let out a little laugh and smiled at Daphne. "Well, you shouldn't draw so much attention to yourself." She told her. "Don't try and take the limelight no matter what Mama says."

"I do not understand how I draw attention to myself, sister, for it is unconsciously done." Her features crinkled in confusion as she considered her sister's advice. "One cannot take what is freely given ... what shall I do if I find myself in the limelight?"

Eloise looked up towards her sister and hummed softly. "Well, you've got to not get into any altercations with people. Don't start any fights." She told Daphne.

"I'm giving up on it all. If you need me I'll be in the garden."

"Nothing happened. I'm just not a big fan of events like this."

"I'm giving up on it all. If you need me I'll be in the garden."

" i don't think you'll be safe there as well . in case you are trying to avoid the people attending . but i think i might know a place . "

"Really?" Eloise raised an eyebrow and smiled at the other girl. "Where would that be?"

"Eloise Bridgerton." She offered her name and nodded, taking the other girl's arm as they headed out to the garden together. "I'm glad at least to have someone come with me."

        "park ji-won."  and she'll leave out the honorifics,  curious to see how she'll be treated without the  PRINCESS  title,  and ji-won has always treated younger girls with a little more leeway than anyone else.  a homage to her younger self,  really.   "and i am glad to have an excuse to get out of such a stuffy room,"  ji-won concedes,  turning towards the door.   "eloise, how long have you been here for, then?"

"I've been here for too long." Eloise told her with a little sigh. "It's nice to meet someone else though. That also wants to spend some time outdoors. I sometimes feel like I can't breathe in these dresses."

"I like to read. I wish to write. I think it would be fulfilling to actually do something I'm proud of."

"Daphne, you don't have to pity me." Eloise assured her and gave her sister a small smile. "You should be a lot sneakier. But, you're like one of the girls that everyone has their eye on this season. It's no word of a lie that you catch both suitors attentions and other women."

"Pity you? For what exactly, sister? You are intelligent and beautiful." She chuckled, scrunching her nose up at Eloise. "Teach me to be sneakier then, how can I evade everyone's eye? If I must hope that others generate better gossip then I am truly done for."

Eloise let out a little laugh and smiled at Daphne. "Well, you shouldn't draw so much attention to yourself." She told her. "Don't try and take the limelight no matter what Mama says."

"I'm giving up on it all. If you need me I'll be in the garden."

        there's a pause of consideration from the princess,  head tilting to the side.   "giving up alone and to the gardens is not always in good fortune,"  ji-won settles on,  holding out her arm.   "shall we head out to the garden together, miss ... ?"   voice trails off,  prompting for a  name. 

"Eloise Bridgerton." She offered her name and nodded, taking the other girl's arm as they headed out to the garden together. "I'm glad at least to have someone come with me."

"I've never enjoyed them. I would much rather be out in the garden exploring."

Eloise blinked. She hadn't expected that at all. She never thought that people would compliment her. "I somehow doubt that."

"I'm giving up on it all. If you need me I'll be in the garden."

"come now, the festivities cannot be so dreadful that you're fleeing so early on can it?"

"I've never enjoyed them. I would much rather be out in the garden exploring."

"It's not that I don't care. I just haven't done much of any gossip for Lady Whistledown to write about." Eloise told her. "I'm not pretty like you are Daphne. People aren't going to look twice at me."

"Eloise—" Her sister's name left her in a whisper unconsciously. Although Eloise's voice did not have any self-pity she could identify, it still wounded Daphne to hear her sister undervalue herself. "You are beautiful, and even though you do not wish to hear it, any man would be lucky to call you his wife, should you decide to marry one day." A slight smile tugged at her lips as she reached forward, giving Eloise's hand a gentle squeeze. "I, on the other hand, must get sneakier."

"Daphne, you don't have to pity me." Eloise assured her and gave her sister a small smile. "You should be a lot sneakier. But, you're like one of the girls that everyone has their eye on this season. It's no word of a lie that you catch both suitors attentions and other women."

"It baffles me that in a country that is ruled by a woman... that women are still regarded as so meaningless." Eloise sighed in annoyance. "We are more than just baby makers and wives. Women are powerful and we can do anything."

Eloise almost froze on the spot. She hadn't intended on the Queen of all people to overhear her. "I just feel like there is more that women could be doing than just marrying the first suitor that comes along and making babies. Ma'am."

"I'm giving up on it all. If you need me I'll be in the garden."

"Not a lot of people understand." Eloise told him. "In fact you're the first man that I've met that seems to care about books at all. My brothers don't have the same love as I do. They're much more concerned about finding a woman to court." She rolled her eyes. "So, stupid. I don't see why people have to dress up and parade around in uncomfortable dresses, acting completely different to how they actually are. People, putting on an act."

Eloise let out a little laugh. There was something weird about this man. Something that she wasn't quite sure how to describe. "It is my first. My brothers have been involved in more. They're older than I am. I'm the second eldest daughter." She told him. Why was she telling him all of this. "That is exactly how I feel!"

Eloise sighed and looked over towards Theo with a little eyebrow raise. "Well, unless you are Lady Whistledown which I somehow doubt... I don't know how much you'd be able to help me. Unless you've met her?"

@wxntofly

"It's not that I don't care. I just haven't done much of any gossip for Lady Whistledown to write about." Eloise told her. "I'm not pretty like you are Daphne. People aren't going to look twice at me."