“Ah, it is good to see Sir and Madam von Augsburg,” she said, greeting an older couple.

  The man had thin, grey hair ing down from his hat, while the woman still had some colour to her hair, albeit mrey with brureaks than vice-versa. They both broke into broad smiles upon hearihe man eagerly stepping forward to offer a hand.

  “Lady Augstadt, we do you the dishonour of our pany,” he said, chug.

  Without hesitation, she first brought a hand to lightly touch the back of his, then sandwiched his hand with her other one. “How could it be? While distant, we are family,” she said, letting go of his hand.

  “See, dear? I just khe old t raised her right,” he muttered to his wife, face sched up with a grin.

  She shook her head, then gave Julia a small smile. “I apologise for my husband.”

  “You should only apologise for ning him out more often,” Julia whispered, a spiratorial too her voice that brought both her guests to ughter, one chug and the other tittering.

  For a while, Julia simply led the two around, introdug them to the many others present, often couples, some apanied by a daughter or two, and some baade themselves fortable here and there in their groups.

  While there was food and drink on offer, it wasn’t the tre of the event. While a band pyed and some did daneither was it a ball. Ostensibly, this was a celebration of the healthy birth by Lady Bavaria, yet no one expected her to arrive.

  Although not all the guests may have uood why this event was being held, most did. Even as a titled woman, Julia could not simply invite over any man to talk politics, certainly not mih a group of men below her station.

  The hierarchy of the Empire had settled into yers over its long and storied existe the top was, of course, the King, who had once been apanied by grand princes who ruled over the lesser-kingdoms; it came to be over the turies that, through rebellion and marriage, all the lesser-kingdoms eventually fell into the King’s hands, that he theed the familiar duchies and marches of present day. While not as prestigious as the grand princes of old, these particur dukes and marquesses shared such freedoms and authority that kept them above other peers.

  Below those were the rest of the rulers subject to the King, which sisted of the remaining dukes, as well as some vists and ts. They had certain obligations to the King and received certain freedoms for that, such as setting taxes. Beh them, but still of simir status, were the ts subject to dukes and barons subject to ts or dukes, who had little autonomy, but still held some power.

  Then there were the nobles without a title and those who made a living off of renting out properties, two groups which could not truly be separated, thus they enjoyed simir social standing, albeit the former with a greater position in the eyes of the w.

  Last of all were the oners. While some could have a measure of prestige greater than their fellows, such a thing was rare; those with money aspire to take the path of “marrying up”.

  Her title occupied an unusual position as subject to the Prince. Although that should have put her lower down, being subject to the King’s heir was not all too different to being subject to the King, so she teo be granted most freedoms and had status to match, while also having the advantage of lesser obligations.

  As for her guests this day, they fell predominantly into the st two yers, though only suoners with suffit wealth that their assion through marriage was to be a matter of time. No one would expect the Maress to make do with supany.

  However, some of higher standing did e, if only out of politeness for her invitation.

  “t Styria, it is my honour,” she said, curtseying for him.

  He gave a bow of his head, raising his hat just off his head before affixing it again. “It is my honour to celebrate the arrival of another child for the Marquess. My Lady would be tess Augstadt?” he asked, a charm to his smile.

  She retur and then bowed her head in agreement. “Indeed,” she said.

  He had a little more to say, a handsome bachelor in his mid-twenties and a charisma to go with it, both in appearand careful with his words, that he sounded as if reg poetry, an almost musical ce when speaking. As someone uhe Marquess’s rule, though, there was not much for them to say but pleasantries. So he soo off to join some bachelors and she tio greet the guests as they arrived.

  “The Lord Sstein, it is good to meet at st,” she said, him a hand.

  He took it briefly, showing a thin smile amongst his moustache. “And you, Lady Augstadt,” he said.

  She turned and greeted his wife as well, thehem over towards a group of simir status. Having introduced the Ssteins, she took over the versation, a smile on her lips. “My father spoke rather highly of the Ssteins, that no Austrians have dared cross the border feions.”

  He gave a single ugh at that. “Well said, my aors have earned no small measure of peace for this nd.”

