You would do many things to make this end quickly

You looked at the shirt pant combination that Anastasia had pointed at and had then been given to you. It was a bright red tunic and tight red pants with bright orange thread and what you thought was gold thread for the joins. With a sigh you pulled off your tunic and pants and pulled on the new clothes.

Anastasia's idea of shopping was not what you had expected. The moment you had walked into the store she had waved her hand and like that a man with grey hair appeared and in a flurry of activity the store was emptied of every non-staff member, a couch had materialized through non-magical means through you were sure how, a screen had been placed in a corner and several man walked out showing off different outfit. After the speed with which they had done everything you were actually disappointed the men didn't share your exact measurement.

Anastasia picked out four of the men's sample outfits and you had been provided copies to change into. Edin and Anastasia were chatting quite happily on the other side of the screen as you finished dressing. Looking down your new clothes you had to voice your opinion. "What's wrong with my other clothes?"

"If they are anything like your current attire they are drab, un-creative, and un-eye catching. The point of dressing is to present yourself to others in the best way possible." The man who had closed the store responded, you assumed he was the owner. He was standing by the screen, not looking behind it but waiting to access if you had put it on correctly.

You sighed again and stepped out so he could check. He gave a nod and you reluctantly stepped further. Anastasia and Edin stopped their talking to admire your new clothes. A part of you had been assuming this was in someway a joke but you could see them admiring you. "As you see my Lord." The man said behind you with a slightly smug hint to his voice.

Being incorrect was undercutting your annoyance at the situation. "It's very bright." You complain.

"That's the point Christopher. Turn around." Anastasia said smirking at you. You run your tongue across your teeth wanting to be more annoyed about the situation than you were. You turn around slowly so she couldn't say as such if did it too quickly. "The pants."

"We would open up the legs and let out the waist to sit lower." The owner said apparently seeing what Anastasia had seen.

"Next." She said turning back to talk to Edin who was smiling at you with eyes drifting around your body. His approval of the outfit did a better job of your acceptance for it than anything anyone else said.

You returned to the screen and looked at the next outfit. This one a literal rainbow of colours in a pattern you think was supposed to represent a birds eye view of the capital, it even had slightly raised stitching for the hills. You swallowed your dislike and changed. Another check by the stores owner and you unveiled yourself for the sitting pair.

"No." Anastasia said then went right back to Edin.

You hesitated for a moment. You didn't like the outfit at all but she had picked it out for to wear. Edin had a poorly hidden grin on his face, well at least he thought it was as ridiculous as you did you. You returned the screen and pulled on the third outfit.

It was a stark white with gold threading all over. The thread resembled an aura swirling out from your heart and flowing down to your feet. You hated it. Wearing it all you could think of was how it reminded you of your lacking. You stayed behind the screen looking down at it. "Ready my Lord?" The owner said.

You considered taking it off and just wearing something else but you were here on Anastasia's time and wallet so you swallow your dislike and step out. Anastasia's eyes roam your body and she smiles warmly. Her apparent favour for the outfit irks you. Your absent aura might be the cause for her like of it which made your dislike worse. "Turn." She instructed. You spun quicker than last time and your willingness to keep engaging in this crap wore thin. "Not bad. Next."

You stepped behind the screen and almost ripped it off you. If she had this made for you, you were burning it. Still feeling angry about that outfit you grabbed the last one to look at it closer. The more your looked the more you found you didn't dislike it.

A powered blue tunic and pants that, aside from the colour was a similar fit to your usual clothes. The stitching was a darker blue and understated. You got dressed and it felt comfortable.

You stepped out feeling good about it when...

"No." Anastasia didn't even look away from Edin for that one.

"What?" You asked. It was the best one so far.

"You change the outfit I picked out for an enchantment." She still refused to look at it but sounded angry.

You relaxed your eyes to see what she was talking about and saw a familiar sight. You were pulled back to your debut two years ago seeing Jason's fake aura. It was the same enchantment.

