«Are you sure you want to do this?» Alexander asks me. His eyes are worried, and he feels uneasy.

«It's your grandmother we're talking about. Of course, I want to meet her.»

He sighs, and we walk into the building where the Dowager Empress, the late Emperor's mother, lives. She hasn't come out of here for years. At least, from the day her second son died. She spent ten years alone, meeting only those that dared to come to find her.

«You're not required to meet her. You can at least wait for the baby to be born.»

«I can't use our son as an excuse, Alexander,» I chuckle. «And don't talk as if this was dangerous.»

When the invite was delivered to me, I had to read it twice to be sure. Seemingly, the Dowager Empress invited Alexander and me to have tea with her. She wanted to see her grandson and to check whether the news about a baby on the way was correct.

We're accompanied to a waiting room, where we sit for half an hour.

«My grandmother is like this,» he sighs. «She must have forgotten she invited us.»

«You're unfair with her, Alexander. You should take care of her in her late days, not run away.»

«I know, but that woman is a stranger to me,» he defends himself. «And she for sure doesn't lack anything in the Palace.»

«She lacks company. Think about it: do you want to be let alone once you're old? Or would you prefer that someone, just anyone, visits you from time to time?»

«Peace is preferred,» he mutters.

I sigh, annoyed.

«What if I was left alone, then? No one is willing to come talking with me, but I have all I need. Would you like such a scenario?»

His lips curl down, and he bows his head.

«You're right,» he whispers. «I've been selfish.»

I reach out to his head and rub his hair. He is taking care, in his own way, of the nanny that brought him up. He's not as cold as I depicted him. It's just that he's kind only to those that are part of his life.

«Our elders have been patient with us when we were children,» I explain. «It's only fair if we do the same with them when they get old.»

The woman we will meet was once the heir to Kyre. She married the Emperor and had to adapt to her new role, but she's a relevant figure of her time. We owe her respect, if nothing else.

«Oh, just remember not to call her Dowager Empress, Thea.»

«Sorry?» I mumble, confused. I won't need to call the Empress directly, so it's not something to worry about. Yet, it's odd that Alexander takes the time to warn me.

«She's lost her sanity, and she doesn't remember that her husband died sometimes. She doesn't seem to know that my father was executed nor why. And she usually talks about him as if he was alive.»

«And what about the late Emperor, your uncle?»

«I've never heard her talk about him.»

I can't say this woman doesn't have any reason to lose her sound mind. One of her sons ordered the death of the other. Her grandchildren are supposed to fight one against the other for a shiny chair. And her daughter in law, the only one alive from that generation, is a total vixen.

I would be a madwoman as well, in her place.

«Her majesty, the Empress Grandmother, is waiting for you,» one of the servants declares while walking in. «Please, your graces, follow me.»

We get up and stroll in the halls of this silent place. The amount of maids is ridiculously low. There are more gardeners than assistants, but the overall environment seems clean and tidy. Not the place where a forgotten woman lives.

«His grace, Duke of Kyre, and her grace, the Duchess,» the same servant announces after opening the door for us.

«Are you back, my dear son?» the woman in the armchair says. She lifts her eyes with hope and stares at us for a while. But then, her confused gaze travels from Alexander to the servant on the back.

She barely looks at me as her expression turns cold.

«Oh, I thought...» she whispers. «It must be another coincidence.»

Alexander holds his breath, not knowing how to act. I pinch his arm, glaring at him. He has to explain to this poor woman who he is!

«Hello, grandmother,» he says. He walks forward and crouches in front of her. He takes her hands, and I sigh, relieved. He understood the message.

If she can't remember on her own, he ought to explain every time his identity. Is it such hard work?

I understand that it hurts and he feels awkward. But it's like this: what can we do?

«Do you remember me?»

The woman blinks a few times, and then she smiles.

«Alexander!» she exclaims. «You've grown up!»

My husband snorts, but he doesn't complain when the woman caresses his face and pinches his cheeks.

«You were a kid the last time I saw you!»

«I've never visited as a child, grandmother,» he points out.

«Hmm, I clearly remember.»

«All right.»

«Who is the lady?» she asks. «Are you two planning to run away together or something? If you're here to ask help from your old grandmother, I'm not sure how much I can assist you.»

She chuckles, gazing at us with a complicit smile.

Alexander gets up and walks to me. He holds my hand while introducing me to the Empress Grandmother.

«This is Theodora. She's my wife.»

«Wife? When did you get married?»

«Last year.»

«You could tell me, for goodness! I haven't prepared anything for you.»

«You have, grandmother. We met last year.»

«I haven't prepared a gift for the new bride... What will she think of me now? Oh, you're such an irresponsible lad!»

«Don't worry, grandmother. We know it's all so sudden.»

We sit on the sofa, and tea is soon served.

«But tell me, where do you come from, Theodora dear?»

I smile politely, wondering how much of what I say will be remembered. She doesn't seem crazy to me. Just a bit forgetful.

«I'm from Polis, your majesty.»

«Polis? Where is that?»

«It's in the south,» Alexander explains.

«Oh, south? And why did she accept to follow you to the north? I couldn't convince your grandfather to move the capital to Kyre because he couldn't stand the climate... People from the south suffer the cold so much that it's annoying.»

«She didn't really have a choice,» Alexander says, cutting it short.

Oh, his patience is so low at this moment. He should sugar his words a bit. He could find a thousand better explanations.

«Stoneyard isn't too chilly, your majesty,» I add. «The servants are careful to light fires, and my maids bring warm shawls wherever I go. In the end, I don't feel cold at all.»

«Is that so?»

«Yes, your majesty, it is.»

She observes my expression with a face that's too focused for a madwoman. Somewhere in the middle, her eyes lose focus.

«Your grace,» a servant whispers to my Duke. «Her majesty, the Empress Grandmother, wished for you to receive something in her stead.»

«She what?» Alexander mutters, and I elbow him. «Oh, right...» he sighs.

He gets up and follows the servant out, leaving me alone with a woman that seems turned off.

She takes a snack from the table and dips it in the tea. It's the first time ever I see a noblewoman do this. The maids don't flinch, even though it's evident that the Empress is lost.

She seems to be ignoring me, so I do not initiate the conversation. It's better to stay silent and wait for Alexander to come back.

She snorts when the biscuit she's dipping melts in the tea.

«I hate this kind of thing,» she complains. «It ruins my tea every time it happens!»

The maid standing behind her takes a step forward and changes the cup in a moment. She's fast and precise, used to this kind of thing.

«My mother always said that I'm not allowed to dip snacks in the tea,» she whispers. «But she can't scold me if she's not here...»

Oh, well, I guess she's right.

«Even though she doesn't visit much,» she sighs. «Sometimes, I wonder if I did something bad for her to stay far from her.»

Her face is sad, absolute sincerity transpiring from her eyes.

«My mother has an office of her own, you know?» she continues. «It's a place where no man can enter. I spent so much time there, but now I can't. I don't remember how to reach there...»

«I've been there as well,» I say. «It's a nice place. The window is so big that there isn't any need to light candles during sunny days.»

She's old, lost in time, and suffering. Yet, I can't help but feel there's more to the story.

What was the cause of her illness, poison?