Although her manor hardly bustled at the busiest of times, this festive period brought a deep calm. Those staff without a place to be could be counted on one hand and, of those, only her maid and a cook worked through this day.

However, it was far from silent.

"It has been a while, Galileo," she said, her smile warm, voice gentle, but not so gentle the crackling fire engulfed it.

Her guest sat with some discomfort, picking at his clothes. "Ma'am is too kind for this invitation," he said, his voice a little rougher as if his age had finally caught up to him.

"Do you hear that, dear? I am too kind," she said lightly, her hand patting her husband's. The two sat beside each other on a couch, neither too close nor too far apart, just right for each to rest a hand in the middle.

Her husband chuckled and turned over his hand, holding hers still for a moment. "Yes, darling, of course you are," he said, his voice flat yet smile broad.

While her husband sipped at a fine brandy, she retrieved her hand and picked up her teacup and saucer; her guest settled on a more modest liquor at his own insistence. Rare was the guest who could turn down her husband's hospitality.

Rarer still the guest who could join her on such a day, but it had long been a privilege of his, even if it had been some years since he last used it.

In the Empire, she knew the King knew her best, but the now-ex-mayor had studied her all these years. That had always been her greatest appeal to him and both knew it. As for his appeal to her, that had always been his competence. So it naturally followed that she wished to grow his competence in both strength and breadth.

These moments of peace, it was a rare time to speak candidly on matters not to do with work. Now that he had formally retired from his office, though, how could any matter be considered work? Not that they touched on such topics immediately, for a while the conversation meandering around those expected pleasantries.

Until finally, she said, "Now that I think about it, I believe I have not asked if sir enjoyed his time in Italy this year."

His small smile seemed to be tugged at the corner, on the verge of becoming a smirk. "I suppose I did. It's not that I miss the people, or the food, but there's times when a strong wind blows in the smell of the sea. My childhood isn't something I hold dear, but that smell makes me feel young again."

She nodded along, then took a sip of tea before placing cup and saucer onto the low table in front of her, some hair falling loose. As she sat up straight again, she tucked that loose hair back into her hat.

"Sir has done a great service to the city. If sir should wish to retire, naturally I shall do my best to suitably reward his service," she said.

Though she stopped there, it felt like a pause and, as the silence began to drag, he felt compelled to ask, "If I do not wish to retire?"

Her lips curled. "There is one thing I thought sir suitable for," she said, a slight tilt to her head. "The guilds are rather upset with my recent moves against them. After all, I never had the intention to be subtle. This goes back to our first lesson. I have given them reason to fear me, I now act unreasonable, and next I offer them a compromise that still moves the status quo in my favour."

She paused there to chuckle, hand over her mouth.

"How different things are this time. Back then, I simply wished to establish relationships with them—and separate them from the lawyers' guild. Little by little, I have used those relationships to undermine their leverage. Now it is the case that the only resistance they can offer is violence. Although I would rather maintain this fragile peace, if it comes to that, so be it. I have worked towards establishing my own monopoly on violence."

As he listened, he felt a chill down his spine. It was not simply that what she now described echoed how she had dealt with the Nelli family. No, what unsettled him was something he knew well: she was patient and determined. This was not some grand scheme hinging on coincidences and intrigue. Rather, this was what could be accomplished with a little effort applied well across years and years.

At the same time, it sharply contrasted how the guilds and she had spent these years. Even before this, she had—gradually—shifted their positions to align better with hers with small concessions here and there. Her kindness a slow poison. Meanwhile, what had the guilds accomplished? They sat idle, content to enjoy the prosperity of her peaceful rule, particularly the guildmasters.

He, more than anyone else, knew the extent to which she had moulded this city over her rule. How she had reached out beyond the city, not a mere mayor but ruler of an entire county.

"What does Ma'am require of me?" he asked, his voice a touch more lively.

"Well, this is something I have been considering for a while. The Ancient Romans would only permit a person in office for a year, whether that office as high as consul or as lowly as tribune in the army, and those of certain offices would be enrolled into the Senate at the conclusion of their term."

