Ulrich had left Grand Duke Marshal in the front sitting room to wait for Corvina’s return. When Corvina entered the room she noted the bored expression on his face and the fact that he was in full dress uniform. He only wore that when he intended to press the full weight of his authority. And he didn’t much like being bored.

Marshal looked at Corvina, and Corvina curtsied. “Your grace. I apologize for the wait. If you had sent word of your intent to visit we would have been better prepared for your arrival.”

“I shouldn’t have to make an appointment to talk to my fiancee,” said Marshal.

“You’re right, of course,” said Corvina. “I simply meant that your visit is an… unexpected pleasure.”

Marshal scoffed.

“If I could beg your patience a little longer,” said Corvina. “I would prepare myself properly that we might share the evening meal together.”

“So you do remember how to act properly,” said Marshal. “Very well. I suppose it is also proper that I should be willing to wait for you. We are to be life partners, after all. Just have your butler send some of your guards out to the yard to spar with me in the meantime. If I have to sit in this damned room any longer I’ll lose my mind.”

“Of course, your grace,” said Corvina, curtsying again and leaving the room.

Ulrich was waiting patiently outside. Corvina glanced at him. His expression was full of concern.

Corvina sighed. “Well, you heard him,” she said, heading upstairs.

Helen looked at her with a similarly concerned expression while she was helping Corvina bathe. Corvina found it grating.

“Stop looking at me like that,” said Corvina. “It’s like you’re preparing me for burial rather than supper.”

“I’m sorry, my lady,” said Helen, who was seated next to the tub, pouring scented oils into the water. “It’s just… the Grand Duke has never come here on his own before when there wasn’t some sort of official event happening. I just worry what his intentions might be.”

Corvina leaned her head back and slid further under the warm, scented water. “I’m sure nothing good,” she said. “But I will handle it. Or do you not think I’m capable?”

“No, that’s not it, my lady,” said Helen. “You’re capable of anything! It’s just…”

“Leave me!” snapped Corvina. “Lay out my dress for me while I finish up here. We can’t afford to waste time.”

Helen got up and curtsied, leaving the room.

Corvina took a deep breath and fully submerged herself in the water.

She should have seen this coming. She was Lady Corvina. She was supposed to know everything that went on in this city. She was supposed to know what people would decide to do before the thought even occurred to them to do anything.

She wasn’t supposed to become distracted by a silly infatuation.

Corvina’s existence had always been precarious. And now that she’d decided to align herself against the Emperor her life had become more dangerous than ever. If she was to succeed… if she was to survive, and if her new allies were to survive, she would need to be sharper than ever.

Yet she had allowed her thoughts to become full of bouquets and teatimes and… the possibility of love.

Stupid, she thought. Stupid, stupid.

A while later, when Corvina arrived back downstairs at the dining room she was wearing an evening gown of light-blue silk with a wide lace collar.

Grand Duke Marshal, who was now slightly sweatier and more disheveled from exercise, gave her a once-over with an expression that made Corvina’s skin crawl. Even before she’d realized her feelings for Anne, Corvina had never liked it when Marshal looked at her that way.

Corvina curtsied again. “I apologize for keeping you waiting, your grace.”

“No matter,” said Marshal.

They entered the dining room together and each sat at one end of the long table. They waited in silence while servants entered with the first course, and they ate in silence.

“You should fire your chef,” said Marshal, pushing his plate away. “The chicken was dry.”

As Corvina looked at the Duke’s face, his eyebrows scrunched up in a scowl, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about how different he was from Anne. He was so much her antithesis that it was like the two of them didn’t even belong in the same world together.

“Why are you here, your grace?” asked Corvina, putting her fork down and looking at Marshal.

Marshal looked sideways at Corvina. “Is sharing a meal with my fiancee not reason enough?”

Corvina didn’t respond.

“Fine,” said Marshal. “I came to see you because I fear there’s been a breakdown of communication between us. After all, we’re supposed to be partners. The Emperor himself decreed it. And yet it seems you’ve been undermining me.”

“I’m not sure what you mean, your grace,” said Corvina.

“The idiot prince,” sneered Marshal. “The Emperor trusts the two of us to keep him in line, and yet you’ve empowered him to act against me.”

Corvina didn’t bother asking how he knew she’d had anything to do with that. The capital was full of spies. And after all… Collette’s garden was an excellent place to eavesdrop. They had been foolish to have such a conversation there. Corvina had been foolish quite often in the past few days. Perhaps longer.

“What exactly is it that you think he can do against you, even now?” asked Corvina. “What was he even doing that made you resort to such drastic measures in the first place? Bothering you too often? Wanting you to pretend to still be his friend, like when we were children? Were you so bothered when the Emperor ordered you to keep him happy that you had to lash out and exert your power over him just to feel better about yourself?”

Marshal slammed his fist against the table, but Corvina held fast. It had been a long time since anyone had forced her to flinch.

Marshal stood up and walked down to the other end of the table, so he was standing above Corvina.

“You should be careful how you speak to me,” he said. “Remember, you’re a bastard. The daughter of a whore who abandoned you. The only reason you have any power in this world, the only reason you’re still alive, is because your father is the Emperor and because you’re my fiancee. You have no title of your own. No money of your own. You exist as a tool to serve my will.”

“I serve the Emperor’s will,” said Corvina. “Or do I need to remind you that you don’t wear the imperial crown?”

“It’s the same thing,” said Marshal. “Unlike you I’m a faithful servant. My will is his will.”

Corvina scoffed and turned away.

