The Princess has done a marvellous job. The hall she dedicated to our new women-only club is exquisite.

It's large enough to welcome many guests, and the decorations were chosen by her highness in person. It's full of flowers and scented candles, snacks on every table, and natural light from the polished windows.

The maids brew tea and ensure that every lady is served with a hot cup.

«You can sit down. I will welcome the guests,» her highness says when she sees that I'm observing the place with awe. «There's no need for you to overexert yourself...»

«Thank you, your highness,» I reply. «But I'm all right. I'm not doing anything much.»

«My brother will stop talking to me if he hears that I let you greet ladies and stand for hours!»

«He won't,» I chuckle.

«I noticed that there aren't portraits among the paintings you brought from Kyre,» the Princess comments, overseeing the servants bringing the artworks in the hall, leaning each in the right place.

«There are a couple, but I left them behind.»

«Why is that?»

«I don't want my painter to become too famous. It would be troublesome if all these ladies wanted a portrait from him.»

«Is my brother jealous about your admiration towards this mysterious man?» she inquires, narrowing her brows.

«Not much.»

«Oh, then it must be a woman,» she murmurs while walking away.

The few portraits I managed to obtain are almost all mine. There are just two with a different subject.

The first one is a younger version of the Princess. I couldn't send her that one, or the identity of my mysterious painter wouldn't have been mysterious anymore.

The second portrays the nanny at the time when she was in charge of taking care of Alexander as a child. That one is already in her lodgings, protected like a family heirloom.

What I'm showing these ladies are a few paintings with sceneries, still nature, and rural or castle scenes. They might not be interested in these subjects, but the beauty in every inch of the canvases is irresistible.

I'll rack up a serious amount today.

The ladies take a seat and chat for a while until I deem they're in a mood to spend. Then, I present the first painting.

«The lowest offer is one gold,» I say. «Then, it's up to you to decide how much you offer.»

As the quickest ladies already know how to bid, the others observe and learn. When even the shiest miss raises her hand to relaunch, my work is done.

I can relax and count the money in a corner.

The Princess is having a lot of fun with arbitrating the auction. Everything seems to proceed in the right direction.

Just before the last painting is brought in the centre of the hall, to let everyone take a look before bidding, another woman joins this little party of ours.

All the ladies in the room get up and curtsey to her. Even after they're done, they don't dare to raise their heads.

She's followed by a group of ladies in waiting and a couple of maids with colourful uniforms. When she reaches us, the Princess curtseys.

This doesn't allow any place for doubt about this woman's identity.

I have to curtsey too, as Alexander instructed me at the beginning. There are only three women I owe respect to: the Princess and the two dowager empresses. And so it happens that I'm meeting the younger dowager empress, the late Emperor's wife.

She's not as tall as I've imagined her, but her figure is imposing with her straight shoulders and red dress. Her hair is styled in a high, elegant bun.

Only a few locks frame her face, the face of a woman in her early forties never exposed to sun or wind for too long. Just a couple of wrinkles frame her eyes and mouth, and they don't make her look older. Rather, wiser and more powerful.

It's a face I wouldn't be displeased with at her age.

Her eyes are dark green, the colour of oak leaves in early autumn, framed by the different shades of emerald and brown of her makeup. Her lips are thin and painted in coral red. A beauty mark under her nose attracts attention. I wonder if it's natural or she painted it...

«I heard you were organising something interesting, but no one delivered an invite to me. I hope you won't mind if I visited you regardless...» she starts.

I eye the Princess. Her lips are tightened in a line. She does know how dangerous this woman is, but she didn't let Alexander sense it. She didn't want him to worry, most probably.

«There weren't any invites sent, your majesty,» I reply. «Everyone is welcome at our club.»

«Club? Well, I thought I wasn't everyone. You could write a line to let me know...»

«You've heard of it regardless,» the Princess points out.

I turn my gaze to her with widened eyes. She catches my expression and sighs inwardly.

«We were lucky that voice reached your ears, your majesty,» she continues, more for me than her own good. «It makes us blessed with your presence.»

The Empress walks to our table and sits on a chair. Her maids take away the cup of the person sitting there before, the Princess's, and her companions stand behind her. A whole royal delegation.

Two of her ladies in waiting help her fix the ample gown on the chair, making the embroidery on it visible. The emblem of the late Emperor crosses the whole skirt, visible by kilometres. The sleeves are tight around her arms, in contrast with my comfortable loose clothing.

The corset has been tightened to the extreme, revealing a wasp waist. Oh, I would be more than happy if I looked like her, at her age. But it doesn't look easy after bearing children.

She didn't have any, so her physique didn't expand like mine. My Duke said I won't lose all the extra weight, damn it...

«Is that a painting you're auctioning?» the Empress inquires, recalling me to the real world. I'll think about my measurements later. Now I have a court fight to survive.

«Yes, it is.»

«I'm curious about the person that produced it. It's so vivid.»

It's a scenery of a forest, during autumn, with the leaves coloured of red and yellow, some bare trees, and the sun setting in the background. It's as if the world was burning, but at the same time makes one shiver at the wind that moves the grass.

It's peaceful and moving at the same time, and the little details here and there make one wonder if there will ever be a time when one has finished admiring it. Every glance reveals something new.

It's such a pity that my Duke has a title: he would have done great things with his talent!

«Who can paint like this, in the Empire?»

«The painter asked me not to reveal his name.»

«Is that so? Aren't you just keeping him for yourself?» the Empress continues. «The Palace for sure is a better place for developing one's artistic potential. Better than the cold Kyre.»

Oh, damn it. I have to keep my tongue in check. This woman is, at least by name, more influential than me. And she's not a friend.

«I'm just following my protegee's wishes. If that person wanted fame and riches, they would have followed me here.»

I'm not hiding him from them, for goodness!

Oh, I am. Whatever...

«So, you aren't hiding him from us because you want him all for yourself?»

That's accurate.

«No, your majesty, I am not.»

«Shall we believe you?» she chuckles.

«It's not my decision whether you believe me or not.»

I walk to the table and offer my seat to the Princess. She crooks her mouth and sits down, a bit uneasy. She's wary of this person. Yet, she can't pretend to like her. This is enough of a warning for me.

If Princess Lyland is careful around the Dowager Empress, then I should be extra tactful.

At least until finding out how wide the Empress's clutches have spread.

«Is your majesty interested in art?» I inquire. «Does this painting trigger your interest?»

«It's pretty,» she admits. «How much is the starting bid?»

«It's one gold, like the rest of the paintings. It's a pity that your majesty didn't make it in time earlier. There were many other paintings worthy of interest.»

«Oh, I offer one gold then,» she exclaims with a smile.

The Princess grits her teeth under her closed lips, so much that I hear them creak. I understand her concern.

Who in the court would dare to challenge her majesty? With her words, she ended the auction at a ridiculous price. She could at least relaunch to a few golds, not that it would have cost her much.

The Princess opens her mouth to congratulate, with a bitter voice, for the win, when I decide that I'm not here for decoration.