"Perhaps when demons leave tracks of some kind they go look at them? This may be among the information lost in the retelling, I regret that I have none of my countrymen to hand who might be able to say more."

"Alas." They can resume their discussion about what to do about the specific wild demon.

Phew.

After the party, Lucette shares a carriage ride with Haru.

"I hope that wasn't too taxing to manage without my help - I didn't realize Lord Pike would be there."

"It was fine, once I hit upon the strategy of talking to people who like me are not hoping to marry Lord Pike."

"I'm not very optimistic about my chances - or sure we'd actually make a good match - but he's decent enough and failing to express interest in him would make it look like I didn't think I was good enough for him which would hurt my chances with other suitors."

"Oh, he seemed, like, fine, just, it wasn't scintillating for me."

"Mhm. I've had to practice at making conversation like that. It's not my favorite activity at all."

"Does it - stop being like that - once people are actually married, insofar as you can tell?"

"Well, some people still seem to be like that, but it's not always the case - especially given that the marriage bond makes it obvious what you actually feel about each other."

"...sounds awkward."

"My impression is that it can be very pleasant."

"Oh, eventually, sometimes, sure, probably, but when it first kicks in and your sum total of preexisting relationship is laughing at anecdotes about live geese - sorry, I don't want to make this any more unpleasant as a prospect for you than it has to be."

"I'd prefer to be realistic about it. The faint version of it we can get from physical contact helps some, I believe. It's also common advice that couples should get to know each other beyond the level achieved at a party before they are married, though I can't say for certain how successful most people are."

"Does the point at which such depth of acquaintance becomes permissible precede or follow the point at which it would be gossipworthy to break it off with a prospect?"

"Nearly everything is gossip worthy - it would not do to break off several such prospects but one or two would not be a scandal as such."

"Awkward if you discover that you and prospect the third are a worse pair than you and prospect the second were."

"Yes, though you can often get a sense beforehand. Despite the many features that are not helpful for doing so it is understood that finding an actually good match is important."

"Does one wind up with situations where the least tolerable woman with the least other traits to recommend her marries the corresponding man in her cohort and they have a complete disaster relationship that explodes in some horrific demon-augmented way within six months, or is that at least rare?"

"Usually by the end of your second year, that will be considerable pressure, and your parents will be expected to try offering substantially larger doweries, so that sort of situation is at least somewhat rare."

"Are dowries offered by the parents of undesirable men too?"

"The groom will sometimes be offered more assets by their parents, and will pledge to use those to provide a more comfortable life for their wife."

"And there's no question that he will follow through on such a pledge even if he is otherwise dreadful?"

"Well, his father may be called upon to make promises as well, I suppose. I don't know the details as such arrangements are not often discussed."

"So many things not discussed."