He nodded along, his smile thin. "A curious way to do things."

"One which worked perhaps better than any since," she said, a knowing look in her eye. "I am the first to admit that a talented person in the right position is capable of a great good. Sir, for example, has helped me to accomplish much. We must then admit that sir did not happen upon his position because of his merits and yet some of his merits have only become clear with experience gained over a long tenure. That is to say, this is not a simple matter of one method being preferred in all circumstances."

"Ma'am has given this much consideration," he said, bowing his head.

She waved him off lightly with a small smile. "Of course, it is only natural for a ruler to consider how to rule. To continue, the importance of how the Ancient Romans did this is, to me, that it seemingly moves expertise away from the individual. If one could only be a mayor for a year, there is only so much that can be learned. Or rather, since the time is limited, it is better if a new mayor need not learn anything—that we consider what it means to be a mayor."

Her words would have sounded bizarre to him if he had not already witnessed her "dismantling" his old role.

He had entered the role expecting it to be like the manager of a business, something he had experience with, and that had been how he had handled matters. However, now and then, for this and that matter, she had educated him. She had given him these glimpses of what it meant to be a ruler.

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Even if he was to return to managing a business, he would not do it as he had long ago. Not because what he used to do was the wrong way to manage a business, not because her lessons had shown him how to run a more profitable business, but because he didn't want to be a merchant, not any more. That desperate belief that money would make him happy had long burnt out. He had his vices and he enjoyed certain comforts, but peace was enough.

As for the mayorship, she had expanded it from a single person into a council, the mayor now the one who made the decisions after reading reports and deliberation. Still someone who held immense power, but those decisions were no longer untouchable. After all, she received notes of the meetings, so it would be clear to her if others objected to the mayor's decision. The mayor also could not act as freely as before, that such actions had to be presented to the council even if their opinions were then ignored.

However, that did not mean the position as a whole had become any weaker, the city's revenues increasing year on year, with a greater push towards public works. Even if he hadn't retired, he knew the position had grown larger than a single man could manage.

While he mulled over these thoughts, she and her husband idly sipped at their drinks, exchanged little comments, whispers of laughter reaching his ears now and then.

Eventually, he gave his cup a swirl, then downed the rest of it. The next moment, her maid was at his side with a fresh cup. He gave his cloth cap a slight tip in silent thanks.

"So we come back to the question of what I can do for Ma'am," he said, no trace of alcohol in his speech, eyes clear and focused on the crackling fire.

"Pacify the guilds. Sir has built up a relationship with them while I worked on bringing Master Schulz into my confidence. We have shown that we are serious, two guilds controlled by the Nelli family already dissolved, as well as various assets seized from those guilds with close ties to the Nelli family. My next step is to render all monopolies invalid, which includes every guild charter. There is no compromise.

"Instead, what sir will offer is to have the city require certain qualifications for offering certain services, which will include a quota of how many of such qualifications may be offered at a time. An association may then be made to oversee how a person is judged qualified, one headed by the current guildmaster."

He listened, listened close, heard what she had no need to say. "Thus the city now maintains the monopoly on the work and can enforce that monopoly at will—or not enforce it."

Her smile hid behind her cup as she took a sip.

"More than that, we may make the association however we wish. If a guildmaster rejects the offer, there is certainly another master prepared to seize this opportunity, and what difference would it make to the other guildmembers? The city can promise them a fair quota to protect their wages and they won't have dues to pay."

Cup lowered, she said, "These associations would, for example, elect a leader on a one-year term, who would then be ineligible for re-election for two terms."

He leaned back in his seat. Much had been said, much had gone unspoken. Still, taking this moment to think over the conversation so far, he realised something. Or rather, he noticed it.

She knew well the strength of her position and the weakness of the guilds' position. He knew it too, knew that she had cultivated skilled artisans and that many would flock to the city once the charters were revoked, and he knew that any objections brought to the judges would fall on deaf ears. That was to say nothing of the militia and army she could call up if the situation did descend into violence.

