Chapter 15: Becoming a Master (1)
In the Samara Empire, young women celebrated their coming-of-age ceremony at the age of seventeen. This milestone marked their eligibility for marriage and granted them the freedom to independently interact with individuals from other families. In the rare case of women who held a title to themselves, this was also the age when they could exercise their authority without the interruption of their patron.
Like all girls in the empire, Apollonia eagerly anticipated her own coming-of-age ceremony. However, her anticipation wasn’t rooted in dreams of falling in love with a knight in shining armor or reveling in extravagant attire and the congratulatory wishes of many. Her eagerness stemmed from a piece of land bestowed upon her in the empire’s southern region by her late grandfather, the emperor. Although her authority over it had been entrusted to a vassal due to her tender age, she planned to personally visit the land immediately after her ceremony.
