Amidst the stifling heat, her carriage rolled through the gate and over to her manor's entrance. There seemed to be a melancholy about it all, horses timid, and, even once stopped, there was not the usual rush for her to alight, a long pause before she stepped down through the opened door.

In silent steps, she entered, shadowed by her maid.

"Sir is resting after arriving late this morning," her butler said with a bow.

She gave a small smile. "My thanks for receiving him, Mr Cromer," she said, her voice quieter than usual.

With a heavy breath, he straightened up. "Does madam require anything?"

Again, she smiled, the sight barely a twinge of her lips. "Not at this time. However, I fear our household may become rather lively soon. Although I know you would hate for me to suggest it, perhaps Mr Grim should take over some duties so that you may train a successor of my husband's choosing," she said gently.

He gave a chuckle. "Madam's concerns are touching, yet unnecessary. If that is her order, I shall gladly fulfil it to the best of my ability," he said.

"As long as you believe yourself capable, I would not ask you to step down. It is that my husband would be better served by one younger who may accompany him on his adventures. You have much valuable knowledge and experience, so I wish for my husband to keep that with him, wherever it is he may be."

He nodded along, his polite smile as broad as always. "Madam speaks wisely. Of course, I knew it would be so. That is why there is no need to be polite with me."

"How could I not be polite to someone who has given such excellent service to my father and, in turn, me?" she said lightly, her hand covering her mouth even as no laughter fell.

"Such excellent service is the least that such excellent people deserve," he said and he bowed again.

This time, her tender smile did show as she lowered her hand. "Something has come to mind. I would have Mr Cromer prepare the finest couriers, both for the city and for farther travels. As for how many, honestly, I cannot say, only that I would find use for every one that may be urgently gathered."

"Then madam would also require those things necessary for writing letters?" he said.

"Indeed."

With a last bow, he said, "Consider it done."

"My thanks."

The entrance hall's silence returned as his quick footsteps trailed away, her gaze lingering on him until the distant door closed behind him. After a deep breath, she went upstairs and walked to her bedroom where she quietly opened the door.

"Is it time for supper?"

His tired words were accompanied by a yawn, only then that he pushed himself up. Once he saw her, though, his eyes widened and he almost leapt from the bed.

She stood there, frozen, the next moment wrapped in his embrace; behind her, she heard the door shut.

"Julia, I am so glad you are safe," he said, a whisper loud in her ear.

For a moment, she was a child once more in her father's arms. That there was a gentle strength promising such safety as if she did not stand alone. A momentary feeling that, nonetheless, still had her confess.

"I killed him. He… wished to imprison me for the Prince," she whispered. It had not been a secret she intended to keep, yet to divulge it so crudely left her shaken as she waited for his arms to tense.

However, they didn't, if anything his embrace becoming gentler still with his sigh. "A fool. It is always those who think themselves above evil that are most willing to indulge in it," he whispered.

For a moment longer, she remained there, then pried herself away. "There is no need to act now," she whispered back.

He gave a breath of a chuckle. "What acting? These years have not been spent idle," he said with a soft smile, "am I not supposed to consider you family?"

"I do not know," she whispered. "Those I considered family had no reluctance when it came to being rid of me and my memories of my father are mere dreams by now."

His gaze on her, heavy upon her, he took one of her hands and sandwiched it between both of his own. "Those vows we swore, however insincere, are still an oath I swore before God, so pray trust me to keep it."

With her head low, she looked away. "This is the sort of thing that could make others jealous."

"What family is lessened for being grander?" he asked lightly, his hands releasing hers. "The heart is rather fond of embracing change."

She had no answer for that, her own experience something she knew to be rare. One of God's many trials. So, without an answer, she could only step away to sit herself at the room's desk.

He stayed where he was even as his gaze followed her. "Truly, I am, in a sense, relieved."

"How so?" she said, her voice still quiet.

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"It has often seemed that, even if you cannot predict every outcome, you have steeled yourself to the point of being unshakeable," he said, voice tinged with pride and his smile with sadness. "However, such an unyielding steel is ultimately brittle. What a springier steel may recover from would thus break it irreparably."

She softly smiled, her hand coming up to tuck in some hair that had come loose from his earlier embrace. "People are not like metal."

"Indeed, they are not," he said, and it did not escape her that his tone made it sound as if he had won this little battle of theirs.

Well, she could allow him one victory.

"There is much that needs to be prepared," she whispered, the quietness of her words pulling him closer.

After carrying over a chair, he joined her at the desk. As if awaiting this moment, a knock rang out and, at her invitation, her maid entered with a stack of both paper and parchment, while another maid brought in the rest of the things. Once those were placed on the desk and the maids had left, she let out a deep sigh.

"We have many considerations at home and abroad. In particular, with the peace deal in place, we must address the Nelli family before news of the late Lord Bavaria spreads. Such cowards abhor risks and cannot be allowed to retreat. So let me ask, how is the discipline of your army?"

His gentle expression and soft smile faded as she spoke. "That is, our army. And, while not perfect, I would say it is rather obedient. I have a particular confidence in the leadership."

