Iands by the field, she sat. This would be, in a way, the st peace she would know for a long time, so she wished to appreciate it. A loud peace, full of shouts and screams, the odd thump of a leather ball kicked, the on thump of two men colliding.

  The fn Prince had not been wrong to reend sports. This was, to her, a better uanding of battles than any book. Such tactics used had to have been practised beforehand, ingrained enough that, in the middle of such chaos, a single word or phrase was enough to pull them together, no room for any signals more plicated than that.

  And this was only a few dozen men.

  Her militia had settled at a thousand men, albeit in rotations, and even that was a number inprehensible to her. It was natural to know a stride, to know that a man took up about that much space when standing side-by-side with another, and she could even t to a thousand if she had such a need.

  However, when she looked out upon the field, letting her gaze slide across the ndscape beyond, she had no intuition of a thousand paces. Some men did. Among her bombardiers, there were those who had a good grasp of distand, with refi and practice, used that talent in choosing angles and measuring out gunpowder.

  The Romans spoke of such rge battles that she had a sincere doubt at first, yet the truth became self-evident in the sheer scale of supplies such armies required. It was no wohey became masters of building roads, that they required so many literate people, wrote so mas. Great battles that may well have breached a huhousaween both sides.

  Half that number, arranged fifty deep, a thousand paces across—she could hardly sider such a force, how it would stretch across the ndscape, a distant blur of colours and glintial. Five thousand… she had seen that amount and it already seemed an absurd amount of men, inceivable that there was anything which such a force could not aplish.

  And she had seen five hundred men y dead.

  Closing her eyes, she covered her face, a moment of anguish which soon faded.

  “My Lady?”

  She raised her other hand and whispered, “I caught a glint from the sun, nothing more.”

  Her maid did not press the matter.

  While her father had focused oools of war, she had looked to how t these tools of war to the enemy, which had led her to bricks. The use of bricks had vast applications beyond her initial thoughts.

  Of course, bricks made for wonderful roads, which were easier to mar and easier for horses to pull wagons of supplies along. That much was a give vital. People and horses required food based on time, not distaravelled, and more food required more wagons to pull the food, more horses to pull these wagons—and more food to feed these horses. The same was true for merts. With better roads, the merts wasted less food on feeding horses, which meant moods could be brought.

  Bricks were also used for buildings. At first, it had not been obvious to her the importance of this. She simply saw bricks as a way to reliably produce buildings which would st a signifit time with minimal repairs. This was not cheap, but cost was a rather unimportant factor in her designs.

  Or rather, with how she looked at things, cost was everything as it ultimately came down to bour. The purpose of bour was the betterment of everyohus, by redug how much bour a certain work required, or increasing how much bour a single person may perform, everyone so beed.

  Not everything could be exactly known. However, she had suspis. Bricks were not simply better for long-sting buildings, but their regur design helped avoid drafts, as well as appearing to simply hold the heat better. That meant less firewood would be needed for the winter, which meant more charcoal for the smiths, which meant more iron tools, which meant more spinning wheels, which meant more woollen clothes and bs, which meant less charcoal for heating.

  Which meant more iron and steel for ons and armour.

  “Ah, Lady Augstadt—”

  Even before he had finished speaking, she was on her feet and giving a curtsey, her eyes hidden behind the brim of her hat as she bowed her head. “Your Royal Highness, my most humble greetings.”

  With half a ugh in his voice, he raised a hand and said, “Be at ease. As wonderful as this event may be, I would hardly call it suitable for sualities.”

  “If there should be a pce without formalities, I would thiher myself nor Sir would be present,” she said lightly, raising her hat such that she met his gaze as she spoke, a smile lingering on her lips, then her gaze slid over. “Nor would Sir’s acquaintances be there either, I am sure.”

  The small group of gentlemen behind the Priher enjoyed her words, chug and ughing, and t Styria stepped forwards to give his owing on behalf of himself and the others. “My Lady has put on a fine show,” he said to finish.

  At which her eyes narrowed even as her smile remained uurbed. “Although I appreciate the pliment, it should be hat, this time, I only arranged for a smaller affair a ferior. The mayor has overseen these general festivities for the oners.”

  While Styria was rather talented in showing no ge of expression, the same could not be said of his panions, including the Prince, who turo rib him, both with words and elbows. She tittered at this raucous bunch, very much clear to her that their schooling had fed such strong bonds between them.

  However, it was not lost ohat, in what she had read, such bonds came about in war; she shuddered at the thought of a schooling parable to war.

  “Well, let us disturb My Lady no more,” the Prince said ao step away, tipping his hat.

  “If I may take but a moment of Sir’s time,” she said, her gaze trapping him in pce.

