Debutante practice continued—I had to present myself before the king and queen, after all, and the countess would stand for no shame to her house from me—until my sixteenth birthday arrived. We were set to begin our journey to the capital three days later.
I didn't have any real friends here outside my siblings so I requested a simple birthday tea that was family only. The countess was disappointed since she loved social occasions but eventually agreed to my request since I'd been so compliant in my training. Little did she know, I had plans in the capital that did not include getting married.
I had saved up every cent of the household allowance I'd been given since arriving and planned to strike out on my own. I liked my siblings, I really did, but staying in contact with them was not worth potentially destroying my life.
