Chapter 1: To the Summer Palace
It was morning, and our ride had arrived from the royal palace.
“Be well, Nassius, Henry,” I said, bidding farewell to my brothers as I waved to them from the carriage. I didn’t dare stick my body out of the window, since Mary would scold me, but that meant the angels were quickly out of my view. The lump I felt in my chest made me understand the true meaning of the phrase “having a heavy heart.”
“We will be meeting up with the other carriages at the southern gate,” Charlotte, the court lady, explained. Though we had a member of the royal staff aboard our carriage, it wasn’t as suffocating as having to ride with Queen Victoria or Princess Margaret.
Charlotte had all of her hair neatly tied up without a single strand out of place, and she was properly dressed in her court lady’s uniform made of black silk. I’d met Charlotte several times before during my visits to the royal palace with Princess Margaret whenever the queen summoned me, so her presence didn’t make me as nervous as a complete stranger’s would have.
“I’ve never left the royal capital before,” I remarked. Patience’s memories all took place in the royal capital. In fact, she hadn’t left the Granger estate until she’d visited the church for her mother’s funeral. She’d been quite the sheltered girl.
Charlotte smiled, as that wasn’t entirely unusual for a noble from Romano.
“That must mean you’ve never seen the ocean before, Lady Patience. You must be excited that the summer palace is so close to the beach.”
That’s right! I am excited! After all, being by the ocean means that there’s probably delicious seafood! If I’m going to be separated from my brothers, I’m at least going to have some fun! Otherwise, I won’t survive this trip! Maybe I’ll find some pretty shells along the beach to bring home as souvenirs for my brothers.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, we made it out of the nobles’ quarter.
“Look, Mary. There are lots of shops!”
The street was lined with countless shops, but none had opened yet, since it was still early in the morning. Some shops had signs indicating they sold clothes and accessories.
“My lady, Romano is home to a plethora of shops. Now please, sit down properly.”<
