"For the next six months, all your learning and activities will be lead and supported by our wonderful tutor, Tetsuya Sensei" the Emperor said, trying to give a reassuring smile to Ashley as he indicated the middle aged man in a deep blue kimono. The man met her eyes without hesitation and Ashley couldn't help but let her gaze waver downwards. His eyes were deep and filled with undeniable wisdom that she couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated...it was as if he knew everything about her in that single moment. She heard a quiet sigh coming out from the middle aged man as he turned to the Emperor. His response was in Japanese but she could probably guess what he was saying...that she wasn't fit to carry around the title of their princess...and he was probably right. Tetsuya sensei turned back to her, bowed, then spoke in English. "It will take an estimate of about six months to complete your princess training, is that okay with you Hime sama?" he asked, his hands folded neatly in front of him, partially concealed by his lightly embroidered sleeves. Ashley nodded and tried to sound as less hopeless as she felt, "Of course!" (as if she actually had a choice). The man nodded, giving her a look as if he approved of her answer. "Alright then, I will give you a schedule this evening and training starts tomorrow." He said, with a final bow to the three of them then walked away quickly towards a large arch way. Ashley blinked as she looked after her new teacher, 'Wow, I'm really doing this, huh?' she thought. She heard a small giggle to her side as the Empress approached her, "Tetsuya Sensei has always been one to not waste any time" she said, reading Ashley's face. She smiled sheepishly back to her new mother-in-law (again wow at how things are coming along). The Emperor walked next to his wife and have Ashley a small pat on the shoulder, "You can go explore the palace if you like; you didn't get to yet". "Okay." Ashley replied, slightly nervous about how other people within the palace would react to her. She couldn't help but feel like she stuck out far too much with her appearance. Her jeans looked out of place with the silk kimonos and polished floors. But even worse was something she couldn't change; her wide eyes and wavy hair that looked alien in the sea of almond eyes and straight hair of everyones else in the palace. Again, as if the Empress could read her mind, reached out and brought Ashley close. Giving her a gentle smile, she said, "Don't worry about how you look, it's your heart and mind that matters the most".

The Empress then turned towards an attendant behind her, "Bring her to the Harem first so she can explore". The attendant bowed and indicated Ashley out into the open air. 'A harem?!' Ashley thought alarmed, 'Wait, isn't that a place where concubines are kept?! I didn't know there were concubines here! But...does that mean the Prince can also have them?'. Turning towards the attendant that walked behind her and assuming she spoke english because of her exchange with the Empress, she asked in a rush "What is the Harem?". The attendant, again caught off guard by her voice, replied, "It is in the eastern wing of the palace where His Royal Majesty and Her Royal Highness has refurbished for you". Ashley narrowed her eyes, 'Okay so is that a no or yes on concubines...'. But for some reason, she felt like asking directly seemed a bit weird and rude. Besides, she was going to find out in a few minutes anyways...and had only a few minutes to contemplate on the idea of possibly being in a polygamy relationship. She was also nervous about how much renovation took place just because of her (of course thinking about the money the could have been spent was making her head throb). If she was lucky, they would have just moved around some furniture, but of course this past week was full of anything but luck.

Walking ahead of the attendant, even though she didn't know where she was going, was challenging because apparently attendants weren't allowed to walk ahead of her. So Ashley tried her hardest to resist looking back every minute to make sure she wasn't leading them in circles and instead looked around. She had always been able to notice small things around her, from her friends habits (which often times, they didn't recognize it themselves until after she would tell them) to non symmetrical shapes (like the slight difference in shape of her eyebrows- hence why she considers her observational skills a curse more than a gift). Which is how when they turned a corner and walked into another hallway, that Ashley noticed the subtle yet present change in decoration surrounding them. The red on the walls were not the same as the hallways from before, blending instead into a lighter shade. And as they continued to walk forward, the difference in decoration only grew greater and greater until they turned another corner and Ashley almost swore they were in a completely different place altogether. Reds mixed in between oranges and yellows, giving the impression of an everlasting sunset. Gold and red chiffon drapes hung from above, fluttering against the soft breeze from outside. Hanging scrolls of lush mountains and fog were replaced with cloth embroidery of women wrapped in color carrying large brown water jugs. Wall embellishments of dragons and tigers were exchanged for elephants and peacocks.

It was as if they had stepped directly into a palace from India and Ashley couldn't help the fluttering in her heart. She was a bit shocked at how she felt herself relax from just the change in decoration. She clung on to the warm feeling, just now realizing how long she had been away from it all. It wasn't that the traditional Japanese style of the rest of the palace was unpleasant (because it was definitely breathtakingly beautiful) and it wasn't like her home that she grew up in looked like this at all... but it was just a bit more familiar to her than everything else.

