“Not at all, your majesty. I have no ill feelings about something your father did more than fifteen years ago.” Nerissa sighed. “According to my mother, our home was a horrible place before it became part of the Kraeshian Empire. The war gave us a reason to leave.”

“But your father . . .”

“He was a brute. He beat my mother regularly. He did the same to me when I was a mere toddler—though thankfully I don’t have any memories of that. No, it was a blessing, not a curse, for us to be forced to start a new life in Mytica.”

“Your mother must be a very brave woman to take on such a challenge all by herself.”

“She was.” Nerissa smiled softly, her light brown eyes distant in memory. “She taught me everything I know. Alas, she passed away four years ago.”

“My condolences for your loss,” Amara said, sincerely. “I am curious to know what specifically such a formidable woman chose to teach you.”

Nerissa raised a brow. “Shall I be honest, empress?”

“Always,” Amara said, and she had to force herself not to lean toward her new companion too eagerly.

“The most important thing she taught me was how to get anything I want.”

“What a valuable skill.”

“Yes, it’s certainly proven to be.”

“And how did she suggest you do that?” Amara asked with curiosity.

“By giving men what they want first,” Nerissa said with a smile. “After we fled the islands, my mother became a courtesan. A very successful one.” At Amara’s look of shock, she shrugged. “During my childhood, a normal day for her consisted of activities that would make most people blush.”

Amara had to laugh. “Well. That is rather unexpected—but, frankly, admirable. I would have liked to know your mother, I think.”

She also would have liked to have known her own mother, the one who gave her life for Amara’s. Strong, brave women were meant to be celebrated and remembered, not discarded and forgotten.

Amara noticed this sort of strength in Nerissa. After all, she must have done something right to get this far unharmed. “I must ask, assuming that you were at the palace during the siege, how is it that you came to be here at the villa? Did the king bring you here immediately?”

“No, his guard Enzo did,” Nerissa said matter-of-factly. “He was concerned for my well-being.”

“Beyond that of any other attendant at the palace?”

“Oh, yes.” Nerissa gave her a wicked smile. “After the occupation, Enzo brought me here to work elsewhere in the villa. When the king noticed this, he chose me to attend to you. Making Enzo believe that we are much closer than we really are has benefitted me greatly, wouldn’t you say?”

“Indeed, I would say that.” Amara’s smile began to spread. “We have more in common than I’d have ever thought.”

“Do we?”

Amara nodded. “I’d like you to use this very special skill you have to get to know my soldiers, to find out what they say about me. Specifically, if they have any intention of defying a command from an empress rather than an emperor.”

Nerissa pursed her lips briefly before speaking. “Yes, Kraeshian men are not as open to such a change, are they?

“I suppose I’ll find out if they are or not in time, but I’d much rather have prior knowledge of any uprising.”

“I will certainly do what I can.”

“Thank you.” Amara studied Nerissa, waiting for any reluctance, any flinch at what she’d asked for, but there was none. “I see why men like you, Nerissa. You’re very beautiful.”

“Thank you, your grace.” Nerissa raised her gaze to meet Amara’s. “Shall I pour you some wine?”

“Yes, please pour us both a cup.” Amara watched her do as she asked, while imagining the girl doing the same for Cleo and Magnus. “How many attendants did Cleo have?”

“In Auranos, several Limerian girls were assigned to her, but they weren’t to her liking. After I arrived, she needed no one else.”

“I’m sure. Tell me, is she in love with Prince Magnus? I would have thought no, given that he was her enemy not so long ago, but now I’m not so sure, given the direction of her recent speech.”

Nerissa handed Amara a goblet of wine and sat back down in her chair, sipping at her own glass. “Love? I’m not so sure. Attraction, surely. For all her innocent looks, I know the princess is an excellent manipulator.” She looked away. “I shouldn’t say such things.”

Amara touched her hand. “No, please. You must speak freely with me. Nothing you say will be held against you. All right?”

Nerissa nodded. “Yes, your grace.”

“Tell me, did the princess ever mention to you what she knew of the whereabouts of Lucia Damora? Have they been in contact at all since her elopement?”

Nerissa frowned. “All I know is that Princess Lucia ran off with her tutor, and it was quite the scandal. No one, to my knowledge, has seen her since—unless you believe the rumors.”

Amara lifted her gaze from her wine to the lovely girl’s face. “What rumors are those?”

“That the king has concealed the truth all these years—that his daughter is a witch. And there have been tales in recent days of a witch who’s been traveling across Mytica, killing anyone who stands in her way and burning down entire villages.”