124 Chapter XXVII: A Game of Generals [1]

THE STUDY CHAMBER that had thus far served as the Duke of Regalia's office for more than a dozen generations once again gained for itself a new occupant. Comprised of several shelves of documents and books, as well as an enormous mound of scrolls, the study chamber held numerous secrets and administrative functions that were all vital to the statecraft of Estveine and Regalia. Nevertheless, it still harbored impractical embellishment suited for the stature and prestige of a regional overlord, which included ceremonial weapons and armors, portraits of previous patriarchs of the House, gilded chairs and tables, and silken mats, curtains and carpets. In addition, it had a hearth of its own that would be active for the entirety of winter, allowing the master of the House no respite in his lordly duties even in the cold season.