"I'm going to the palace in three days."
Lilian spoke the words softly, almost to herself. The two maids who were helping arrange her wardrobe lifted their heads at once to find her lost in thoughts.
"Are you excited, My Lady?" Linda asked, her smile bright and hopeful. "Have you ever been to the royal palace before?"
Lilian shook her head.
She kept her eyes on the folded gown her maids had given her, her fingers lightly smoothing the fabric. Excited was the last thing she felt. The palace was the place her uncle had signed away her future, her life, like a transaction. Being summoned to the same palace left a cold weight in her stomach.
"You don't seem happy about it," Elise noted gently. Lilian glanced up, meeting her maid's worried eyes. "Do you not wish to visit the palace with the Duke?"
Lilian hesitated.
"It's not that," she murmured, though her voice lacked conviction. "I just… I don't know what to expect."
She drew in a soft breath.
