Author's Note: Hey, I'm back! It only took me 15 days but eh...university is demanding on its very last semesters! I managed to write down a chapter that I was rather content with since it gave us more hints on how things will unfold on the upcoming chapters. Moreover, I know I might have promised action in this chapter but unfortunately there is none. On these 15 days of my absense I managed to brainstorm a really intriguing idea about this story which made me slightly change my original plan. Don't worry though, Jhin's performance shall begin soon enough!
I also feel the need to apologise about the lack of romance in this. I don't plan on including any for a long long time since it's the damn Virtuoso we are talking about. :P Of course there will be many interesting interactions between the two but none of them will be romantically implied, at least by Jhin.
I guess that was all I had to say for now. Oh and thak you so much to everyone who is reading, commenting and keep me motivated to continue this stoy even through the hardships of being a uni student. :) Please enjoy this chapter!

"Etiquette?" she asked glancing towards him as if he'd answer her question just by looking at her. He exhaled almost inaudibly before repeating his question once more.

"Yes, Lady Genevieve. Isn't the term familiar to you?"

She contemplated her answer for a single moment before turning back to him.

"I am only aware of the basics. Nothing that would fit the lady I am impersonating."

He nodded in response taking one step forward towards the door before stopping once more.

"This will not be a problem for this particular trip. However, given the fact that we will be using these identities for the rest of our journey you shall have no choice but to let me teach you the elite ways. Now, as soon as we walk through these doors, all you have to do is stay beside me and look interested in any conversation we shall get engaged to. But if you happen to be addressed or asked about your opinion on any matter, your reply must strictly be either that you are not interested in politics or that you hold no regard towrds the issue. Is that comprehensible, Arwen?"

After receiving her nod of approval, he opened the large wooden doors and led the way towards the ball room. He scowled at the large number of people present. It would be relatively hard to find his target among all these small fries but that would not stop him from setting the stage. No, the show has just begun.

Meanwhile Arwen would find herself gawking and intensely admiring her surroundings. Being a village girl who always lived alone on the outskirts of the urban areas of Ionia she was never met with such luxury and radiance. Everything seemed surreal to her; from the fact that she was in a place like this to the fact that she was in a place like this travelling alongside one of Ionia's most wanted criminals. But that wouldn't stop her from enjoying this experience. She was aware that from the moment she encountered him, her death sentence had been already set. And because of that, she had made a promise to herself. A promise to live the rest of her live like she'd never done before; on the edge. As dangerous as this mission of his sounded she'd still accompany him. She wanted those experiences. Something to write on that journal of hers, which would be the only memento that she ever existed on this land. Yes, she would keep a record of everything that was bound to happen on this journey in the hopes of her name being remembered even after she passed away. Her name and her art both.

"Genevieve."

A stern voice called pulling her out of her thoughts. Recognizing the sound, she immediately met his cold warning gaze and silently gulped. What did she do this time?

"Yes, Lord Caspian?"

He silently stared daggers at her for a while until he spoke up, the irritated tone surprisingly absent from his voice.

"You look like you have never seen places like this before, which I doubt is the case for someone of your class. It is not fitting for a lady to be zoning out either. It would be better if you behaved according to your status, Lady De Leon."

She remained silent and bowed her head in apology with the only words escaping her lips being "Of course. I apologise my Lord.".

Satisfied by her answer, he took her hand leading her further into the room where nobility from every corner of Valoran had gathered up dancing and discussing mostly about politics or other elite topics that Arwen didn't understand. Throughout the night, she couldn't help but notice how easy it was for Jhin to blend into any kind of crowd. She had no doubt he had possibly done this many times before. He seemed to be quite accustomed to etiquette and replied in a rather robotic way in every question addressed to him. If she didn't know him any better, she'd assume he actually belonged among the elite.

"And that must be your lovely fiancee, Lady Genevieve De Leon, correct? To be honest it always intrigued me. Tell me, my Lady, how come a Demacian Lord and a Noxian Lady like yourself found common ground given that the two nations have always been on a never ending war?"

Utterly surprised by the question that was directed at her, she only smiled at the noble in front of her. None of the answers Jhin instructed her to give was fitting the current question and she'd have to think fast otherwise he'd be mad at her, again. Eventually, she answered with the only thing that always came in her mind first. Something that never dissapointed her.

"Through art of course. Me and Lord Caspian both found common ground at the only thing that can express any person in so many different ways. I actually met the Lord in one of the galleries I happened to visit."

She let out a breath she'd been holding for too long as long as she saw the noble being satisfied by her answer but held another one back when she noticed the slight stare of the man beside her.

"Yet, later on we realised that our interest for valuable rocks and especially diamonds was equally strong. Thus, it led us into founding our current business."

