Coats and Cravats

With the coming of the annual Grisett Function, the House of Mitfield was a chaotic place. As the Kingdom of Mithambe was the host for this year's festivities, Castle Manhesto was a hive of frenetic activity as courtiers, servants, and contractors prepared the castle to host the dignitaries, nobles, and royalty of the members of the Arwen Pact. Even with the kingdom's best fashionistas and stylists being commissioned by the Royal Court of Mithambe to outfit King Marcus and his family, getting the best outfit together that accentuated the best of Mithambe's culture and history took time and plenty of experimentation - something that adolescent Jacob was starting to resent, even as he was once more dismissed by the seamstress.
"You look rather crabby," Hector commented, as he passed his youngest brother a bottle of sweetened tea. Jacob could only shrug, even as he accepted the bottle with gratitude, before emptying its contents in one swig. "I'm guessing Francine has a few more tweaks to perform on your outfit for the Grisett?"
"Brother, how do you deal with it?" Jacob asked with a drawn out sigh, his legs giving out from under him as he sat on the floor, his back resting against the wall. "I get that father wants us to look presentable, but does it have to involve standing still for drawn out periods of time, and swapping for every fabric under the sun?" Jacob allowed himself some mock wails of frustration, before cutting the act and leaning his head against the wall. "I just find this all boring and without any payment in return."
To both of their surprises, June snuck up behind Hector, and surprised him with a kiss on the cheek. "Who knows, Jacob? Perhaps you can find your future wife in tonight's crowd," she teased, to which Hector sputtered about his youngest brother dating so early, and Jacob looking mortified to even think about marriage at such a young age, let alone in an arena long considered to be where politics reign supreme. June let loose a giggle, loud enough to catch the attention of two Talons patrolling the hallway, who could only respectfully bow their heads towards the two princes and the Crown Prince's fiancée, before they continued on their patrol path.
"Must you give my youngest brother such terrible advice?" Hector asked, about the same time as Jacob nearly squeaked "but in which world would looking for a girlfriend at the Grisett be a good idea?!", which elicited more joyful and boundless laughter from June. "Truly, you two are family, and it is cute to see you two act in nearly the same fashion," she quipped, before the two brothers simply stared at her, nonplussed at her analysis. "But in all honesty, Jacob - you should take the time at the Grisett to find people that interest you. Besides, there's a rumor that Cleolinia will actually appear at the Grisett this year."
With the name of the Kingdom of Endless Time being dropped, both Hector and Jacob leaned in, their attentions committed fully to June. "From what I've heard in the servants' rumor mill, Princess Irelia will be coming to the Grisett, and it will be her first time outside of her castle. Perhaps you should be the stunning gentleman to lead her about, Jacob?" June held a mischievous glint in her eyes as she gazed down the youngest prince, who stared back... before finally relenting and breaking his gaze away from his future sister-in-law.
"I mean... I'll think about it?" Jacob sounded unsure of himself - normally, such things like visiting dignitaries and being their escorts were left to Hector and Joseph. However, with Irelia being so young, Jacob realized that the best option of a royal escort was going to be himself, and how could he compare to the Daughter of Tio?
"Nope~" came the singsong answer from June. "Besides, I already did you the liberty of offering yourself as her escort and guardian for the night, and she actually responded with a yes!" Holding the gilded letter in front of them, Hector took it first and attempted to break the wax seal, before visibly reeling as a minor curse shocked his hand. As the letter fell out of his grasp, Jacob took it up, and broke the seal without issue.
"Dearest Jacob," he began to read out loud, to the delight of June and the growing faux-horror of Hector, "I have received your missive, and I am pleased to accept your invitation to the Grisett. Please take good care of me. With anticipated delight, Irelia of Tio," he finished, his face pale and his eyes dull, even as the other two began to laugh and scream respectively. "... June, why have you done this to me?" he could only ask in a whisper.
"Because everyone knows you need friends, and people that could actually care about you as a person, instead of a political advantage." June's answer held a serious tone, despite having not lost its mirth. "Now, we need to get your outfit ready, so the Princess has something to gaze at~"
Jacob pretended to claw at the floor as June took him back to the seamstress, although he was secretly excited for such an opportunity...