After weeks of selection, I can finally write the final reports about the shortlisted names.

As promised, Caroline Grahm is among them. As well as Eliza from Myrya and a few others.

It's a balanced list, with half of the ladies from this very court. I've already warned his majesty that it would be better to pick a foreigner, but he'll make the final choice.

All the chance encounters I organised made his majesty send me a letter where he asked me to stop. He promised to look for the lady on his own, with his pace and in his free time.

Piqued his attention, I didn't need to work anymore. My informers didn't hide any detail, and I guess that his majesty was charmed by Eliza's cold behaviour.

She didn't want to be involved in all of this, and her fear was that the other ladies would be mean if they heard of the imperial interest.

Especially Georgia. Oh, that girl is difficult to deal with, even for me.

But that's a story for another time. Royal struggles are too much for my busy brain.

Having a few days of peace and then some big event is tiring. It's just enough time to allow me to lower my guard. Thank the heavens, Alexander is always on alert.

I'm alone with Lavinia, reading some book for my urgent research when an unexpected guest arrives.

I've almost forgotten about the hundred pretty servants I sent to Ethiro before surrendering to my destiny. Back then, I didn't think I would meet any of them again.

«My Queen,» the boy says as soon as I send the maids off.

He falls on his knees right in front of me.

«Get up before someone sees you,» I say, pulling him up by the shoulders. «How are you doing?»

While driving him on the couch, I notice a few red signs on his neck. I pull the collar and see a wound relatively fresh.

It's as if he was scratched by a tiger, for goodness!

«What is this?» I wonder.

«Nothing, my Queen. The mistress wasn't satisfied with my work.»

«What kind of work?» I mumble while the remorse for sending the youth out like that reaches me.

«I made the wrong tea,» he sighs. «I should have been more careful.»

Just as we talk, the door opens. Alexander walks in while I'm still pulling the boy's shirt.

My husband closes the door as if nothing happened, and I don't feel any sting of jealousy coming from him. I don't see his dark glare.

The boy next to me does shiver, but I can't sense anything amiss.

«Are you going to continue with your exploration?» Alexander says when I don't move my hands away after a few seconds.

«No, come here,» I murmur. «We agreed there would be no violence.»

As Alexander walks in our direction, and the boy curls his shoulders in a vain attempt to disappear from the man that in two steps reaches us. Alexander's shadow hides the light of the chandelier, and the boy looks up with fear in his eyes.

«Why didn't you tell someone immediately?» he murmurs. «This isn't the first time, is it?»

The boy shakes his head, unable to utter a word.

«Who is your employee?»

«G-grahm,» he stutters.

«Who hurt you?»

«The mistress.»

«Who is that?» I inquire. The Duchess?

«Countess Grahm.»

«Ah,» I moan. The Countess, ah? Count Grahm's wife. What have they done to this youngster just because he was born in the same place as me?

«I will solve the matter,» Alexander says while getting rid of the outer layer of his clothes.

He wears a clean jacket and looks at the hour. When the time for Lavinia to wake up comes, he walks to the cradle and picks her up as soon as she starts crying.

They've been training this. And when Alexander is not around at this hour, it's impossible to soothe her. Maybe, I should work on my strategy to make people love me. I should learn from this manipulative husband of mine.

As if a stranger wasn't sitting on our sofa, Alexander carries Lavinia around and grins at her. We've lost his attention now, so it seems I'll have to solve it on my own.

«I will ask his majesty to get you assigned to someone else,» I say to the young boy.

«No!» he exclaims. «My Quee... Your highness, I need to stay where I am!»

«Why is that?»

«Here,» he murmurs, passing me a small piece of paper. «This arrived at the Count this morning. I snatched it before he could burn it.»

I widen my eyes, observing the words.

It's a message from the inner Palace. The harpy is promising that Caroline Grahm made it through the shortlist.

As if she was the one settling her there! She's stealing my merits.

«I need to stay there, my Queen.»

I turn to Alexander, wondering whether he planned all of this already. Did he know my people would stay loyal, at least some of them? His insistence on the number of hundred... He sent them to the places where I would have needed them.

And since he wasn't planning to tell me about his first life, this was all a backup plan for me. He was planning to gift me an information web just because. One he wouldn't have any power on.

«Don't say anything about this, or she will know I've talked with you,» the boy repeats.

«Can you bear it a few months more? If you do well, I'll arrange for you to go back to Polis.»

He lifts his eyebrow, his eyes wide and surprised.

«My Queen, we thought you were a prisoner of the beast,» he whispers.

«We?»

«The others and I. Some of us meet in the Palace...»

«Oh,» I sigh. «That's why there was so much insistence on young people.»

Alexander wanted them to be friendly with each other and form groups, to be linked.

«What about the beast, though?» I murmur.

I turn to Alexander and see his relaxed expression. Our daughter is making some noise, babbling something.

Even if he's still tall and dark, I can't sense an ounce of threat from him.

«What have you heard?» I inquire.

«You were forced to marry the man that conquered Polis!» he exclaims. His eyes are almost teary, red with worry. «We wanted to organise your flight, but then you left for another place... And when you came back, my Queen, you had a daughter.»

Ah, well, I'm glad they didn't have time to make me escape.

«It's more difficult to make two people run away,» he sighs.

Alexander can hear you, you know? He's so focused on Lavinia right now, but he will understand later what's happening here.

«I don't want to run away,» I point out. «Can you imagine what would happen if I ran away? To you, and to Polis.»

He nods, biting his lips in remorse.

«And I have a lot of work ahead. I can't just disappear.»

«I understand, my Queen. So, the beast isn't dangerous? I can't wait to tell the others that our Queen tamed the beast!»

Ah, who among Alexander and I tamed the other is difficult to determine.

«You should be the Empress of this place, my Queen. Don't allow them to treat you like decoration...» he continues.

«No,» I sigh. «I am not going to become Empress. I'd rather be without any title.»

That seat is doomed to constant struggles even just to survive. I don't want that for my family. Dying once is enough for my soul.

«You will help me, won't you?» I ask the boy.

«Yes, my Queen. We're all ready to serve you.»

«His majesty owes me a favour. I will arrange your return home the day when the threats on my life and the Empire are erased,» I say. «For now, keep a low profile and continue listening to whatever they say. Especially when they're alone.»

«Why are you saving them?» the boy asks, confused. His trust in me wavers for a moment only.

«Because Polis would be attacked first if the Empire crumbled,» I explain. «It was a matter of time. Even if we won the war, other forces would have stretched their arms towards us. It's the price for being a harbour city.»

I sit next to him and pat his shoulder.

«I visited Polis earlier this year. Your families must be safe and sound. The soldiers aren't taking advantage of our fellow countrymen. One day, Polis will return to be a central hub for commerce and merchants.»

«You won't be there to see it, my Queen.»

«No, but you will be my eyes and my ears. You will have to report to me the situation and use your experience in the Empire to avoid crises and solve them.»

He nods, fierce like a tiger.

«I have to go now, or the Countess might suspect...»

«Sure,» I sigh. «Be careful.»

My goal seems a step closer now.