"Then we would have something of a triumph in the Roman sense: a celebration of your victory, the safe return of our soldiers, a memorial to those lost, and a proclamation of what loose meaning the peace deal holds. We may prepare for a feast on the following day; however, it shall prove prudent to be prepared for such expected incidents."

Sketches of letters accompanied her words, her notes quickly filling a page. Although he split his attention between both her speaking and writing, he followed along, understood well what had not been said.

"Pray leave the arrangements with the army to me," he said.

"Very well."

For a little longer, silence fell but for the scratching of writing, soon enough another page covered in her notes.

"Abroad, the most pressing issue is Duke Bohemia. Despite my prior assistance, it is, understandably, rather difficult for him to put aside my involvement with his father's death. So it is that I would ask you to… negotiate. He must understand I intend to support the young marquess militarily if necessary.

"However, to simply remind him of such would be little more than a threat. Thus I wish to understand King Sigismund's situation. By now, he should have had ample time to quell the Tatars at his borders and pillage the Russian princes. If we then support Duke Bohemia in bolstering his defences, we may encourage King Sigismund to strike against Greece…" she said, her voice trailing off as she took a moment for her writing to catch up.

He could not wait, though. "Surely we would not send our men to die for Greece?" he asked, not accusative, but curious.

"Indeed not," she whispered. "We know well how King Sigismund wages war, that he would send his impressive cavalry ahead to overwhelm any weak resistance, until they encounter a mustered defence. Meanwhile, his infantry lags behind and cannons more so."

He nodded along. "And I am well aware that, even if prepared, the Greek army is cumbersome. Any attempt to raise the militia before the war begins would be met with ridicule."

"The Greeks are not our allies," she said, not harshly, but stating a fact. "To aid them now would surely break our tentative position in Italy. One must remember our goal is always to weaken our true enemy, which is King Sigismund at this time. That is something which we share with Duke Bohemia."

His eyes wider, he drew in a breath.

"We strike deep into the Polish heartland and pillage whatever grain stockpiles we can find. I doubt there would be time to force any cities to surrender, but we should be able to identify which fortifications to prioritise. And with this war limited to Bohemia, we may establish a very defensible line that, if King Sigismund wishes to avoid, would invite greater intervention."

"All of which provides the Greeks with precious time," he said.

She gestured loosely with her free hand. "As I said, they are not our allies. I would not celebrate their deaths, yet to concern oneself with every tragedy is to invite despair," she said, her voice flat. "That aside, our gambit relies on their weakness and their strength. Thus, we need to be prepared to act swiftly, our time without meaningful opposition limited by how long it takes a courier to reach the army."

For a moment, he stayed silent, then asked, "What justification would there be for this war?"

"The justification is that Duke Bohemia wishes so. Men with these ambitions, there are always convenient reasons at hand," she said along with another gesture. "If he is not amenable, we may always convene with King Mattias. To strike from Hungary would be less than ideal and yet it could have greater returns. There is little point to discuss that until we know Duke Bohemia's thoughts, though."

He gave his agreement with silence.

"Between these events, I hope you may ask Lord Styria to maintain a sense of… neutrality. I would not wish to pressure him against his interests, but I have a duty to support the new Lord Bavaria and would hate if that duty obligated me to act against Lord Styria. Certainly, I would not wish for you to be in such a position," she said, her voice growing soft at the end.

With an empty chuckle, he patted her free hand on the desk. "Do not fret. He cared not for his last lord's death and he shall not care for this one."

"Perhaps he should," she said with meaning. "I cannot say that Otto will not have similar aspirations to my own. If that is the case, biased as I am, I would advise Lord Styria to know his own value. One cannot properly negotiate such things without at least knowing one's worth."

"Mm, all three children have adored you these years," he said.

Although that was all he said, she let out an empty chuckle. "Pray understand that, if only to keep the Prince from considering them, I intend to keep a certain distance. Of course, Dorothy knows and supports this. The singular exception shall be a road which is to be built between Augstadt and Munich. If something happens, it is imperative that I may both be aware of it and act as soon as possible."

Silence followed thereafter, her notes filling page upon page, a methodical recounting of every interest she had which would need to be evaluated in these coming months.

"The mayor should return soon. I should meet with Master Ricker too," she said, those thoughts shared with purpose as she then continued, "It is preferable to have your presence for those. Other meetings can wait until after the triumph and you have had time to rest."

Once more, silence returned, everything that needed to be said within her notes that, in turn, became neat letters written on fine parchment.

As endless as her writings seemed, she did eventually take pause and stretched her hand. In that break, he asked, "Did the peace deal satisfy darling?"

"It certainly was most curious—did they reject the one I wrote?" she said, turning to him.

His eyes widened and mouth fell open, only for her questioning expression to break the next moment into a tittering laugh. He shook his head and let out a sigh.

"Dear did well," she said, a softness to her voice. "Perhaps better than I could have done."

He went to speak, but stopped himself with another sigh. After a deep breath, he said, "Indeed. As highly as I would speak of Charles, I doubt he would have agreed to these concessions if darling had proposed them. At the same time, while I found the doge willing to compromise, he ended up more persuaded by my word than darling's signature."

"As I said, dear did well."

His smile ironic, he gave her idle hand a pat and said, "Darling did well too."

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