"I won't he's something he isn't." Anastasia's voice had some anger in it that caught you off guard.

"I-I applogise my Lady I just thought that since he doesn't have–" The owner stammered out when he was stopped by a finger.

"We're leaving." Anastasia stood and matched out of the store with Edin right behind her leaving you standing there with the owner, both of you were as stunned as each other.

You looked over at him opening and closing his mouth not sure what or if you should say anything. You step behind the screen and activate your magic to change into your actual clothes in the blink of an eye. You come back round the screen and hold up the outfit for him to take. "I did like the style." You say in some from of apology.

"What?" He asked taking the outfit from you then doing a double take at you. "W-when did you?"

As he said that you rushed out after Anastasia and saw her and Edin standing by the carriage. You skip over to them. "What was that about?" You ask hoping for some context. Knowing about the enchantment made you feel, well dirty, but she liked the outfit that stylised an aura.

"You shouldn't be something you aren't." Anastasia's anger had receded and Edin was staying close to her. When you checked their auras you saw her as a writhing mass of poorly contained anger while his was attempting to soothe.

Considering the company she was in when she said that. Well there were layers. But it was clear this particular moment was about her. Something click in your head. "When is the marriage?"

The two of the froze. Even their auras stopped.

"That is none of your business!" Anastasia shouted at you then climbed into the carriage. You weren't expecting that reaction. You looked at Edin who looked torn. "Edin!" He hesitated for a moment but you nodded at him. His aura let out a relieved wave as he climbed into the carriage. You assumed she wanted to be alone with Edin to vent. You were not expecting Anastasia to shout. "Home!"

The carriage driver looked at you for a moment before leaning over. "Follow this road that way," He pointed behind the carriage, "for two blocks, turn left for three blocks and you'll reach the garden at the foot of the Royal Academy."

"NOW!"

He gave you a seated bow then started the carriage moving. You watched as your ride back left without you. "What did I say?" You ask it aloud partly hoping for someone to answer. You weren't trying to upset her you wanted to talk it out with her. You remember her reaction when you said the same thing two years ago at your debut. Maybe it wasn't totally out of your expectations.

Looking around you notice how many people are here. The streets aren't swarming with people but there are enough for inspiration to strike. You'd never tired to feel this many peoples presence before. Closing your eyes you let out a slow breath stretching out your perception as you do.

The first person you feel is an older woman hurrying past you. The second is a young boy holding that woman's hand as they move. You stretch further. You feel four people at once but they all leave your perception before you can access them. More and more people swarmed through your perception. More than you had ever felt before. It was overwhelming and you notice the limits of your perception are flailing. People would enter your perception then your perception would falter and they would disappear only to be found in another flail several steps ahead. You were only feeling the street of the block you were on but it was less than half of what you can normally feel.

It was giving you a headache so you open your eyes and pulled your perception back in and pushed magic into your head. You distract yourself from the brain itch by stepping back from the curb and watching as people you'd felt approaching walk past you. You were going to have to repeat this activity many times before you improved. But now you are in the capital you'll have time to train.

You follow the directions the carriage driver had given you. It was still early morning so you had no worry about getting back to the academy before lunch.

It is a pretty pleasant walk. The streets are lined with trees that provide shade to the pedestrians and the curbs are wide. Almost five people could walk abreast without being cut off. There weren't any groups that large now but the ones with two or three weren't having any difficultly staying together. As you walked you decided to start you training now. keeping your eyes open your stretch your perception in a small bubble around you. Your eyes stay locked ahead and you perception gives you a full of person who enters the bubble.

They are you are moving fast enough that you aren't getting a full picture. Like seeing half of someones face and then trying to fill in the missing half yourself. You could get better at assessing with time but cognizing each individual was the problem. Your cognition is limited, you could get better at using it but that doesn't solve the problem it just pushing it back.

