As threatened, there were entirely too many adults for Katerina to meet before she could go to the Garden.
She had to meet all of her aunts and uncles, most of her cousins, the Nobles who lived in the Palace, some of the senior staff, and yet through it all she wasn't given time to talk to the interesting people.
Not that she met many of them.
The other Princes and Princesses were far too stuffy for Katerina's preference, and even the other kids had been carefully coached to be on their best behaviour in public. They weren't energetic like Katerina was certain that kids were supposed to be, most of them were standing rather stiffly by their parents, just waiting.
She supposed that if you did this often enough, you got used to the rules.
Boring rules.
She was polite through all the introductions to the new people, but Katerina was immensely relieved when she could finally go and meet the other girls in the garden.
