Chapter. 1

‘I’m bored to death.’

Harrieta, who was idly standing on the railing, sighed deeply. A white whirl of breath rose into the cold night air and then disappeared in the blink of an eye.

‘I wish I could disappear from here like my breath.’ Thinking such gibberish thoughts, she stretched her body and cleared her mind. Her back, neck and shoulders were a little stiff.

There were so many ornaments on her hair that it was hard to find an empty spot on her head. It was all because Lillian had told her to meticulously prepare herself, in case she encounters the chance of a lifetime. The weight of all the ornaments was so heavy, that even a simple task of standing upright seemed to bring her a big headache.

‘It’s all useless.’

Harrieta frowned at the white laced sleeves that stretched out under her wrist. Lillian was very thrilled to see her all dressed up, but Harrieta was dissatisfied with her look. It was because her reflection in the mirror was too unfamiliar and unpleasant. She was forced to wear clothes that didn’t fit her, and she looked rather tacky because of the overdressing.

She just wanted to tear off all the accessories on her hair, as well as the lace on her sleeves, but she thought of her parents back in her hometown and somehow managed to endure it for them.

It had already been four months since Harrieta came to Lavant. The Mackenzie couple were done with her self-indulgent and free-spirited nature, ignoring manners and dignity as a lady. So they sent her to Lillian in Lavant.

Although Lavant was not the capital of the kingdom, it was still a large city that could not be compared to her hometown Philioche.

‘Would she change her way of thinking and behavior if she interacted with more people and attended social gatherings regularly?’

The Mackenzies were desperate enough to hold on to the slightest hope.

Lillian was an aunt who Harrieta had never met before. So Harrieta was worried that the sudden meeting might become strange and awkward.

However, Lillian, who had seen her niece for the first time, welcomed her so warmly, that Harrieta found all her worries had been unnecessary. Lillian really seemed very pleased to meet her. And Harrieta soon realized why.

She didn’t even get time to unpack and adjust to the new environment. On the night of her arrival in Lavant, Harrieta was led by Lillian to attend a social gathering. It was possible because she was still under 16 and hadn’t gotten a formal debut.

She attended a number of social gatherings, ranging from small tea parties with fewer than ten people in attendance to dazzling balls with hundreds of people. The number of social gatherings that the two had attended in the past four months was so high that it could not be counted even if they folded all ten fingers.

As time went by, Harrieta became tired of the monotonous busy life.

But on the contrary, Lillian became more and more lively and motivated. She was looking forward to seeing her niece, who had grown up in the countryside. She hoped that her niece would meet the criteria of some noble family and help her make relationships.

However, contrary to her wishes, the young Harrieta was not very popular among the men. Moreover, her free-spirited nature and naive words and deeds were not easily accepted by the aristocrats, who had grown up in a strict and formal environment.

Harrieta was naturally alienated from the crowd, and whenever she attended the social gatherings, she would likely spend her time alone in the corner of the room or on the balcony rather than chatting with others.

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