You reach the end of the block and pull your perception back inside. The bubble wasn't big enough to detect a carriage before you get flattened. To your left and right you were surprised by how empty the road was. You hadn't been looking for carriages on you walk so far, you'd assumed there would be a large number given this was a city. You make sure you aren't going to be run over and cross the road.

You stretch your bubble back out and keep walking. You return your thoughts to how to work around your cognition. Nothing is immediately apparent so you focus on training. Each person that enters your bubble you rapidly try to get a full picture of them. You don't improve all that much by the end of the block and it is taking more focus to train than you realise. You need to turn left here so you lead with your left foot.

It turns right.

You stop moving. The perception bubble around you gone as you look at your foot. It was perfectly innocently sitting there ready for a right turn you aren't making. Lifting up your foot you take a step back, it obeys you and returns to its last step as normal. Keeping an eye on you retake the step turning your foot preemptively left. Right before your plant it it rotates to the right.

You pull the foot back to rest next to your right. You step with you right and it moves to turn right. You pull it back and relax your eyes. Directly in front of you is a softly glowing path leading down the street to your right. Because of the people you can't see where it ends.

You take a step back to see if the path moves with you. No one else appears affect by the magical path so it could be focused on you. You side step to the left to walk along the curb you pass the path without any incident and an idea of what this is comes to you. This was an ad, follow the magical path to a shop the reason no one else is effect is because they are local, they probably learned how to ignore this when they were kids.

Given this world time period you remembered a questionable anecdote from your old world. Way back in Roman times prostitutes wore sandals that directed people to brothels. In this world it seems like a lot of work to advertise a brothel.

Something feels weird. You didn't know what it was but your skin tingled like someone was brushing you with their aura. The people around you flinched and looked around as well so it wasn't just you. As the feeling passed the skin above your heart remained a little warm. You reached up to feel it and felt your mothers ring. It was under your tunic and had been completely forgotten again.

You look at the path again. Your thoughts and that feeling were too closely timed for it to be a coincidence and your mother's ring's reaction reinforced the idea this path wasn't an ad but was for you.

You put your left foot on the path and get a disintegrate ready. Lifting your right you put it outside the path. It obey and you step off the path with your left. It wasn't great proof since the path's magic could be weaker at it's end so rather than walk along it you walk next to it. You keep following it for two more block before it turns to the left. You look back the way you had come. The number of people had been decreasing and now there were only about a dozen people on the same sidewalk as you. The buildings had also lowered from mostly two story to almost entirely single story and there were growing spaces between them.

The further the path goes the less people you see and the more residential the buildings looked.

You lick your lips and worry you're making a terrible decision as you cross the road walking next to the magical path. Less and less people are around and after on two blocks you turn right again and see the path turn into a building.

It looks no different from the buildings on the block. Single storied, two plain glass windows with a little garden out the front with some vegetables skirted by a low wall separating it from the pathway. The door had a carving that looked vaguely familiar, you recalled reading out it years ago but couldn't place it.

The magical path led through a low gate and while you could step over the low wall and into the garden that seemed a little rude. Somewhat reluctantly you stepped onto the magical path and felt your feet take you through the gate and to the door. It was a very uncomfortable feeling because you were taking the steps but weren't ending them. Once again you wished you had some talent for enchanting or imbuing so you could have some understanding of the magic on display.

When you took the small step onto the landing before the door the path disappeared. To make sure you took a step back and when the path didn't reappear you looked at the door and considered. Someone went through a lot of effort to get you here, and it wouldn't have worked if you hadn't upset Anastasia. That could mean two things, one you are extremely predictable, or two a happy accident for the caster they took advantage off. Going into the city was just a matter of time. Actually thinking about it this could be like a spiderweb, paths were all over leading here you tripped on and it activated. It did require a level of coincidence you didn't like but could be possible.

You looked at the window and tired to peek inside but the shutters were down so no luck. You stretched your perception to try and get a feel for the inside. There were a few people and none of them felt like they were waiting in ambush or even had any hostility.

You look back at the door and tap your fingers against your leg trying to decided if knocking or leaving is the better option.