And that was what she needed right now...a bit of home.

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"T-this is...", she stuttered, feeling her head spin as a sudden wave of disbelief crashed over her, "...all for me?!" The Harem, Ashley had found out, was not a place where she would stay with concubines but instead a reclusive place built just for her where only select female attendants (and the Royal family) were allowed in. When asking the attendant why such preparations were made, she was told that the Emperor figured she would be uncomfortable with the thought of random people coming in and out of her living space and if a more private place was arranged, it would be much easier for her to feel more at home. Not to mention, the attendant said smiling, that the Empress also insisted that the Harem would be decorated according to her culture. Ashley felt warmth filling her chest and smiled as she looked around her, scanning each piece of furniture and color arrangement. 'How much effort and time was put into all of this...just for me?' she thought. As if knowing her thoughts, the attendant said, "Her Royal Highness spent many weeks trying to make everything perfect. She even watched several historical Indian dramas and read books just to get the right look". Feeling her eyes become misty, Ashley, quickly turned and decided to explore lest she start crying in front of the attendant (which would cause the latter to panic). The first section, she found out, was a place for her to sit and chat with her guests. Right past the archway was a medium sized, man-made pond. Beautiful water lilies of white with light pink tips scattered the surface of the water, bobbing slightly when she put a hand in. Walking around the pond, she saw several cushions (ranging from plain to intricately embroidered) laid out on a thick carpeted floor. A few cushioned seats, too low to be considered chairs, were also arranged carefully between cushions. At the head of the space was a large joola*, made up of dark wood, that hung from the ceiling. A thin futon* bedding was placed within and several cushions of greens, blues and gold littered each side. Ashley stared longingly at it, tempted to just collapse on to it and sleep the afternoon away. The attendant behind her followed her gaze and said, "That is where Your Highness shall sit". Ashley almost squealed and jumped up in excitement like usual, but refrained herself from doing so. She was pretty sure princess didn't jump...or squeal (this was going to be A LOT harder than she thought). Walking further in, she stepped into a courtyard surrounded by a magnificent garden. Flowers of every color and shape littered the well kept grass, their subtle scent hanging in their air. Ashley had the sudden urge to just throw herself onto the the grass and roll around (but again, restraint!) There was even a real pond at the edge, and upon closer inspection, there were large koi fishes swirling around each other in a flurry of colored scales. The attendant called out to Ashley who was currently trying to stick her finger in the pond. "We will see Your Highnesses personal chambers now." she said, as Ashley speed walked (she didn't think princesses ran either) across the grass. Stepping through an archway with draping chiffon curtains and colored glass beads, she was greeted with a room bigger than her entire apartment. Ashley couldn't stop herself from becoming slack jawed from the sight of it all. 'This...this is my room?" she thought, a strange feeling she couldn't identify settling heavy in her stomach. This was the place where she had spent the first week in the palace, crying and unsure of what was to happen. At that time, she didn't really pay attention what was around her, too buried in her own grief to notice the intricate designs and splendid colors. But now, she was seeing everything through a new lense, not as a prison but maybe as...home? It would take some time, she knew, to confidently think of everything as mine and not theirs. She ran her fingers through the white chiffon curtains that hung from the ceiling to her large queen sized bed, jasmine garlands wrapped around them.'This is going to be my bed, where I'll sleep every night...' she thought, unsure of what she should be feeling about it. Then opening her walk in room- er closet, she swept through the various fabrics and colors of traditional and modernized lehengas*, anarkalis*, and half saris*. Matching sets of jewelry, from bangles to nose rings were presented next to each set of clothing along with shoes. Ashley prayed that the gold and various gemstones weren't real because she didn't think she would ever feel comfortable with wearing something that cost her entire rent. Not to mention the guilt she would feel when she would lose one of them (and lose at least one of them she will, no matter how hard she would try not to). She was also surprised that they were able to get traditional Indian outfits; she had thought she would be wearing kimonos like everyone else. Not that the kimonos didn't fascinate her (she was determined to at least try it on once) but the intricate obis tied around them scared her a bit. 'Not to mention...' she thought, glancing over at the bottom of the attendants kimono, '...it doesn't have much leg room'. The notion of not being able to walk freely made her feel uneasy (so thank goodness she didn't find any full saris in her closet). "Wait...will I have to wear these everyday?" She asked the attendant, her eyes widening at the thought. "Well Your Highness, it isn't really my place to say this but yes, you will wear these most of the time. A princess is a title and just like any other title, for example like a president or a priest, there is a certain image to be maintained." the attendant said, giving her a patient smile. Ashley nodded her head, it made sense. No one would take her seriously if she lounged around in sweatpants (even though she really REALLY wanted to). "But Tetsuya Sensei will go into more details when you begin your training." the attendant continued. Ashley swallowed the lump forming in her throat, 'That's right, my lessons start today". She felt her anxiety skyrocket, imagining what she would have to learn. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, after all, if it was, then every girl could call herself a princess. She just hoped it wouldn't be anything ridiculous like those ancient princess lessons that taught how to position herself for consummation. Ashley shuddered at the thought.

