Many things in the world amused her in such a way she did not ugh. These varied from those who would be hypocritical in their sin, to watg young boys py soldier with sticks as her carriage trundled along rural roads.

  stru was another such thing. For every question she could ceivably ask about it, an expert’s answer always began, “Well, it depends.” However, no one saw fit to narrow down these possibilities.

  Of course, that had a lot to do with how few people, if any, matched her ambitions when it came to building. Her father had left many notes on stru, but they were more architectural than practical. Not that his designs were not practical, just that they focused on solving different kinds of practical matters, such as resisting or facilitating bombardment.

  A wisdom she had distilled from the legacy both her parents had left her was the importaneasurements. However abstract such a measure was, it was necessary to have it such that it may be used in designs. A well-crafted design, then, allowed a greater application of an idea.

  Her father had performed the initial measures on bombards which id the groundwork for her current position. He had measured the metals with whiake them, the shape to make them to, he the wheels should be. Not only that, but he had measured the shot they used and the gunpowder too. It was those measurements which allowed him to seek out an alternative gunpowder and pare the two.

  At present, her gra design was a brick. It was a rather well-measured brick. She knew where the d sand came from and in roportions they were mixed, including the lesser additions; she knew what size the mixture was then shaped to; she knew how it was fired in the kiln. From there, she knew how much weight it could support before fracturing.

  This was all the result of her gaining trol over the brickmakers guild. Already, she had seen to it that an expa of kilns was to be built in a locatioo the relevant quarries and mines, with the first kiln then produg the bricks for the subsequent kilns.

  From there, she inteo train the brickmakers and refihe process by having them make bricks to repce the southern road out of Augstadt. It seemed a most suitable material. If not, the bricks could always be broken down and used as gravel, another yer put on top. Of course, she hoped the brick road to be as resilient to the weather as when used for walls. At present, harsh rain posed quite the problem, slowing down trade with the south. Winter already caused enough trouble on that front.

  Ohese new brickmakers were trained and firmly in her employ, the true projects could begin. Augstadt had little room to groresent. Although she could interfere, it was not yet time.

  Farther south, though, Gr had long shrunk us st lord. She had made certain offers and old agreements were ended for the offer of and alternative employment. While produg food locally was cheap, she preferred to use the nd to make such mohat fn food could be imported.

  First came bricks, then buildings, then money for more bricks. More importantly, these would be under her governane way or another.

  She thought of this matter while reading over her correspondeh Vist Erbeg. It was nothing grand, merely asking him some questions about his reforms to the minting ws. His reply was nothing graher, mostly that the quirks and oddities were political promises, nothing deeper. She hoped to nurture this simple start, that he may well have wisdom to share on matters of banking.

  The retionship between stru and finaneed not be stated.

  A kno the d out. “Lord Bavaria is here.”

  She folded the letter and slid it into a drawer for now. “Please, enter.”

  The door opened with a creak and her butler bowed, inviting the guest in first. “Lady Augstadt,” the marquess said.

  “Do take a seat,” she said, gesturing at the chair oher side of the desk.

  He walked over and eased himself down. He looked much better these days, albeit the weight of war had left its mark. A few grey streaks coloured his hair and his posture cked the attentiveness it had upon their first meeting.

  How long ago that now felt, she thought.

  Of course, part of his tiredness surely came from the ordeal through which he had just been subjected to. “What news is there from the Diet?” she asked.

  Although an assembly of rulers in the Empire, she could not attend. On the first t, as a woman, the assembly ostensibly followed religious doe and so did not permit women to speak while in session. On the sed, she was a subject to the King’s heir, not the King.

  If it was only one, her attendance likely would not have drawn obje. However, as it was, she knew better than to force the issue. Besides, she felt like her ck of attendance worked in her favour this time.

  “The King did annouhe Prince’s betrothal to the Swiss Princess,” he said.

  Her lips curled. “Having my predi firmed does not feel as good as one would think,” she whispered.

  He gave a gentle smile, then cleared his throat and tinued. “The matter also became as plicated as My Lady predicted. Ihe King did try to brush away my obje by calling it a private matter. After being pressed, he implied your betrothal to the Prince ersonal favour to your father, so it does seem that he is not aware your father informed you of the… dowry.”

  “I see. That is useful to know,” she said quietly, speaking more to herself.

