Castle Etiquette and the Lady of the Green Tower

“When she is being escorted, the woman shall rest the fingers of her right hand upon the man’s left. However, if her escort is left-handed, then she shall take his right hand instead,” read a passage in the encyclopedic tome on proprieties.

Her eyes glazed over as she recalled how complicated business etiquette had sometimes been in her past life as well, but as she had been born as a commoner in this life, this was a nuisance that she hadn’t quite anticipated.

Dahlia Rossetti was her name in this world, and this was her second chance at life. She had found her calling as a maker of magical tools that made daily life easier. Her red hair and green eyes contrasted brilliantly with her meek and modest character, something she shared with her past self.

“How goes it?” asked the young man sitting diagonally across from her at the coffee table in the living room. Volfred Scalfarotto was the fourth son of an earl, a royal knight, a member of the Order of Beast Hunters, and—perhaps most importantly of all—Dahlia’s good friend. His fair skin stood out against his jet-black hair, pairing handsomely with a sharp nose and a chiseled jawline. However, most striking were his eyes of gold; they completed an aesthetic that ought to have been the magnum opus of a great painter. But for him, the blessing of beauty was a curse in disguise.

“Not very well, I’m afraid. There seems to be quite a bit of castle etiquette that isn’t covered here... How about you, Volf?”

“This is tricky, all right. Like on this page, it says, ‘Before entering a room with someone higher in social status, the woman shall remove her hand from her escort’s. Then, they shall individually enter the room and offer their salutations.’ But what if you have no idea who’s inside the room? Not to mention, I very much doubt I’d remember that rule either,” he said, and then heaved a sigh. Defeated though he was, the pensive look on his face was no less evocative of a fine portrait.

In her past life, Dahlia would have described her current home as a fantasy world, what with the magic toolmakers and monster hunters here; all that was missing were the magic carpet rides and the alchemical transmutation of lead into gold. For work, she crafted useful everyday items, not unlike the nifty gadgets and household appliances of her previous lifetime. As for Volf, he defended the kingdom’s subjects from the catastro