It's the first time I attend a ball at court.

Till now, I've only been to a few banquets, including the one for my own wedding, and some parties here and there.

But grand balls? It's the first time.

The last one I witnessed was back in Polis, and it wasn't this huge because we were at war. It didn't seem right to overdo it at the time.

Being the Duchess of Kyre, I have a place at the table with the Emperor and the Princess.

The Dowager Empress is attending as well, but her delegation is too vast to stay at a royal table, so she's at another one, not too far.

I'm not sure if his majesty is making her understand that he didn't like how she kept my treacherous letter hidden for months, or this is part of the protocol. Regardless, I like the disposition. There won't be any need to catfight while at work.

I'm here to assess the young ladies around and choose a few that won't make trouble if they're told they have a chance to become empresses.

Even if I decided to firmly avoid even thinking of Elisabeth Grahm, my eyes pass on her a couple of times. She's sitting next to her grandfather, the Duke. She's wearing a simple yet elegant dress, as it suits a girl that is soon going to be married. Also, it's her sister's day, not Elisabeth's.

The Duke seems uninterested to those around him, chatting and replying to anyone that approaches him for a word but never showing any trace of emotion.

His granddaughter, on the contrary, is transparent. Her sentiments are visible on her face to the smallest detail. She's been instructed to keep a low profile, not to endanger the deal already signed with Asteria.

«She will depart in a couple of days,» the Princess whispers to my ear, catching my gaze on Elisabeth.

«I'm not worried about her, your highness,» I chuckle. «I was curious to see how she's going to behave these last few days. It seems that they've explained what's her place, though. It's good for her to restrain her temper a bit.»

«The younger sister isn't as easy to deal with as her, unfortunately. She's less impulsive, hence a more difficult riddle to solve.»

«It doesn't matter. His majesty will have the last saying in who is going to be Empress. I believe he's not as unwise as to pick a lady from his own court.»

«Men are easy to manipulate,» the Princess sighs.

«How do you know?» I murmur. She's what? Fifteen, sixteen?

«Look at my brother. He does whatever you tell him.»

«Oh, it's not like that,» I say. «There are long discussions behind most of our decisions. It's not that easy to make Alexander do something.»

She crooks her mouth, unconvinced.

«Well, I've spent several years next to a young Emperor. It was easy to form a bond.»

«Your highness knew his majesty from before the coronation. Your bond is familiar and old. It won't be easy for a lady to do the same in a few days.»

«I hope you're right, sister.»

Her pout is cute, and her uninterested eyes scan the hall for the whole time.

«It's boring,» she sighs, from time to time. «I prefer having tea with you!»

«It's a debut, your highness. Talking about it, weren't you excited for yours?»

«I haven't had a debut. I became Princess when I was too young, so it seemed useless to debut together with other girls. In the end, everyone already knows who I am.»

Indeed, she's been active in the social circle. Hence, a debut would be just an annoying triviality. Her influence is both social and political.

And she doesn't want to get married.

«I'm curious to see the four debutantes,» I comment. «Ethirian girls enter society at a young age. They get married earlier than most of the women where I come from.»

«They will stroll in the room in ascending order. Those from more influential families later. The first one you'll see is the daughter of a Baron. Her family doesn't even have a fief to manage. They live in the Palace, and her father works for his majesty as an officer.»

«Interesting. She can make the most out of it, coming first. It's better than one of the middle positions,» I say. «I was considering choosing the first and the last one as candidates to be his majesty's potential bride. There will be some from the last year as well. But then, the selection would be overcrowded with royalty from other countries.»

«You should choose them all,» the Princess suggests. «It won't have many costs for us, as the girls already are here. And it will be amusing to see them battle.»

«I don't want a carnage,» I chuckle. «Just some drama.»

«The second is a daughter of a Count. The third of a Marquise. The last one will be Caroline Grahm.»

«So, her name is Caroline.»

«Yes, it is.»

«She's the daughter of a Count,» I point out. «Shouldn't she be third, instead?»

«Her father holds her family's secondary title. Her grandfather has the primary. Her name has more value, all in all. And she's a better choice for a marriage than the other girls.»

«I understand.»

I haven't thought about secondary titles, but does Alexander have any? Will it become our son's title when he's born, or will we wait for him to become an adult before bestowing it?

«The ladies will walk in after dinner, so we'll be able to focus on them entirely.» The Princess continues with her explanations, and I follow half-heartedly. «We might decide to show some favour to one of the girls if we talk with her.»

«Do we have to?»

«It would be wise. The Dowager Empress will walk to the Marquise's daughter, as he's in the same faction. We should choose a girl to support too.»

«Just one?»

«We can visit them all, but people will make assumptions based on the order.»

We have to consider with care how to move.

«We'll support Caroline Grahm,» I sigh.