  The two stood still, then Styria was the oo break the silence. “Pray do not keep him too long as he is unaced to a woman’s pany,” he said, quickly followed by a rougher ugh than earlier.

  Friedrich turned sharply at the ent, yet it was her who replied first. “While my guests are free to talk as they wish in private, pray do keep in mind this is not such a pce,” she said, her smile soft and eyes warm and words oh so cold, which all ged the moment she turo the Prince. “My most sincere apologies, Prince Friedrich.”

  As she went to curtsey once more, he held up a hand, a slight shake of his head. “ology is necessary from My Lady? Lord Styria meant no harm,” he said, his smile crooked.

  “I uand Sir is upset, but there is o criticise Lord Styria so harshly. Marquess Bavaria shall suitably educate him, I am sure,” she said, no trace of lightness nor humour in her voice.

  Yet the Prince saw it in her eyes. “Indeed, I should leave it to his superior. One mustn’t overstep,” he said, to then spare a g his panion—and finding the look on Styria’s face as amusing as he had hoped.

  “A moment, then?” she asked, tilting her head.

  “How could I deny my host? Please,” he said, gesturing.

  While his acquaintances shuffled over to give the two space, taking the seats oher side of the box, she returo her pd he stepped up to sit beside her. These were not cramped seats, albeit more austere than usual for people of their standing, and there was a suitable distaweewo.

  “One wonders if My Lady has more messages to pass on to King Otto.”

  Although it was not necessary for her to read into how he had said such a sentehe situation of her southern neighbour something she was of course keenly aware of, it heless tributed further to her uanding. A touch more distant, yet less strained. As if there had been a promise in his heart.

  However, such a topic was not what she had in mind. “I have already sent a letter to say I hope to move through with a small for the ing summer. If that goes well, I might well inquire about building an additional road,” she said, ending with a chuckle.

  “Is that so….”

  “I uand that Sir would think I have iions in versing,” she said, her tone level, yet quiet—fragile. “It is not often I should have such esteemed pany, at least not i years.”

  Silence followed for a few seds, his brow touched by a wrinkle, only for his eyes to ever so slightly widen. “The ing summer should be when Prince Hearries.”

  Although it was not a question, her mouth quirked into an ironic smile and she whispered, “Indeed. I think it is uandable, and for the best, that I shall not be attending.”

  The alluded-to matter was not insignifit. Even he, very much his elder brother’s spare, had been thhly informed of it, all the more so as he had been part of Hector’s social circle until ret years.

  “ns has My Lady to the south?” he asked and his voiow had a certaileo it.

  “I wonder? Well, of course it is nothiive, rather that I would not boast of my achievements before achieving them. To put it simply, I would like to ence trade from those Veian ports.”

  Out on the field, distant, yet their shouts made them seem so near, the men tumbled and wrestled, often seeming that the ball itself was of less importance. However, the years had seen fit to refihe game. Rather than a swarm madly chasing the ball and fighting for its possession, there was a structure to the chaos, all about denying or opening space. There was no cavalry charge, nor flooding a break in the lio fnk the enemy, yet it held an essence of warfare to it.

  Life was serendipitous. What began as a small question t a guest into a versation, became a if only to leave an impression on the aforementioned guest, only to gradually reveal a greater purpose.

  Both her parents, in their oacity to teach her, had told her such. That, as a ruler, she had both a o listen to others and to eain their ideas, while also remaining firm on those areas where current ideas were unsuitable. One had to embrace both ge and tradition.

  “It does appear that My Lady is rather ied in trade,” he said.

  She let a smile touch her lips. “Sir should know that my mother’s family are merts, so I know well their cruelty. Cold and calg people who believe themselves better than the ohey take advantage of. The kind of people who rejoice hearing there is a famine or flood or other catastrophe.

  “However, trade is another matter. If we each have a surplus of something which the other desires, it is natural that we would trade some and both be satisfied with the oute. Merts do not uand this. To them, it is a virtue tue and threaten because they see their riess as God’s blessing. So I have taken to intervening in some of these matters, that I am not so easily bullied, and may fund the trade without involving merts.”

  Pausing there, she covered her mouth a out a titter before then tinuing. “My apologies, Sir. I rather do have a habit of speaking too much. As, I have retly spent much time with those who would listen to me rather than speak up.”

  Although a few seds passed in silehere was no awkwardness iher’s expression and, once he spoke, he spoke with a geone. “I would not disparage My Lady with those words. She has shown herself to be a good neighbour and a good sister, which I do sincerely mean. King Otto is pleased to have such a neighbour. Rather, I spoke in curiosity of My Lady’s is and I am thankful to hear her thoughts. She has a nuanced uanding which, I dare say, few others in her position may match.”