  “Of your proposals, of course he was dismissive of elevating your title to duchess or honorary princess.”

  She gave a single ugh, hand over her mouth. “Of course.”

  “While he eaihe suggestion of granting minting rights, the members objected.”

  “Of course,” she said, smiling.

  He chuckled and the out a sigh. “At this point, he made atempt to discuss this matter privately. Truly, though, I am most curious why it is that the King would betroth his heir to a t’s daughter,” he said, his gaze falling, only to rise back up to meet hers. “Not that I would ask My Lady to indulge me—this is certainly an affair that the King should have handled privately.”

  “Indeed, it is,” she said.

  “Well, upon being reminded of that, he was willing to eain the discussion further. He himself offered either a cessation of taxes or exemption from levies. In truth, I sidered that My Lady would be eager to end any obligations to the Prince….”

  At his pause, she gave another small ugh. “I would not have been upset with My Lord if he did accept su offer. However, I am to uand My Lord did not?”

  He shook his head. “I believe My Lady would not request something unless it is something which she desires, so I felt obliged to at least see if it would be granted.”

  She did not lean forward in her seat, nor did she eagerly ask him, instead waiting patiently for a few seds before then speaking in her usual, unhurried voice. “Did he accept?”

  After keeping a straight face for a sed, he broke into a small smile. “He did. My Lady is to be given trading rights with fn tries.”

  Her face gave away nothing and all she said was, “My thanks.”

  “No thanks are necessary. Indeed, My Lady was correct to say that even these little matters of tyranny are in all subjects’ i,” he said with a smile that then faded. “However, with this matter cluded, debts have been paid.”

  A smile touched her lips. “I see, so all I have done for My Lord is worth a few words,” she whispered.

  “Are we not friends? I think it is fair to say that if I needed help, My Lady would assist, as I would assist My Lady if assistance was here is o keep track of who owes what,” he said.

  She felt the distan those words. Indeed, he was more like his old self now the crisis had cleared. “My thanks for making the matter clear.”

  After a sed of silence, he sighed. “The Diet also featured a report from Duke Bohemia.”

  She showed nothing on her face, which was enough to make him chuckle.

  “My Lady once again found herself involved in such matters,” he said, watg her.

  She reached to the side for a cup and took a sip of warm tea. “My Lord is well aware I offered assistance against the fn threat,” she said.

  “Of course. However, I was not aware how… potent My Lady’s assistance was,” he said.

  She gave a small wave. “I did not even personally participate, so to call it my assistance is misleading. Does My Lord remember my knight Sir Ludwig? He is the one who ahe bombard crews, having taken a keen i after the siege.”

  “Is that so?” he asked, tapping his fiogether.

  She swept her gaze across him, then reached down to a drawer. From inside, she took out a single page, her gaze now skimming through it.

  “King Sigismund took a more brazen approach than eveertained. While he was certainly aware of the thin garrisons in Bohemia, to ht march past the border fortresses? He certainly thought little of the Duke—no doubt due to his dispute with My Lord,” she said, theurhe page to the drawer.

  He chuckled, leaning ba his seat. “So the Duke said in his report.”

  “I ot fault King Sigismund, though. As I see it, he po shock Prague into a quick surrender, which would have otherwise proven the most difficult obstacle in his occupation of the duchy. For this, he brought his best troops, leaving the others to rally on the border and begin the sieges.”

  “My Lady certainly seems to have an insight into King Sigismund,” he said.

  She met his gaze and gave a slight smile. “Perhaps because I have been reading histories of antiquity, I see simirities therein to how he wages war. He values the psychological aspect of warfare and an important part of that is to be both disciplined and quick. Rather than attack where he is expected, he would attack where he sees weakness, like a wolf who grabs his oppo by the throat.”

  As he listened, his hands ched tightly. “Indeed, he is the plete opposite of me,” he said, his voice thin. “It is no wonder My Lady would admire him.”

  At that, she ughed. It was not a small ugh either, sting a good while and leaving behind a smile to linger on her lips once she lowered her hand. “My Lord, tell me: between you and him, who is the ohat achieved their goals?”

  A sed passed, then his hands rexed. “My Lady has a way with words.”

  “As a dy, words are my ons,” she replied.

  He gave a single ugh.

