[Lavinia's Pov]
"…Maybe not," I admitted in a whisper, my voice shrinking a little under the enormous weight of reality.
And that, I think, was the first time I really understood what it meant—to grow.
To learn.
To become something more than just a sparkle angel in a newspaper headline. (Although, for the record, I looked very cute in that headline. And I stand by the glitter stickers.)
Lady Evelyne didn't gloat. She didn't smirk. She just smiled softly, like she'd been waiting for this little lightbulb moment all along.
"But," she said gently, her voice like warm tea on a cold morning, "it also doesn't mean you have to be cruel, Princess."
I looked up at her, surprised.
She was still smiling—that calm, graceful smile that made her look like she belonged in a fairy tale where everyone wears pastel robes and gives life-changing advice while sipping chamomile.
"Kindness is still important," she said. "You just have to be kind and firm. Like a velvet hammer."
