Preparation for Master Orjeik's arrival was long overdue. My class with him - and the subsequent lesson with Master Robarin - went poorly due to my poor sleep. He quizzed me on Yoru's initial exile from the Holy Realm, the event which had instigated his journey back to Karador and led him to refound the Holy Realm. All I could say was that which I had been taught my the monks in Haelling Cove: that he had been exiled for bringing a beggar into the Holy Realm, which the Karadorans regarded as diminishing the supremacy of their joined portal realm.

Between my classes, Daegwin reappeared to cook me lunch. We did not talk, but I got the sense that she had slept just as poorly as me. When Master Robarin departed, I beckoned her and she joined me in the living room.

'My lady?' she asked.

'I understand that you spent the night at Duke Wilbern's house,' I began, and she nodded. Her expression was blank, her posture stiff. 'Did you tell him that the Prince was staying the night?'

There was a pause.

'Yes,' she said, speaking the word in a single short utterance.

I slammed my fist upon the table. I was not very strong, and my hand hurt more than the table shook, but the pain only drove my anger.

'Why?!' I demanded.

'I do not have so many things that I can feel happy when you take them away,' Daegwin replied. 'The privacy of my room is foremost among them.'

'It was a one-off!' I cried. It wasn't as if Prince Alum was going to be occupying my bed permanently in future!

'It was embarrassing. It was night-time and I had to go to the men's section and beg the Duke's attendants for a bed. They cut my hair while I slept.'

She said the last sentence looking at the floor. I realised that she blamed me for what had befallen her, though the amount of hair cut must have been very little as I had not noticed its absence. Looking upon her now, I could see that that her black hair fell unevenly upon her shoulders.

'That's not my fault,' I said. 'You told me they were your friends.'

'I thought they were. I should never have had to rely upon them. You had no right to force me out of my bed!’

I took issue with her aggression – after all she was my servant.

'Watch your tongue,' I warned her. Then, taking a deep breath, I tried to reason with her. 'I did’nt force you from your bed, it was your suggestion to go to the Duke's.'

'Countess, you knew that I could not refuse you. You are my employer, my mistress, and my only connection to the world in this city. If you overstep, there is little I can do to stop you - and I am done with it!'

'You will be if you do not keep your composure! This house is occupied by a master and a servant, and you will remember which of the two you are,' I told her sternly. It was time to put an end to her insubordination.

'I am neither,' Daegwin said, and I suddenly realised that she was serious.

She was quitting. Perhaps the stress of living so far away from her family had been too much. Perhaps the burden of caring for me on her own had been too heavy. In any case, I was glad that she was going, for I did not know how to discipline her for the words she had just spoken.

'I care not if you resign; all servants are much the same to me,' I told her, and I meant it. Mostly.

'You are the worst sort of beast an attendant could ever hope to be saddled with!' she spat, and stormed up the stairs into her room, slamming the door shut behind her. Presumably, she was collecting her things and would be leaving soon.

I paced the living room to clear my head. So much had happened in such a small span of time. Was Daegwin really leaving? I would have to find a new servant. Possibly two this time, and natives of Hollowhold, so that they wouldn't feel too stressed or burdened. They had to have initiative so that I didn't always have to tell them what to do, but they needed to be obedient so that they didn't contest my control over the household. They should be hygienic and handsome such that I would not fear the healthiness of the food they would prepare or make me queasy with the sight of them, but not so pretty that my own beauty was overshone. They should also have dark hair, so that Daegwin did not feel that I found her special or unique, and they must know how to keep a secret. Daegwin certainly hadn't.

She emerged after an hour or two. I think she’d hoped that I would leave, but I made a point to stay in my seat so that she knew that I was not affected by her departure. I would not seek refuge in my bedroom, nor avoid confrontation by leaving the house. When Daegwin reached the living room, I saw that she carried a wooden chest, slightly smaller than mine. She struggled with the weight of it, and I wondered if she would turn to me before she left, if only to spit in my face. Or maybe she'd beg me to forgive her, to let her stay. I hoped she did that, so that she would see how little I cared when I refused her.

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Finally, she left without a word. I sighed and ran my face over my forehead in exasperation. Yesterday, things had seemed so hopeful. Today, I was assailed on all sides.