  “Sir ftters me. I am simply fulfilling the position I came into this world to fulfil, much as Sir is. Even if this sport is not a matter of war, Sir has done a wonderful thing to craft it, that it brings men and boys alike to build their virtues.”

  He let out a hollow chuckle, hand ing up to cover his mouth until the ironic smile faded. “Please, do share what such virtues these men are building?” he asked, humour in his voice.

  She loosely gestured at the distant teams scrapping it out. “Is it not evident?” she asked, then cpped her hands together. “Camaraderie, loyalty, friendship—need I go on?”

  “I would ask My Lady to ti of curiosity of how many words she has to say the same thing,” he said, a hint of wryo his tohat showed in his smile.

  “If they meant the same thing, there would be no need for more of them. As it is, of course there is a difference, however slight it might be.”

  A sharp ugh slipped out before he could catch it. Reminded of the st time they both sat together, watg the sport, he again thought of how he wished to inflict her upon his acquaintances.

  “My Lady is not one who achieves little. Pray tell, what else iing has she pnned with her trading?” he asked.

  The return to the previous topic, although ued, was still to a topic she had a lot to talk about. “Well, I suppose Sir would be most ied by the roads. The Romans—from antiquity, not the Greeks—had rather refined how to build roads so very well. However, good roads are only half of it. I have been tasking people of talent to refihe wagon. It may sound fanciful, yet a wagon must, before it carries any goods, carry itself. Thus, a lighter wagon which more easily moves would be a great be. If only it should be so simple, though, as the mountainous terrain south should require a different design than the smoother roads to the surrounding farmnd and to the capital.”

  “The wagon itself…” he half-asked, half-muttered, thinking aloud.

  “I should not take the credit for the thought. After all, there has been some i by King Ferdinand fht carriages which may reach quite the speeds along the ft pins beside the Ebro, if only so that he may further boast of his fine horses,” she said, ending with a few notes of ughter.

  He chuckled too, his hands settling on his p. “My Lady is well-informed.”

  “If that much is enough to impress Sir, should I not mentioned Sir’s visit there?”

  His ugh this time came out stronger, yet still only sted a moment, punctuated by a deep breath. “While watg the carriages race certainly provided a sense of wonder, I would still prefer to ride those magnifit steeds myself. Perhaps, if my try had more suitable terrain for it, I would not find myself needing to seek faraway eai so often.”

  “Oh, I am sure we could aodate Sir. There should be some grazing o grow through the summer he border that could be suitable,” she said, hedgioh a hint of a question.

  “My Lady is too generous. How could I impose?” he said, a lighto his voice.

  Her expression shoolite smile, her hands equally polite in how they rested on her p. “If Sir has a desire to race horses, and I have a desire to ence my noble subjects to take up the hobby, is it not natural to trade?”

  A moment passed, then he hung his head, back of his hand over his mouth as he hid his amused smile. “My Lady had posed a rather iing question to me before. If she has fotten, she asked—”

  “Would Sir rather a plete, albeit costly victory, or a more modest victory with minor losses?”

  His lips curled. “Indeed, something to that effect. At the time, I gave a rather g answer, unprepared for it. However, it is something that has kept me up some nights, both simple, yet profound. So I would present My Lady with a more suitable ahat I may at st be freed from this accursed question.”

  “Please, Sir, there is o sider anything I say too deeply. I am uneducated on many matters and find the best way for myself to learn is to ask abstract questions, then sider the answers given and who gave them. After all, one is given a rather different answer on warfare whether asking a knight or a carpenter.”

  As prepared as he had been, her reply made him falter, once again doubting his answer. After a moment’s anguish, he pushed through regardless. “Wisdom cares not for the speaker. I found My Lady’s question pelling, so I have been thus pelled if she would now listen.

  “The crux of the matter ultimately es down to a most simple clusion. If I had an army, I would prefer ohat is rather disciplined and pact, for there is no reason in bringing along men who eat rations only to run at the mere sight of a man on a horse. Su army is not easily built, though. There might be times when battling against another well-trained force, in which case it would be worthwhile to chip away at their army, yet….”

  She patiently waited, only spurring him on after many seds. “Yet?”

  “It is perhaps because of my try’s position that I sider our neighbours… of course not as enemies, but there is an assuran having strength. While I am truly fident the Empire would honour our pact, help would be perhaps a month away and one ot know how far away an enemy is until they are upohreshold.”

  She gently nodded along as he spoke, then gnced over at his silenly to find his gaze upon her.

  “My Lady knows this well, which is why my father is gd to have her as a neighbour.”

  With a small smile for a reply, she turned over her hand. “I have surely kept Sir long enough. Pray enjoy the festivities,” she said softly.

  Standing up, he gave her a small smile too, as well as a tip of his hat. “My Lady should enjoy her ing summer.”

  Life was truly serendipitous, she thought.