  “Now, where was I? Ah yes. King Sigismuainly made an incredible move. Even if Prague did not fall so easily, he would have diverted reinforts from assisting the border forts, so it would only be a matter of time before they fell and allowed his full force to gather ihe duchy as he so wished.”

  She paused there; seeing that he had no iion to ent, she then tinued.

  “One piece of advice I did give the Duke was that King Sigismund would not expect my bombards. Indeed, he did not. With them, the Duke was able to harass the Poles, stantly f them to take up defensive positions. bined with a spell of raiher, King Sigismund had to give up on his mard go back to the border to join the rest of his army. As if that dey wasn’t costly enough for his pns, my bombards were able to suppress his bombards and so bolster the defences until the King’s army could arrive.

  “With the situation in a proloalemate, I should expect a peace shall be drawn up by the year’s end.”

  Silence followed, a blustery wind whistling through the windows, distant footsteps and chatter. He showed her nothing on his face, which told her everything.

  “It seems that bombards are indeed rather useful otlefield.” A simple statement, yet she knew how accusatory it was.

  “Ihey are. However, what they do is mercilessly kill. I have enough of our brethren’s blood on my hands,” she said, her voice growing quiet, theook a deep breath in and tinued in her normal voice. “Besides, if not for my assistance, does My Lord think the Duke would have been so ameo peace?”

  He chuckled, but it sounded oh so empty. “My Lady would take credit for even that?”

  A moment passed and, by the end of it, her eyes had narrowed and mouth thinned. “How grand it must be to be My Lord, who may swoop in here and take credit for speaking a few words to the King, while I must be mocked for murdering your enemies and safely housing your family. That when war befell my fellow German, I walked into his home knowing he may well cut me down, and still I further risked his ire te for peace with his brother.”

  Her tone grew colder with every word a she never raised her voice.

  “I think My Lady misuood—” he said, looking away.

  “No, I think My Lord should stand by his vis. If you wish to be my enemy, then so be it; however, know that, if you ever wish to kill me, you must not hesitate or I shall tear down you and everything you hold dear.”

  His face fshed with anger before he posed himself. Standing up, he said, “My Lady is being too emotional.”

  “Then it is a good thing I am a woman, for when men are emotional they tend to kill each other and those around them in acts of senseless violence. Instead, I would only speak frankly,” she said.

  He paused at her words, then tio the door.

  “Once you leave, I will sider this versation fotten; however, the same will not be true ime,” she said. “I know my own worth, and I know yours. Do not visit again if you will not show me respect.”

  Agaiopped to listen and then tinued on.

  After he left the room, her butler closed the door ahe guest out, leaving her in silence. Her expressiouro ral with a touch of a smile—as was natural for a woman.

  From a drawer, she took out the letter from the vist. Although fident he had never ied with her father in any matter of significe, she found them cut from the same cloth, a kind of fort in the vist’s steady, methodical writing. Indeed, she saw in him that, like her father, he was not tent to accept the world as it was, and he ractical in how he wished to ge it—for there was no greater folly than ambition.

  Her lips curled. “So he went for the Swiss princess,” she muttered.

  Of course, she knew he would: she had bee the st few times the two had met.

  “But it is us women who are too emotional.”

  If not for how the weight of the world pressed down upon her, she would have ughed.

  Lost ihoughts, the door soon again opened and her butler entered, dragging her focus back to the world. With a lopsided smile, she asked, “Tell me, Mr er, would uest have treated me in such a way if I had been born male?”

  Her butler sighed, defting as he did. “He would not, My Lady,” he said.

  “It is how it is. After all, it is because I am not male that I may sit here now,” she said, ending in a chuckle.

  In reply, her butler only lowered his head.

  It had been a quiet year for her. Little by little, pns were ing together. Seeds now pnted, soon to sprout, yet it would take years before they truly fruited. However, it could not be rushed.

  “Without a solid foundation, any building shall succumb to the elements,” she whispered, tapping the table beside the letter.

  She had measured the brick such that it might be used in her designs. Soon, she would measure literacy such that she may make use of literate oners in her designs. Power was not simply something to be seized. It, too, could be built, nurtured, and honed.

  Of course, that didn’t mean she was above seizing power wheime was right.

  With another chuckle, she folded the letter, then took out a fresh page. At the least, her guest had indeed been correct that she did not ask lightly for trading rights.

  It would be a busy winter for her couriers.