Eliza is more knowledgeable than her sister. She spent most of her time reading, hidden from the court intrigues. If she has a fault, it's her naiveness.

She doesn't have much experience in dealing with people.

Yet, she answers the questions almost as precisely as Lorene. There's still much difference between the two. One level, at least.

Lorene was taught by tutors, while this one learned on her own. It's only natural that she's not as eloquent and precise as my cousin.

When asked about the flood, the first thing she does is to tilt her head and ask: «how many months?»

It's the first time someone has a question to ask for details. The counsellors hold their breath, surprised and amazed that a forgotten Princess has enough brains to consider the whole situation, not just a few details she was given.

In fact, this question should be evaluated by the kind of questions one asks to collect information. It's not about the answer.

«Five.»

«And the lord didn't report for five months? Is there a reason?»

«I don't know,» the assessor says, taken back. «We should ask the lord that.»

«How large is the fief? Is it comparable to the lands a baronet manages here in Ethiro? Or is it smaller?»

«Aren't you asking if it's bigger?»

«The lord let the situation get out of control. It could be excusable if the fief was so small that the other parts of it can't compensate for the damage. But if it's large, then it should be the lord's responsibility to keep the tax influx stable.»

«What if the whole fief is flooded?»

«A large fief means more space for financial manoeuvres,» she points out. «I have other questions before answering.»

«Yes, of course.»

She inquires about other details, mostly about the fief's infrastructure.

«Is it the first time the fief is flooded?» she asks, in the end.

«No, it's not,» the advisor says.

He doesn't have a clue about the answer to some of the questions. Sometimes, he says it out loud. Sometimes, he makes up responses that would be in favour of the party that was criticised. In this case, the lord.

«That fief is, in fact, in a difficult position. Floods are critical for the population. This year, it was particularly unfavourable.»

«I understand,» she sighs.

«What would you do if you were asked to advise his majesty or take the decision on your own?»

«I would at first send someone to ascertain that the lord's version is real and precise. Then, I would use part of the crown's money. Or my own, if I have it in this scenario, to help reclaim the fields from water. I would say that the priority is to allow them to produce food to sustain themselves and, eventually, pay the taxes.»

«Would you allow a deduction of the amounts?»

«No, I wouldn't.»

«Why not?»

«It sounds cruel, I'm aware. And this is my own opinion, so it might be faulty. Yet, I think that disrupting the habit of paying taxes could have costs in the long term. Even just counting the population will be needed after two years of low pressure. But I would study how to make the population earn enough to pay the taxes as predicted by the Empire's balance. I can't come up with the idea on the spot, and I guess it depends on the fief's qualities.»

«So, you would help people earn money and pay taxes with that money?»

«Yes, that would be the end goal. The imperial treasure wouldn't face much of a challenge. I understand it's a concern, but natural disasters need recovery, right? It's better if there's a small loss or no loss rather than spending money that won't help the economy in the medium period. More than just giving money, it's better to create opportunities for production and exchange of goods.»

«That's an interesting theory. Where have you found inspiration for it?»

«It's something that was done countless times in history.»

«Are history books reliable enough to handle complex situations, in your opinion?»

«I haven't ever handled such a complicated situation, so I wouldn't know. But I guess one always has to take into account the specific needs and threats of any scenario.»

«What about the lord?»

«I'm not sure what Ethirian law says in such a case.»

«You haven't studied a bit of it?»

«No, I haven't. Not yet, at least. I've focused more on history and languages.»

«Would you proceed as the law prescribes, whatever the decision is?»

«Yes, of course. Unless there is no punishment for such a crime.»

«What crime?» the advisor asks.

The judges sigh, tired of hearing the same story about tax evasion. It's not something just my husband thinks about, apparently. All these ladies were dead-set on defending his majesty's right to be paid for the stability he provides to the Empire.

«Allowing his fief to fall into such a condition. Months have passed, yet the fields are still unusable. It might even be late to start sowing now. I would have considered the fields of primary importance. Immediately after the livestock. That amount of damage... It takes years to bring up a cow. Those people lost all of their hard work.»

«So, the lord overlooking his responsibility is so grave?»

«It's their role,» she says. «It's what they receive their titles for! And also, the lord in the scenario shifted the responsibilities several times before talking with his majesty. This is the gravest crime of all.»

«Confessing late?»

«Right.» She nods. «Natural disasters happen, and we can't have control over everything. But the lord should have thought about the population and asked for help in time. I won't even inquire about the preparations he did not put in place to avoid such a disaster. It would only bring us more questions, and I guess our time is almost over.»

It's true. She's been here for fifteen minutes.

It's how much we keep the ladies in most cases. Such a good sense of time reminds me of my old self.

Ah, so much potential! If I could shape her into a good ruler... Her limits wouldn't be visible by the human eye!

«Are citizen's money and houses so important?»

«Yes, because a house and some money sustain a normal citizen's life. And healthy citizens mean a more powerful and stable kingdom for us all to live in.»

«Empire,» the advisor corrects her.

«Oh, yes... Empire.» She nods.

«Time is over; you can go,» I say.

There's no need to charm them further. Luck was on my side, as I won't need to work harder to get her on the shortlist.

«I will take a break,» I inform the other judges, and they just nod.

«We're almost done, regardless. You might retire for the day, your highness. Thank you for your work and support for this long process.»

«It's my duty,» I reply with a smile.

As soon as we're out, Duchess Prim sighs.

«Now I understand why she's your favourite,» she comments. «How did you find such a gem in a faraway land?»

«She's still an unpolished gem,» I chuckle. «And some of my international contacts wrote about her in their letters.»

«I'm worried, though, about your cousin. I see you don't want to explicitly cross her name from the list, and I hope the other judges won't even propose it.»

«Why?»

«She spent quite some time talking with his highness about Asteria's customs. She even said that sisters often are married to the same man! She's so shameless!»

Ah, she did what?

«And what did my husband reply?» I murmur, feigning uninterest.

«His highness already was aware of that tradition.»

«Even about sisters?»

«No, that was new. His highness said he was glad you had no sisters.»

«Did he?»

I sigh with relief.

Alexander didn't fall into the trap. He risked flirting with that shameless lass without even realising it!

And, knowing him, he wouldn't have understood that she was expressing interest. He's so dense around women, sometimes.

«His highness only sees one woman in the world,» the Duchess says, her eyes shining with the same romanticism of when she told me about his majesty's encounter with Eliza in the woods. «Oh, now two.»

«Two?»

«Your daughter. He found a way to talk about her in a couple of sentences. I've never seen a man so eager to talk about their child. Just like an old granny praising her grandchildren. With no offence.»

«None taken.» I can't help but agree. Alexander would praise Lavinia even if she just blinks.

Maybe that's why she's biased towards him.

«I heard that she's already moving her hands. You must be proud.»

«I am,» I say. «She's just a little ball, but the happiness she brings us is unbelievable.»

Oh, wait a moment... Am I behaving like my shameless husband, decanting the merits of my own blood? Since she's come out from me, it feels like praising a part of me.

I hope people won't think I'm becoming self-centred all of a sudden.

«It's the magic children bring with them. There's nothing that can make two people feel closer more than a little meat bun smiling at them,» the Duchess continues. «It was the same with my husband and me. After our first son was born, we haven't parted anymore.»