Despite all that, what she had presented was little different to the present. Unimportant differences. She was not seizing every shop, she was not hanging the guildmasters. Of course she wasn't: these were her citizens, guilty of nothing.

Nothing except greed.

"Sir should become familiar with how the association of accountants is structured," she said with a knowing look. "It is more particular about its members due to the sensitivity of the work; however, it has proven itself suitable for its purpose. There should be no issue with sir adopting similar structures for most every guild. Those few exceptions, sir shall know of shortly. These are to be those of vital importance to the city which thus have greater stipulations and so greater benefits."

A smirk tugged at his mouth, bowing his head in acknowledgement. Her kindness a poison, no, that was only true for her enemies. To everyone else, it was a soothing drink and nothing more. It was not as if he had agreed to her every whim and yet she hadn't "poisoned" him.

Indeed, a person could disagree with her, even go against her, as long as they did so with good intentions. Only those compelled by greed would suffer by her hand.

So, if she did act against the guilds, was it not justified?

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in, then slowly let it out. With a silent groan, he pushed himself forward once more, his eyes clear, voice untouched by the alcohol lingering on his breath. "We will have to see what they think of me now that I am no longer in office. Despite Ma'am's confidence in my ability, I am hardly charismatic."

"Now that sir is no longer in office is precisely the perfect time for these conversations. After all, he is advising the new mayor and so his word carries weight, yet his promises have no authority.

"That aside, it is sufficient that sir merely… delays any attempts at disturbing the peace. If the guilds are kept from collaborating, then their individual defiance is insignificant. So we trap the most powerful in generous negotiations while breaking down the opposition in the rest. After that, we may revisit how to deal with those last few. If we handle this carefully, it should be trivial, yet that is precisely why care is necessary. Sir should be mindful of each guild's circumstances and contributions to the city."

She paused there, taking a sip of tea.

"And if those contributions are questionable… sir should be willing to make an example of them."

He bowed his head. "Of course, Ma'am."

The conversation carried on from there, meandering aimlessly, until he took his leave, which left wife and husband behind.

Silence settled for a while, then her husband quietly said, "It is unusual to hear how darling would bully others."

She did not answer right away, a gentle breath escaping through her lips. "Does it upset dear?"

"Upset, no. I am merely accustomed to darling's good nature," he said, his smile not colouring his words.

"For the most part, I would build something new and willingly share it with others. That is because I have ensured it is built in a way I believe suitable—both for the present, and for the future. The guilds are clearly not of my making. Still, I would be content to build beside them except that they are inherently, and often violently, hostile to such actions. Violence is always the truest power of a group of men."

Her pause there was accompanied by another sigh, this one deeper.

"There are many ways to handle this issue. It is of my belief that, to reduce the likelihood of the worst violence, we should proceed in this manner. There are too many parts to this to have anything more than a belief. To prolong this invites a simmering unrest that may spread beyond the guilds and invite further interference from those with grudges. To have acted sooner would have lacked the momentum to do what must be done."

"Which leaves now," he said.

She brought her hands together without a sound. "It is fresh in everyone's mind how the masses cheered for the hangings," she whispered. "Who would act rashly at this time? These guildmasters are not simple nor are they as wise as they believe. At this time, they should act calm to maintain their position. However, not all may be as composed, particularly for the smaller and lesser guilds. Once a few guilds capitulate, it shall unnerve those of a similar position…."

Unusual for her, her voice trailed off and she did not pick up where she had left off, that moment's pause bringing her to another topic entirely.

"Is it not like a battle? A line, however long, however strong, shall rout easily once broken in a single place. And if it should not, then surely it is because of a capable leader—which means that, once that leader is removed from the battle, the battle is won."

Her pivot caught him off-guard, but he recovered quickly, hardly rare that her conversations required such agility. "Remove the leader…" he mumbled.

"We hear tales of battles where warriors fought on for their fallen leader, yet that should not blind us to those writings on battles where, without their leader, such armies became a mere rabble with neither a reason to fight nor loyal to any other authority."

He listened to her, then softly smiled. "Darling is certainly most wise."

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