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The attendant, who she finally learned was named Miyu, led her to a separate hall in the Harem. To Ashleys absolute delight, it was to a large room with high ceilings where looming shelves were stuffed to the brim with books. Her nerdy side was practically purring with the thought of snuggling up in a corner on a stormy day, near one of the tall windows with a book on her lap. She scanned the book spines, wonderfully surprised to find the titles of her favorite reads and her eyes catching some titles that she never read before. But her excitement didn't last long and was soon replaced by fear when her gaze landed on an entire shelf filled with thick books and the occasional scroll with titles like "Feudal Japan: A Closer Look" and "The Terrains of the Rising East". Now, it wasn't as if history didn't interest her (topography on the other hand, not so much), but spending more than five years learning about American history and then suddenly switching to a whole other country was a huge change. She knew she would also eventually learn about politics and economics, subjects that set her a bit on edge. Over all, she knew that whatever she was going to start studying from now, it was going to be a shift from her usual biology labs and psychology papers. "Well Your Highness, lets get started." a voice interrupted the starting of her mini panic attack. Startled into the seat nearest to her, she looked up to find Tetsuya Sensei who looked to have been struggling to keep his stoic face at her overly panicked expression. "Dont worry Your Highness. Although it will take some time, I assure you, I will make you a princess fit for Japan." he said, calmly walking to a white board across from her. Ashley didn't have his confidence to agree and so didn't say anything but instead opted to watch her new teacher lay out supplies. "This will be your personal note taking book to write down what you need to during lessons on life style and duties" he said, handing her a small, thick book with a gold trim (the horrifying thought of it being real flashed through her mind). "This will be what you will use for your writing lessons." he said, indicating to the the light brown colored scroll and a case filled with different types of brushes and a pot of ink. "And finally, this is for your other lessons, such as History and Economics." he said, laying five lined notebooks to the side (she doubted they were the dollar store type). Ashley swallowed an imaginary lump in her throat, she was just on supplies and was already so intimidated! "Well, let's get started then, shall we?" he said, looking at her expectantly as she scrambled for the small bag the attendant had left on the chair next to her. Pulling out her pencil case and hurriedly opening the small book, she looked up with a pencil in hand, ready as she'll ever be. But Tetsuya sensei was staring at her pencil case and pencil instead. "Is...is that the head of a rabbit on top of your pencil?" he asked, as if the sight was incredulous. Ashley looked down at her light pink pencil case with white daisy prints and her sky blue pencil with a white bunny on the top, comparing it to the elegant supplies that were just given to her. She heard a sigh coming from her sensei, and she knew it was the one of many.

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As expected, adapting a new lifestyle and building on to a pre-existing personality was extremely hard, close to impossible. They first started with her main problem: her confidence. Ashley had wilted once Tetsuya sensei mentioned it, of course he would noticed her total lack of self confidence. Forget about sugar coating, he didn't even give off a warning. But it made sense to her, a princess wasn't someone to be stepped on like some hotel doormat. A princess had to be a leader, the firmest voice in the crowd, someone who others were willing to follow. Someone with confidence. When she was younger, much more naive of the world, she had plenty of confidence. She did whatever she wanted and said whatever came to her mind. But as she grew older, the cruelty of others caused her confidence to plummet. Boys would make fun of her appearance and took her actions as something else. Girls would say she had a bad attitude when she didn't mean any harm. She began to draw more of herself in, until eventually, becoming completely isolating. In fact, if it wasn't for Veronica, she doubted she would be able to speak at least some of her mind. Now looking at the current her, anyone would mistaken her for some foreign attendant that scrubbed floors at a back corner of the palace. No, she didn't even have enough of an aura to be an attendant! Ashley signed, bitter feelings feelings of self dislike welling up. She knew she didn't love herself, how could she with how useless and unattractive she thought herself to be? She knew she had a few good points but it wasn't enough for her to proudly say that she loved herself for who she was. When she reluctantly muttered those thoughts to Tetsuya sensei after much prodding (she had never told anyone these feelings- not to her parents or even to Veronica), he let out the biggest sigh she had ever heard from him. She had felt her heart drop then, sure that he had given up on her and she would be forced to go home to America, empty handed. But he only turned to her with gentle smile and said, "Well then, why don't you become someone you are proud of?". Ashleys eyes had widen then at his words, it was as if someone had shined a bit of light into her darkness and she felt herself become renewed with energy. "I could so that?" she asked, hands gripped to her side, as if holding onto life itself. "Well, why not? What's stopping you?" he replied back, a completely serious look on his face. She then let out a bright smile, hope replacing her doubt, and decided that Tetsuya sensei wasnt that scary of a person at all.

