[Lavinia's Pov]
"Nanny… I'm telling you," I groaned as she tugged the sleeve of my red frock for the tenth time, "the wind's going to mess it up anyway!"
Nanny didn't even blink. She just dusted off imaginary lint from the skirt and said in that calm-but-scary tone of hers, "I know, Princess. But this is your first official journey outside the Imperial Palace. You must look proper."
"I'm a kid, Nanny. They'll forgive me," I declared, trying to wriggle out of her grip.
She tightened the belt with military precision. "Even if you're a kid, you're still the princess. And one day, the Empress. So. Must. Look. Proper."
I sighed dramatically and flopped onto the couch like a dying swan.
I should never forget that no one can win against a mother… Not even me, a princess.
"Outside, the palace buzzed—maids running, guards lining up, and people whispering about the princess's first official journey. Not that I was eavesdropping.
