# The Paine Palace The carriage rattled forward as I deliberately avoided my insufferable older sister's smug expression pressed against the window. Our servant had already secured my belongings and taken the reins, preparing to transport me toward my destiny at Paine Palace. "We depart now, Your Highness," the servant announced. "Then let's go," I replied coldly. As the horses began their steady gait, I caught sight of my father with his latest paramour and my brother, all beaming with relief at my impending absence from their lives. I extended my hand through the carriage window in a final, dismissive gesture—a silent declaration of my defiance against their transparent joy. They could celebrate my departure all they wished. I offered them one last vulgar salute before the horses surged forward into a gallop. Their outraged cries echoed behind us, but we had already left them in our dust, moving inexorably toward the grand estate that would become my new world.