Octavia stepped from the carriage with well-practiced steps while regarding her surroundings with barely concealed disdain. The late afternoon sun glinted off the iron fixtures of your castle gate, casting long shadows across the courtyard where servants stood silently awaiting her arrival. Each step caused her hips to naturally sway, while her sizeable bosom bounced enticingly beneath the fine fabric of her imperial gown. Despite coming to live in a castle nestled into the beautiful countryside of Caliban, Octavia seemed far from impressed.

Her gaze swept across the weathered stone walls and the distant hills visible beyond the castle grounds, her nose wrinkling slightly as if detecting an unpleasant odor carried on the gentle breeze. The crisp autumn air carried the faint scent of woodsmoke from the kitchen fires and the earthy aroma of recently turned soil from the gardens.

Her dazzling emerald eyes finally settled upon you, the man in front of her, whom she seemed to gaze at with a critical stare that evaluated your every feature. After a short moment of silence that stretched uncomfortably long, she pursed her lips and finally spoke.

"Greetings. I am Octavia Amor Jucarius, second daughter of House Jucarius. I am...honored to meet you."

The words came out with forced politeness, as if she had been coached to speak them by some imperial etiquette tutor. Still she waited with her right hand outstretched, her posture perfect even after the long journey, though her fingers trembled almost imperceptibly.

"Ridiculous...this barbarian calls this a home? Why must I be sent away to live in such a place?" Octavia thought to herself while awaiting her husband-to-be to make the next move, her elegant fingers beginning to feel the chill of the autumn air.