  She nodded and the others curred, but not saying too much, deferring to the hostess. So she was free to then say, “As, this peace, while a treasure, I fear is making us soft. That matter with Gr Castle would not have been so swift and without Lord Bavaria’s assistance. I may give a peasant a spear, but that does not make him a soldier….”

  Trailing off there, she didn’t wait long enough for ao speak, iurning to Baron Sstein.

  “My Lord, what do you think? The Prince may only expect from us a militia, yet I ot but wish to have a greater p this world, that our children may boast of us as we boast of our aors.”

  He gave a shallow chuckle. “It is good for children to have noble dreams; however, what greater pce may we have? Whether we war or not is at the Prince’s discretion and he would maintain his own army for those rare matters. Not to mention, it does not set the realm at ease for the King or his heir to be warring within.”

  “My Lord sees things clearly,” she said, bowing her head. “It is just… need we fet who we are celebrating this day? It frustrates me that we may only offer our neighbour some hospitality. Is the situation not ughable? Lord Bavaria lost his father to treachery and so avenged him, only to now be stu a war of reveh no end in sight. I must admit, spending time with the Maress has endeared his position to me; however, in this war, who could be decred a winner?”

  Another of the guests, Michel von Knuth, spoke up, half-joking, half-asking, “My Lady wishes to partake in a war where there would be no winner?”

  While the others took his remark poorly, she turo him with a smile. “Sir Michel, that there is no winner does not mean there is no honour,” she said, almost patronising.

  “Tht,” Sstein said. “Perhaps My Lady is corre thinking that peace is a kind of poison most insidious to the youth.”

  She nodded along, then spared a look at Michel. “It is not that I wish to send our sons and brothers to a pointless death, but that I see value in the old ways with which our try was founded. Rulers now would rather pay for fn pahan trust their own meher to fight nor lead, so then is it that every war should be fought with ? I would hate for a world where such avarice pervades the rulers.”

  Her piece said to the pany who she wished to hear it, she fell ba the versatioing Sstein naturally champion her position, while keeping an eye oher guests.

  So she saw sooo excused herself. her too brisk nor too leisurely, she walked over to greet an ued guest. After a curtsey, she asked, “Prince Frédéric—or would you prefer Prince Friedrich?”

  He gave a warm smile, accepting her gesture with a bow of his head before posing himself, a gnce spared at the room at rge. “Whose pany am I in? Of course, I would be Friedrich, and My Lady would be tess Augstadt,” he said, lifting his hat for her.

  “Of course Sir would be,” she said, smiling.

  At the meeting point of the Empire, Austria, Switzernd, and the Italian nds to the south, Grenzsteinnd acted as more of a diplomativeniehan a sn state. While barely a duchy in size, it was reised as a kingdom and its royalty grahe appropriate courtesies. However, that did not mean they anded equal respect to the King’s family, more of a guest always treated politely.

  Her knowledge of him came from his appearances in the capital. In particur, he had spent some time with the Prince, which was what made his attendahis day entirely unusual. Even her greeting—she khat the fn Prince had always spoken French with Hector, if only because of how Hector had called him when speaking of such meetings.

  “I wish I could provide Sir with suitable hospitality, my most humble apologies,” she said, going to curtsey again, only to stop as he waved her off.

  “What hospitality an uninvited guest ask for?” he said with a ugh. “I am on my way to the capital and heard of this event, so I wished to stretch my legs, nothing more.”

  She smiled, then began to lead him to the most suitable group. “Of course. Oh, if I may pry, Sir attended an academy which studied the cssics, did he not? Only that we have been discussing how to instil in the youth those cssic virtues.”

  “Well, if reading was all it took to bee virtuous, the world would be a much different pce,” he said lightly, his gaze still the room. “What wisdom I could give on such a topic, I ot say. What I will say is that, more than any book, I learned from sports. It teaches unruly ds like myself what it means to be brothers with those beside us and trains both leadership and discipline.”

  Taking in what he had said, she readied a reply, only to find herself alone. With a word of thanks, he strode off to join a group of bachelors. She let out an amused breath, her gaze lingering to see who he spoke to there, before rejoining the earlier versation.

