Bringing things up to speed

Hearing Esmé's tone, Valentina couldn't help but grimace a little. Theoretically, the two of them were not only comrades but also long standing friends. Add on that Esmé is the Grand Dowager Empress and should, ideally, be fully informed about the goings on of the Empire, the fact that she had been kept in the dark about something so serious was problematic to say the least. Accepting that keeping things hidden any longer would do no good though, the Archduchess acquiesced.

"Right, so where should I even start? Don't you have your 'Looking Glass'? I figured that you'd be at least a little more aware of what was happening."