The rest of the conversation was all a blur to her, being absorbed into her thoughts as she stood beside Jhin smiling at the other nobles. Why did he feel the need to interfere? Did she say something she shouldn't have? What was that stare for? Did she entirely mess up?

Noticing the nobles in front of her walk away, she let her facial muscles relax a bit before hesitantly turning her head to look at him. She wasn't surprised to see him glaring at her again.

"Did I mess up that badly?" she faintly whispered.

He exhaled inaudibly before bending down slightly in an attempt to reach her level.

"Your answer was not unacceptable as I originally expected but keep in mind that making frequent references to art might be dangerous in our situation."

Seemingly relieved her shoulders relaxed as she felt all the tension from before disappearing from her body. She sent him a small smile before taking a glass of champagne from the trays and sipped as elegantly as she could from it.

"Also..." he started and she silently gulped once more. Of course there would be more. She didn't expect to be perfect since day one but his constant scolding even on public places like this was something that caused her quite a serious distress.

"Ugh, what did I do this time?"

His grip on his own glass of champagne tightened at her annoyed tone and he glared at her once more. She had already lost count of his cold stares and occasional glares he'd given her but if she had to vote, the one he was giving her now was the most sinister one.

"You shall restrain yourself from smiling at random men like this. These nobles get the wrong idea and it makes me look bad to them. Simple as that."

The small irritation she felt was now clearly shown as she held his stare for longer than she herself would have anticipated downing the rest of her champagne before speaking.

"What is that supposed to mean? Wasn't it you the one who told me to leave all the talking to you and simply stand by your side? And now you are telling me I am doing that the wrong way too. I apologize if I am not what you expected but not everybody is a socially skilled criminal like yourself. You can't expect me to just-"

She was cut off by his bone breaking grip on her wrist as he forced her to walk a small distance away from the crowd.

"What part of it didn't you understand, woman? The elite world is an entirely different world. Much different than yours. What could be considered an innocent action for someone like you, is a big deal for them. A noble's unfaithful fiancee is the greatest shame for a man of this class. If they lose their respect for me I will have to start from square one or even be forced to perform under dangerous circumstances for you and me both. I knew I should have brought you along as a maid, but that would only make things harder since people would question me about Lady De Leon. However, we cannot change anything at this point. You will remain under the identity of Lady De Leon and if you truly wish to make it to the Noxian capital alive, you shall make an effort to transform yourself into a true lady."

Her head shook affirmatively in response as she took in his words. Despite his cold tone and sinister look, he was right. She had made the choice of accompanying him on this trip and now she'd have to face the consequences of it. She wouldn't dare get on his way again. She'd already done it twice since that day at Ionia and she wouldn't risk doing it again. Instead she chose to inform herself some more about the case.

"Did you find who you were looking for?"

Seemingly calmer than before and back to his cold yet refined behaviour he turned to answer her.

"Yes, the target is indeed in this ship as the information I gathered was claiming."

Determined to keep the conversation going, she pressured on the matter some more. She wanted to know how he plans and executes his work. But most importantly, she wanted to know why. What was his motivation? Why was he picking especially some people over others?

"And, what is the next step?"

He glanced at her curiously before sipping at his glass of champagne and answering.

"The performance. I will explain the process in detail tomorrow. But I must warn you that you have a significant part on it too. Are you prepared?"

She froze at his words mentally debating whether she should just unconitionally agree or ask him to elaborate. What did he want her to do exactly? What if he asked her to murder someone? Was she ready for something like this or she'd completely mess up his plan and end up dead as well? Before she could freak out more about the possible scenarios in her head, his firm voice pulled her out of her trance.

"I assume you are still worried about dirtying your hands with the blood of someone. There is no need to be concerned about it, I wouldn't risk having you do something like this. You are not ready to embrace art yet. You are still incomplete as an artist and your clumsy work would only meddle with mine and ruin it. I was only planning to use you as a decoy."

She'd have expected herself to feel relieved after his response but instead she felt offended. Regardless of how she viewed him or his work, she didn't appreciate the fact that he was insulting her and degrading her as an artist. She suddenly felt the need to prove herself to him, to show him that she could do anything in the name of art, just like he did. But what would be the consequences? Was she ready to be considered a criminal as well on the name of art? Would she do that sacrifice for the one thing she adored the most in this world? Would she overstep her mental boundaries and do what in the past seemed impossible for her? What should she do? How should she act? What was right and what was wrong? She didn't know. What she did know was that tomorrow would be the day that would eventually define her; not only as a person but as an artist altogether.

Author's Note (2) : The stage is set, the actors are in their places and the audience is also present anticipating the big showcase! What will Arwen decide? How will it affect Jhin and his plan? Stay tuned and follow the story to be notified about updates that are soon to happen!

See you soon! xoxoxo