When I wake up, I feel a bit disoriented.

Only after remembering that this is not the Palace, I relax. This is the north, and it’s, supposedly, safer.

I’m the Lady, here. Also, there shouldn’t be rivals competing for my Duke’s heart. It looks like all the ladies whose heart he broke live in the capital.

I will have something to do, hopefully. Still, I can wait for Alexander to wake up to find out what. For now, I’ll just look around.

I slip out of bed and wrap my shoulders in a woollen scarf. The fire died, so I have to look for someone to light it up again, or my Duke will feel cold when he gets up.

I’d do it myself, but I don’t know where to start.

I open the door and step into the waiting room. Here, it’s warm. An old woman is sitting by the fire and knitting. She turns to me and smiles gently.

I don’t know who this is, so I just smile back in silence.

There aren’t any servants around, which doesn’t surprise me too much. It is late in the morning, but we just came from a long journey.

It’s no big deal if we sleep in. Still, leaving the Lord unattended is quite unconventional.

«It’s cold in the room,» I mutter. «Can someone light a fire?»

The old granny bends her head, and I walk to the fire and crouch down. I absorb some of the warmth while trying to guess whether the granny understood me or not.

There is some firewood stacked next to her, so close that she can just stretch out an arm and reach it. Also, there is a carafe with water on a table nearby and some snacks.

This woman probably walks with difficulty, but they put her here to guard the Duke. She’s also important enough that she doesn’t need to show deference to the Duchess.

I’m not annoyed by it, though.

She smiled at me kindly, even though she just nodded with her head when I made a question.

She reaches out for a bell on the table, and she calls the maids with it. When a couple of them arrive, she points at the fire, and then at the door.

When the two girls notice me, they curtsey and greet me with a synchronised: «Good morning, my Lady».

Then, they walk inside, silent like cats.

They need very few minutes to warm the room, so they come back earlier than expected.

«Does my Lady need her breakfast?» the older among the two girls asks me.

They shouldn’t talk to me first. If we were in the castle, they wouldn’t have asked me anything. Yet, since I’m new and my only acquaintance is still sleeping, they’re just trying to make me feel less foreign.

«Just prepare some tea, for now. I’ll eat when the Duke wakes up,» I reply.

They nod, and the younger runs out, holding her skirt in her hands to walk faster.

They’re like little mice: short, tiny and silent, but they walk with small, fast steps and reach their destination quickly.

The one that stayed brings a chair closer to the fire, for me to sit, and she stands next to the granny.

When the granny touches her shoulder and grips her sleeve, the maid nods as if she understood what the woman meant.

«Does my Lady desire to get dressed?»

«I don’t want to disturb the Duke,» I reply.

«There are clothes in the Lady’s rooms.»

«What about the wardrobes, then?»

«There are clothes there as well.»

Oh, so I can dress wherever I find myself.

«Are my rooms cold?» I inquire. I’m curious, and it’s not like I have much to do right now.

«No, my Lady. They’re warm.»

«Perfect, then.»

«Does my Lady desire me to follow or not?» she asks, with a voice that exudes uncertainty. She’s not scared of me, but she doesn’t know whether offering help is acceptable or not.

«Come with me,» I nod, in the end.

I smile at the granny before going out and reaching the central door. Behind it, I find a spacious living room with a table next to the window and several sofas in different positions.

«This is the Lady’s day room,» the maid explains, looking down respectfully. «Behind that room, there are the Lady’s private chambers.»

«What kind of chambers?»

«There’s a room for embroidery and such, with a lot of light, especially in the afternoon. There is a room for drawing and the Lady’s personal office with the account books of the castle. There is also a small library, with a selection of books.»

«What kind of selection?» I inquire, suddenly curious.

«I don’t know, my Lady. But there is an open library with thousands of tomes if you don’t like those in the Lady’s room,» she mutters.

«Open library? Like… Anyone can get books for reading?»

«Yes, my Lady. As long as the books don’t leave the place, anyone can make use of them. Of course, the Lady does have the right to bring them to her chambers.»

Oh, that’s like in Polis! I’ve opened two of the five royal libraries to the public. For a small fee, anyone could read as much as they wanted. I also increased the budget for firewood, so that the warmth could attract children, and I strategically placed some teachers to show the children how to read and do simple calculations. It was one of the first projects I completely carried out on my own, and it turned out to be a success. Often, even adults with free time would follow the lessons and learn something.

«How long do you have an open library?» I inquire.

How many centuries are people reading almost for free, here in Kyre?

«Almost seven years,» the maid sighs.

Oh, so I had the idea earlier! Even though it’s just a few months. I don’t think Alexander could hear about it, so he didn’t copy. He just thought of it by himself. However, it’s surprising that we did the same thing during the same year.

«Did the Duke have the idea?» I wonder. Maybe, he has wise counsellors…

She looks at me for a while, and then she nods.

 «What is it?» I inquire.

«We don’t say: Duke, my Lady, we say: Lord,» she explains. «The Lord of Kyre changed a lot of titles, but he never abandoned his people. We prefer to remember that the Lords were always there for us, no matter how Emperors and Kings changed their names.»

I tilt my head, only now realising that Kyre indeed is a part of an Empire, but that it has its own history and customs.

Also, being called my lady sounds good. It’s more personal than Duchess. It makes me feel like the only Lady around, while there are several other Duchesses in the Empire.

«Let’s get dressed,» I exclaim and march towards what looks like a closet.

When I push the small door, I open my mouth in wonder. There are so many dresses, yet what catches my attention the most is that they all seem comfortable and warm.

I take one of the closer gowns. Indeed, it’s of heavy fabric. Also, it has been designed to be worn without a corset. It’s in between imperial style and the gowns I had in Polis. I bet Alexander hired a tailor to adapt my old dresses to this new environment and society.

Without even considering asking for help, I change into the gown on my own. The maid brings me a pair of long socks and a woollen shawl of a colour slightly darker than the dress.

Then, I sit at the dressing table and start my morning routine. Luckily, it looks like everything I need is already here.

The maid stays a step from me, and she peeks secretly from time to time. However, she doesn’t offer her help.

She’s not to speak without being asked, so she keeps at her place and looks down.

She did dare to talk out first, before, but she spared me time with her few words. Now that I’m not lost like a hunted animal, she stepped back and returned to wait for being interpellated.

After sleeping, my face has regained its natural colour. The circles under my eyes are less black than yesterday, and I feel tired but not exhausted. Even though Alexander promised not to let me sleep for the whole night, he closed his eyes and forgot about the world as soon as his head touched the pillow. On the other side, I was slightly drunk, so I just lied down next to him and reached the land of dreams a few minutes later.

When I’m done preparing, I get up and reach the door.

«I’d like to visit the castle,» I state.

The maid nods and opens the door for me.

«I can show my Lady the chambers for accepting guests and the main hall,» she says.

«That’s good enough as a start.» I can’t memorise too much altogether, regardless.

When I step back in the waiting room, though, I find it rather crowded. The granny and the younger maid are in there, one knitting and the other standing next to the fire. Also, there’s another old woman I’m seeing for the first time. Her firm gaze sweeps over me, and I feel judged for the umpteenth time.