I felt overwhelmed by the day's events, but resolved to do something good before nightfall. I was hungry, for I had only partaken of a single meal that day, and I realised that I couldn’t live off cookies. My need for new attendants was not something that could be put off.

I sighed and, after giving Daegwin enough time to leave the area, walked to the market square. The gargantuan clock told me that it was nearly six o'clock, and many of the servants who sought work would have left already, yet I hoped that those who remained would be the harder workers. I scouted around and found a number of poorly-dressed women sitting on ragged cloth blankets and rugs.

'You are servants?' I asked them. One girl, with hazel eyes and black hair, responded.

'Aye.' I was impressed that she did not ask me who I was, as that would have been to speak out of turn.

'What experience do you have?' I asked her. She looked about nineteen, maybe twenty.

'My dad used to make me cook for him and the like,' she began. I waved a hand to silence her, as I sensed that she was about to begin a longer tale.

'You'll do. I am Countess Saemara, of Ebonreach,' I told her.

'I'm Regeda. Does that mean I have a job, my lady?' she asked.

'Of course it does. Pick someone else, someone who will work hard but won't distract you,' I told her. Regeda nodded, and pointed at one of the other servants. She was tall, with fair hair and slim cheekbones. 'Not her,' I said. 'Someone else.'

'Countess Saemara?' asked an unfamiliar voice. A man's voice.

I turned to see a man clad in the black robes of the Vizonian Order. He bore a great headdress, comprised of two tall vertical caps that rose to a peak and met at the sides. He carried a staff of wood braced with iron, from the tip of which dangled a gold pennant as earrings from a lady's ear. His face was shaped by grey sideburns and facial hair, and he stood tall despite his age. He was clearly of a high rank within the Vizonian Order, and I was immediately intimidated by his appearance. What could such a man want with me?

'Yes...' I said to him, uncertain of the correct title to apply to him.

'Highfather Ioran,' he introduced himself. I recognised his title as the highest rank of the Vizonian Order, but the knowledge could impart no anxiety that I was not already feeling.

He said nothing, so I spoke. 'Can I help you?'

He chuckled gently. 'My lady, it looks as if it is you who is in need of assistance.'

I restrained a frown. 'I can manage the hiring of servants on my own.'

'Of that, I have no doubt,' Ioran replied. 'It is in the keeping of servants that you struggle.'

My frown manifested itself upon my face as I replied. I was weary of people knowing what they should not know. I realised that I had underestimated the people of Hollowhold, and overestimated the fidelity of my associates. 'You must have many eyes, Highfather.'

'Ears, mostly,' he replied. 'Yet I can help you. I can assign you a servant at no cost. One who will not be driven away except by the most abusive of masters, and even then I would replace her with another. What do you say?'

I wanted to sigh, but I had none left that day. I was out of energy to feel surprised, and instead all I felt was a dissipation of the intimidation and anxiety that the Highfather's status had invoked. 'Like I said, I can manage my own servants.'

'You wonder why I would offer you this,' Ioran surmised, and he wasn't wrong. My instinct had been to refuse him simply on the basis that it seemed too good to be true. He continued, 'it is true that I ask one thing of you.' He paused, and I nodded that he should continue. 'I ask only that you consider Duke Wilbern's request. There is no future between Prince Alum and yourself, my lady.'

'What?' I exclaimed in exasperation. 'I shan't ask how you are even aware of such things. It seems that keeping a secret in this city is about as feasible as my suddenly sprouting wings and flying back home. Yet I do wonder what gives you the right to intervene in my personal affairs.'

'It is not your personal affairs that concern me, my lady,' Ioran replied slowly.

I could see that he was choosing his words with great care, and I was suddenly afraid that I had become wrapped up in something beyond my ability to comprehend. Why was I suddenly a person of interest to these powerful men? Was it just because I had caught the eye of Prince Alum? I resolved to speak to him as soon as possible, and not wait until he had time to come to terms with our encounter, as I had previously intended.

Ioran continued, 'the stability of the realm concerns me. Duke Wilbern must assert his authority over the Duchy of Trent, and his attraction to you is plain to see. