Time slipped by as I focused on my second attempt at embroidering an apple. It was… halfway done, if I were being generous. Thankfully, Cecil had drawn a small pattern for me to follow—simple, clear, and kind enough not to make me cry.

  Curious about my progress, I turned to Jane for her opinion. She offered nothing but a short nod, polite but painfully noncommittal. When I gnced at Cecil, she met my eyes with a look that practically begged, “Please don’t ask.”As for my mother, she remained completely engrossed in her documents, far too absorbed to witness my artistic crisis.

  Their silence was deafening. If I were to transte their reactions into words, it would be: "It still looks nothing like an apple"

  With a sigh of surrender, I pced the needle and thread aside and leaned back, turning my gaze to the window. Outside, the ndscape slowly shifted, the carriage now approaching the familiar stretch leading to Eri’s manor.

  I’d visited this pce countless times before, always under the watchful eye of either my father or mother. It was still technically within the bounds of my family’s estate—just like my rare visits to the Bourdelle Duchy. I’d never been allowed to explore beyond that, never experienced the thrill of wandering unfamiliar streets or seeing the famed ndmarks other nobles wrote poems about.The farthest I’d ever walked freely was a single street in the noble district. That was it.

  I understood my parents’ caution. I was young, and I bore a title that came with expectations and risks. Still, it was hard not to feel a little envious of my brothers, who came and went as they pleased—journeying across provinces, attending sword tournaments, sparring with knights, and collecting tales like souvenirs.

  Once, I asked why I wasn’t allowed to join them. Their answer? “Theo and Trev are trained in martial arts and swordsmanship.”

  Father had even added, with a glint in his eye, “If you want to travel with them, then learn to wield a sword.”

  As if that were something I would actually do.

  I don’t even exercise. And he wants me to fight with bdes and fists?What a sly man. He knew I’d refuse. He was setting conditions he knew I’d never meet.

  So, I never asked again.

  But deep down…I still dream of it—of stepping beyond familiar walls, seeing distant nds, tasting strange food, getting lost in a marketpce where no one knows my name.

  One day, perhaps.One day, I’ll explore this world—not as a daughter of nobility, but as me.

  ? 2025 baobaochong – All rights reserved.