Beatrice POV
That night at dinner, I tried to remember everything Lady Meredith taught me. Sit up straight. I held my fork properly, made polite conversation.
Halfway through the meal, I reached across the table for the salt. Everyone froze.
"What?" I asked.
"You're supposed to ask someone to pass it," Maro said gently. "Not reach."
My face burned. "Right, sorry."
"Don't apologize." Brennan passed me the salt. "These things take time to learn."
But I felt like a failure. Like I was playing dress-up in a life that didn't fit.
Darius found me on the balcony after dinner, staring at the moon. "Talk to me," he said.
"I keep messing up," I admitted. "Every time I think I'm getting it right, I do something wrong. Reach for things I should ask for. Say the wrong thing to the wrong person