  “I am not sure I have met that guest?” Michel said.

  “That would be Prince Friedrich of Grenzsteinnd—Sir happeo be in the area,” she said, then brought her hands together in a quiet cp. “Quite insightful, I asked for his thoughts on this topid he rather reends sports.”

  “Sports, eh?” Sstein said, rubbing his . “While I ot say much for the unruliness of it all, the old Greeks certainly thought highly of athletics. A man against his own limits.”

  She nodded along, her hands still csped. “One ot expeuch from the masses,” she said, hands ing apart in a gesture. “Sir’s opinion was that sports is something through which those less ined to reading may discover cssical virtues.”

  “Ah, an iing thought,” Michel said, then began his own monologue.

  Now and then, she had to tend to the uests, greeting te arrivals and giving farewells to the early leavers, introdug certais to certain uests, keeping the mood suitably cheery. However, she returo that group a little ter, finding the topic still amenable.

  “My Lady, wonderful timing—we have e to wonder if you had any particur pns for ref the militia?” Sstein said, taking the lead as the others nodded.

  She gave half a ugh, settling into a smile. “Oh, I wouldn’t know where to start,” she said, almost shy.

  “Pray indulge us, if only that we may give some advice,” he said.

  Although he gave that thin smile again, she felt no warmth from it. He was very muly her ally as long as he agreed with her. “Very well. Now, this is more philosophical than policy, that I am hoping to find a suitable advisor to oversee the matter. With that said—we spoke of the cssic virtues, did we not? Our society owes much to the Romans. I find it curious how they would reward soldiers with nd, as we would ter require service from those with nd.”

  “ray tell, is so curious about that?” Michel asked.

  She gave him a smile, rather appreciative of having a foil this evening. “The kingdoms of old rose and fell by their own strength and it is Rome alone who ehrough the cssical age. While the order may be reversed, a simirity between us and the Romans is the intimate liween nd and service, albeit a link that has dwindled i turies.”

  Sstein chuckled, stroking the end of his moustache. “My Lady wishes for us old men to offer service?”

  She waved him off, then brought her hands together, holding them over her stomach. “I would like to see how noble a regiment of knights our nds might produce. When I rode to Gr Castle, or to assist Lord Bavaria, I had only Sir Ludwig. Still, he showed great leadership and a wonderful bravery.”

  The knight iion offered an awkward ugh, saying, “My Lady is too kind.”

  “What kindness is there in truth? Regardless, I would not seek to upset my vassals, so all this talk of what I would do is beside the point. It is rather what would My Lords and Sirs be willing to do? With the formalities finished, it should be soon that I assess the nds and thus aime to talk matters of scutage.”

  “If we all so obliged, I dare say there wouldn’t be the horses for it all,” Sstein said, his toill guarded, at least to her.

  Her hands parted. “We spoke of the cssical virtues much already,” she said, pausing for a moment. “I hate to sound as if I ck authority in my own fief; however, it is the case that the judges have been frivolous with some matters. They have rather entreheir ownership of the courts through their guild being the only pce where one may learn w in these parts and, if I dare push too hard, they would go on strike with the clerks, perhaps eveig the uilds to do so.

  “As for why I bring that up,” she said, her gaze briefly meeting each of the group, “it is that I would wish for some men of learning and virtue that I may appoint. Not every son may be suited to the sword, yet there should be pride in serving in other manners.”

  “My Lady does not think the guild would object to their appoi?” Sstein asked, a curious wrinkle on his brow.

  She gave him a gentle smile. “My Lord, the issue is not that I fear the guild’s retaliation. It is that, after addressing the issue, I would have no judges left.”

  Silence followed, her statement leaving much ambiguous about how she would “address” the issue; however, none dared asked her to crify, nor did she voluntarily address the ambiguity herself.

  Gng over, she seemed to notiething. “Please excuse me. Oh and, do keep in mind what I have said. Even if they are nephews or cousins or retions more distant, I would love to build upon this nd with those of virtue,” she said, theo attend to anroup.

  As she walked, she wondered if the Nelli family could procure a stock of good horses.