Theodore
I shook his hand and nodded. Then, he shooed us off, and I followed Violet through the garden, stopping now and then as she made introductions. Each new face came with a title, a history, and a handshake or polite nod. It was all a little overwhelming—not because it was difficult to keep up, but because I’d spent so much of my life imagining that noble events like these would be a minefield of rigid etiquette and judgmental stares. I'd hated even the idea of being caught up in this nonsense, but it was nothing like I'd feared.
Instead, it was… calm. Pleasant, even.
The nobles we met were polite, friendly even, with easy smiles and genuine interest in conversation. Sure, there was an air of formality, but it wasn’t suffocating. There was laughter—real laughter—and while the dres