Marshal grabbed Corvina’s face, forcing her to look back at him. “You listen to me,” he said. “Frankly, I don’t care if you share your brother’s… illness. I am capable of generosity. I’ll even allow you to keep a mistress after our wedding if you so choose. After you’ve born me an heir, of course. But you and that idiot prince need to stop following the Saintess around like lovesick puppies. Or need I remind you that the church is an enemy of the imperial family?”

“…you were following her around, too, until recently,” said Corvina.

Marshal let go of Corvina. “Circumstances have changed,” he said. “The fact that she’s been revealed to be an elf, for one thing. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you of the political implications of that little fact.”

“No, of course not,” said Corvina, rubbing her chin where Marshal had grabbed her.

“Good,” said Marshal. “Then fall in line, and get that brother of yours under control, too, before I’m forced to take more drastic measures. It’s only a matter of time before the Emperor takes action to solve this whole situation. I’m sure neither of you want to be in his way.”

“So you know what the Emperor’s plan is, then?” asked Corvina. “He’s confided in you?”

Corvina could tell by the venom that flashed in Marshal’s eyes that the Emperor hadn’t told him anything.

And here Corvina had been beating herself up for missing something, for not predicting Marshal’s actions, for letting herself fall behind. But Marshal had come here with nothing other than bluster and cruelty.

Corvina was still miles ahead of him and he had no idea.

“I see,” said Corvina. “Then you don’t actually know whether we’re in his way or not, do you?”

“Regardless,” said Marshal. “You’re in my way. I won’t give you a second warning.”

Empty threats.

Suddenly, with her anger and fear evaporated, there was something Corvina had to know. She searched Marshal’s face closely for any hint of the little boy she and Sebastian used to play games with in the palace gardens. The boy they used to eat cakes with, listen to stories with. He had been a bit brusque and sullen even then but he hadn’t been… this. This putrid pile of dumb hatred and blind ambition.

“Now then,” said Marshal. “If you’ll excuse me.”

“Robert,” said Corvina.

Marshal stopped in his tracks and raised an eyebrow at Corvina. It had been a long time since she’d called him by his first name.

“Do you ever… regret the events of that day?” asked Corvina.

“What are you talking about?” asked Marshal.

“That day with the birds… and the Empress,” said Corvina. “We’ve never once spoken about it since it happened. I’m just curious if you’ve ever regretted your decision that day?”

Marshal stared at Corvina for a moment. “No,” he said, finally. “I’ve never regretted it. That’s the fundamental difference between me and you, Corvina. You hesitated. I didn’t.”

Helen couldn’t sit still.

It had been several hours since the Duke had left and most of the household had gone to bed already. But Helen was far too restless to fall asleep.

She was worried about Lady Corvina.

Her lady had always been the gloomy sort, although she put on a happy face in public. But ever since she met the Saintess it was like she was finally opening up to the world, becoming more herself.

But when the Duke arrived she had just… completely closed off again.

Helen glanced at the clock. Lady Corvina rarely went to bed early. Surely she would still be awake? Perhaps she might like a warm cup of tea.

A short while later, Helen knocked at Corvina’s bedroom door. She had checked the office first, but hadn’t found Corvina there. She heard no response, so she opened the door just a crack. If Corvina really was asleep after all, Helen would just take the tea back to the kitchen.

But Corvina wasn’t in bed. It seemed she was out on the balcony. But Helen couldn’t see the lit end of one of Corvina’s cigarettes.

Moving further into the room, Helen called out. “My lady, I thought you might like some tea…”

“Thank you,” said Corvina. She was staring off into the distance with a strange look on her face that Helen couldn’t read.

When Helen had finished setting up, Corvina spoke suddenly in a faraway voice, not looking at Helen.

“I don’t want to live like this anymore,” said Corvina. “I don’t want to hate myself every time I have a small moment of happiness. I don’t want to deny myself everything before I even have a chance to have it. But I’ve always been haunted by this feeling that I could lose everything in an instant if I show even a moment of weakness. And it's not just me, I’m always convinced that so many people could suffer if I don’t get everything exactly right all the time. It’s paralyzing.”

Corvina finally looked over at Helen, who was listening quietly.

“Duke Marshal never thinks that way,” said Corvina. “He never thinks about what he could lose. He only thinks about what he might gain.”

“Yeah, but he’s not a very good person,” said Helen.

“No, he’s not,” said Corvina. “And I don’t want to be like him. But I also don’t want to be what I have been up until now, either. Not anymore.”

Corvina stood up and looked out in the distance again. “I might lose everything if I make a mistake? Fine. I won’t make any mistakes. People might be hurt if I show a moment of weakness? I won’t show any weakness. Marshal sacrifices others to his ambition because he’s not strong enough to win otherwise. I will be stronger.”

Helen whistled and clapped her hands.

Corvina turned back towards Helen. “Will you stand with me, Helen? The path I tread will be even more dangerous from here on out. I’m determined to protect my allies, but I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to leave. I would be happy to give you a glowing recommendation letter if you wanted to seek employment somewhere safer.”

“I’d never dream of it, my lady!” said Helen. “I’m with you until the end.”

“Thank you, Helen,” said Corvina, smiling. “You know, that’s something else Marshal lacks. Loyal friends.”

Helen was glad she’d decided to bring up some tea. She was completely reassured. Why had she even been worried for Lady Corvina in the first place? After all, she was Lady Corvina. The most powerful woman in the capital. Not only because of her connections. But because of her very own skill and intelligence.

Robert Marshal beware, thought Helen.