The celebration stretched on far longer than Charlotte had expected.
One after another, people approached her offering congratulations, curious smiles, and watchful glances. She was introduced to faces she knew she would struggle to remember, names that blurred together as the hours passed. Dinner was eventually served, and the hall filled with warmth, laughter, and the clinking of cutlery.
Everyone seemed… pleased.
The night carried on for hours.
By the time they finally returned to the mansion, it was deep into the night, and exhaustion weighed heavily on her bones.
All she had wanted, back in the hall, was to sit down and breathe to rest for just a moment. But something inside her had refused. It hadn't felt right to remain seated while others came to greet her.
Her mother's voice echoed faintly in her mind respect everyone, no matter their rank, their status, their place.
And now, Charlotte had made a decision.