And the first step towards rebuilding her confidence was perfect posture. Ashley was a total sloucher. In fact, it was so bad that her back muscles actually hurt when she sat straight for too long. It had started since she began carrying heavy backpacks in middle school. But excessive weight on her back was only part of the reason. When she was in middle school, she hit a growth spurt. The sudden growth of her breasts, when mostly everyone else around her was flat, made her feel extremely self conscious. She didn't want to bring attention to them, so she drew them in by slouching. Now, she had average sized breasts but still, she would sometimes feel self conscious when she sat up straight and pushed them forward. After ten straight minutes of stuttering while her face was as flushed as a tomato, she mumbled out the half coherent confession to Tetsuya sensei (honestly, he was now her physiologist more than her sensei). He had paused for a few minutes and Ashley was about to take all back when he gave her the most serious look she had ever seen from him. "Your Highness, I assure you. There will be no one here that will look at you like that. And if you feel like there is, then just say the word and their eyes will be gouged out." Ashley nodded numbly, not sure if she should feel reassured or not (she took it back, he WAS scary). "Besides, you will not be wearing overly exposed clothes here and a large portion of your time will be spent at the Harem. You do not need to worry about such things". She nodded again, this time, much more at ease and practiced her posture. It took her a long and painful month to break her bad habit. They then moved on to her balance and way of walking. She was told that she needed to be graceful yet strong so when people saw her coming, they knew she was someone of importance. She was made to balance candles and stacks of plates on her shoulders, head, and even on one foot. The sound of glass breaking was becoming too common for her but after three weeks, nothing shattered and her posture was finally deemed fit for a princess. She had her dance lessons of one year when she was younger to thank for speeding up the process.

The next few lessons were on how to properly take care of her body. She was surprised that such importance was given to the subject and asked her sensei why it was so. He had only replied that royalty could not care for others if they can't care for themselves. It was then that she had met one of the people that she would come to most respect in the palace (along with her in-laws and Tetsuya sensei), the Royal Physician, Dr. Akira. As a girl who had dreamed of becoming a doctor at the early age of 5, Ashley felt herself unable to resist the almost gravitational pull she felt towards the physician. The amount of medical knowledge she must hold in her head made Ashley dizzy with awe and she wondered if it would be insulting if she asked the physician to give her a few lessons. Her eyes danced around, hungrily looking at anatomy charts, several herbs, glass beakers, and pill counting trays all laying about. She could see Tetsuya sensei smile at her from the corner of her sight, probably knowing what was on her mind and clearly amused. But she withheld her curiosity and instead listened diligently to the lessons on self care In the end, she realized the human body required a LOT of attention and how little she actually knew how to care for it. Growing up with a mother who was usually at work and a father who was too much of a "man", she had to figure out a lot of things by herself and that included hygiene. With no one to really tell her, she has made many mistakes that resulted in disaster. For instances, when she was about 7, she didn't bother combing out the tangles in the back of her head for several days. She figured it would somehow magically fix itself. It was only after a week when her father finally found out and tried to disentangle the literal nest that had formed that she realized her mistake. In the end, there was nothing they could do but chop off that portion of her hair. As she got older, she began to rely on the internet to teach her about how to take care of herself, along with many successful and unsuccessful trials. It felt relieving to finally learn from an actual professional on how to care for herself, along with the shock on how much unintentional damage she had inflicted on her body. Who knew it was so hard to pick a decent soap? Who knew most makeup lines were the epitome of several disease causing agents (not like she actually wore any but still)? Who knew that what position you slept at night could actually affect your health? Because she didn't and she was extremely glad someone was finally giving it to her straight. After a full body checkup and the promise that the results along with her detailed health plan would be given to her the next day, they left the Medical Hall. Dr. Akira warned her that she would be put on a special diet for a month and that she should be prepared for daily work out sessions. Ashley could already feel herself getting tired from just those words alone.

