Slow justice (1)

After Alexander's departure, we live a few days of peace.

After all, we deserve it after all this hard work!

The Princess starts to relax, seeing that the enemies won't fly here to kill me as soon as my husband left. Her visits stay frequent, and she always has something to talk about. But she's not nervous and wary.

It's good, as living in fear isn't healthy for anyone.

More than a week has passed, and the Princess invites me to have tea with her and her friends. They're all young, unmarried girls, but they meet in the gardens. I don't need to walk far.

I'm not required to talk too much, and the girls are used to my silences. I just follow the conversation half-heartedly while playing cards.

In the end, it wasn't all an excuse of my Duke to get me out of clothes. Noblewomen play cards for real, but only when they're alone and in a casual atmosphere. And they do not bid with pieces of clothes but money or accessories.