Coming of age was actually a dreadful thing for Joanna. She used to wish for the time to freeze, letting her live as a little girl while she was still breathing.
By becoming a little girl, she could play as freely as she could without thinking about socializing, especially with other aristocratic ladies, where some of them hid their hostility behind a friendly façade—talking about others behind their backs and putting on the most beautiful smile when they were in front of them. And Joanna was sure that she was also part of the subject that was interesting enough to be brought up behind her back.
