Empress Constantina

therin

the quiet was thin and high, like a faint ring in her ears. It was filled with distant sounds-men shouting in the practice yard, the rumble of

t meals and left without a word. The food was good: thick stews with bits of meat, crusty bread, roasted roots, even little candied fruits. Constantina at

e moves were for balance, for control, not for raw force. She examined her prison. The bars on the window were sunk deep i

he lock turned. But it w

s Ray

clung to his wool cloak, and his cheeks were pink from the w

reakfast. He took off his cloak and tossed it over a c

had just finished her exercises. Sh

on the writing desk, using books to hold down its corners.

endrik, and the southern parts of Aragon he had stolen. Her heart squeezed tight seeing the familia

"My stewards are forcing a new way of farming. It is better in the long run, but it is differe

u traveled with your father. You heard

ss. If she answered with her father's true wisdom, she would be giving Raymond the knowledge to rule he

"learning" he had promised. He was not just showing off his

spoke like the locals, who knew their dirt. He would have helped them with the risk-given them seed for the new crops, o

ing away. He tapped the map. "Help. A

ds. "A starving peasant with nothing left to lose is more dangerous than any rival lord.

e soft hand. You see? You understand how power works better than you pretend." He made a note on the edge of the ma

ut a heavy book about Raymond's own family history. "You will join me for dinner tonight. Lord Valerius

A performance

asked, pinching the simpl

k gown. "Something better for a princess." The maid laid the dress on the bed. It was beautif

as alone with the silk

-

beautiful kin

ng with banners showing a snarling wolf. The high table stood on a platform, and she was placed

ike a scared bird. "Princess Constantina," he said, bending over her hand. His grip

rcing a calm she did not feel. "The Duke

le, took a sip of wine. She saw

as clever, decisive, and utterly cold in his judgments. Sometimes, he turned to her. "The Princess an

was being spun right before her: The strong, wise Duke, askin

ittle. Her stomach was tight. She felt the eyes of everyone else-lesser nobles, army captains, officials-watching her. Some looked

ed. "This is where you belong. At the high table. Your mind being valued. Not rotting in a cell, or bleeding on

f imagine it. A life where she used her wits to shape his rules, to maybe so

across his face-a cut she was sure had been made by a farm tool, not a sword. A rebel, or someon

dream s

smile she had allowed all night, because it was made of pure, frozen steel. "Make i

broken spirit, excited him. "A small difference, Princess," he whispered back. His knee brushed against

led. Raymond was pleased. As she was led back to t

if it were burning her. She stuffed it into a chest. She st

for her mind and her place in the world. He was offering her a share in his cruelty. He w

had left on her desk-the h

n and opening it. You want my

d hatreds, weak sons, ambitious cousins. She burned names, lands, and dates into

e fallen princess began her real work. Not with a sword, but with the focus of a scholar. She

uting, but by learning. And when she did, she would not just walk