The next morning brought no knowledge of Shay's nocturnal jaunt; Yewbough had no idea that she had slipped out in the middle of the night, and neither was there any indication among the staff that they were missing forty-five gold pieces from their safe. She herself was feeling well, too, with no sign of illness. After breakfast, which already ate up one of the gold pieces she rescued last night, she and Yewbough went their separate ways. The bard intended to search the city for performance work to earn some more gold while Shay was at the Ducal Estates.<br/><br/>This close to the Midsummer Ball, there was a constant procession of workers, deliverymen, servants, merchants, artists, and other personnel heading to and from the Ducal Estates. A train of carts and wagons crossed the several miles between Seahurst and the Estates in both directions at all daylight hours. It was easy enough for Shay to find a vehicle to hitch a ride on. She found herself beside an impeccably dressed elderly lady whose eyes were still as sharp as ever despite her advanced years. During the ride, Shay learned that the woman was a dressmaker and was going to personally fit the Duchess for her costume, as she had for the past five years. While<em>hats of disguise</em>and other magical means were becoming popular for the Masked Midsummer Ball in recent years, the Duchess had always insisted for a mundane costume in the old-fashioned way. On the other hand, the Duke was a busy man who would don his hat at the last minute, probably not even knowing what his disguise would be until then. The trend was hurting her tailoring business, and she had to expand her business into the creation and sale of magical garments, bemoaning the cost and rarity of finding magical item crafters all the way...<br/><br/>They finally reached the Ducal Estates at last, the dressmaker, sensing that Shay hadn't been here before, gave her a brief tour of the Estates on the way to the Palace which was her destination. Before they parted ways, she also gave Shay her card before she went inside the Palace, past the guards. The card read "Ariel's Dresses" and also contained the address of the establishment.<br/><br/>The Ducal Estates were divided into roughly three areas. The Gardens, filled with flowers from all over the world and sporting its own miniature streams and lakes, contained the Palace where the Duke and Duchess lived. Right now the Gardens and the Palace were bustling with the activity needed to make the place ready to host the Ball by the end of the week. The Palace was an airy, luxurious mansion viewed from the outside, with the Astronomer's Tower rising from one wing of the building to become the highest point for miles around - the perfect place to watch the stars.<br/><br/>There was also the Orchards, which hosted famous fruit orchards as well as farms to feed the Estates. The Old Palace was located here, a smaller building that now served as housing for the servants and guards stationed at the Ducal Estates. Finally, there was the Ducal Forest, larger than the other two sections combined, which was a forest filled with game for the hunting pleasures of the Duke and his select guests.<br/><br/>The workers were free to roam over the Gardens and the Orchards to perform their tasks, but guards were posted at the entrances to the Palace and they were checking identities and reasons before admitting people inside.