For the next lesson they moved onto how she would present herself. "Will you be teaching me how to dress?!" she asked Tetsuya sensei, not bothering to hide her disbelief and laughter. Her sensei only glared ahead, his lack of an answer a clear 'no' and a 'how-could-you-ask-me-that?'. They stopped near the edge of the Harem where she was properly introduced to one of the attendants that she would soon become very close with, Fumi san. "This is going to be your instructor for the next session." Tetsuya sensei said as he bid them a farewell and walked away in the opposite direction. Ashley shyly looked over at the well polished attendant, her makeup immaculate, and understood why she was chosen to teach her. They walked off to her personal chambers and into her open closet. She was once again overwhelmed by the onslaught of different colors, designs, and combinations. She could feel herself getting slightly dizzy but was brought back to reality with Fumi sans voice. "Dont worry your Highness, its not as hard as it seems." she said, an amused smile playing on her lips. Ashley cleared her throat, feeling like the novice she was, and calmed herself. Afterwards, Fumi san started teaching her by doing a demonstration. It took an entire hour and three attendants to get her ready. One for her hair, and the other two to help her with her outfit, while Fumi san taught her the basics of applying light makeup. Ashley began to understand why fashion gurus and stylists made so much money; they definitely earned her appreciation! She also found out (with immense relief) that if she didn't feel like being decked out with heavy ornaments during her free time, she could lounge around in her personal wing wearing simple cotton kurta tops and baggy harem pants. And that was quite possibly the best thing she heard all day.

As expected, learning how to speak Japanese was more easier than writing or reading kanji. But even still, it took her more than four months of constant practice to speak without jumbling up her words. She still got confused over idioms and homophones but otherwise, she could confidently carry herself through a conversation. She was so relieved and happy to finally converse with the attendants stationed at the Harem, talking to them more than any princess has ever talked to attendants. She wanted to make up for the time she lost and quite frankly, she wanted to at least be friends with the people that stayed in the Harem with her. After all, she would see them every single day. At first they were hesitant to her openness, not used to carrying normal conversations with royalty whom they served. But slowly, they began to open to her to, and Ashley was glad to call all of her attendants friends. Her calligraphy, on the other hand, needed a lot more work. As it turns out, you can't erase ink. So the ever growing mountain of scroll paper that rested beside her private desk was a normal sight. Learning the history of Japan had been enjoyable (but not memorizing names and dates). Economy was boring to her (as she predicted) and she almost slammed her head to the table once from exhaustion. Politics was a subject she had mixed feelings about. Sometimes, it would interest her while other times it would make her feel worried. There was a lot of cunningness and gamble that went into it, something Ashley wasn't very good at. Plus, the weight of an entire country riding on her shoulders made her feel queasy. But Tetsuya sensei assured her, saying she would do fine with more studying and first hand experience.

It took her a total of six months to complete her basic princess training. It was tedious work that soaked up her attention everyday until her head was filled to the brim and her body ached. On most days, her future as a ruler seemed bleak but there were moments when she would meet eyes filled with respect or catch her sensei's approving smile that she would think that she was going to be okay. It took six full months to confidently walk down her hallways (that right, hers) with elegance and her head held high. Her steps became lighter, walking with purpose, her hands were graceful yet firm, and her mind was quick and alert. She grew to be flexible but strong like the bamboo at the edge of her garden. Bowing attendants, heavy responsibilities, and tinkling ornaments become an everyday occurrence. Finally, she could say with a serene smile that she was a proper princess.

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Tetsuya entered the Empresses Study Room, his silk robes shimmering under the light of the paper lanterns. "So? How has my precious daughter-in-law been doing?" a voice full of obvious pride asked. He bowed to the woman dressed in a bright orange, four layered Junihitoe* sitting at a large desk stacked with papers. "Just as you predicted Your Royal Highness, she is doing very well. Her memory is excellent and she can pick up languages exceedingly well." he said, not even needing to look up at her to know she had a smug smile on her face. "But...I think this marriage will be harder than we thought..." he said, specific moments he had spent with the new princess flashing through his mind. "What do you mean?" Empress Ayame asked, concern leaking into her usually chipper voice. Tetsuya thought of the princess telling him of her discomfort on showing off her body, her obvious comfort in staying at the Harem where only women were allowed, and the one time a male attendant had accidentally brushed too closely to her and he had noticed her subtly flinch.

"I think that Her Highness has some deep problems when it comes to men and trust..."  

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  GLOSSARY:

*Junihitoe: a multilayered kimono (often around 10 layers!) that is worn by nobles and royalty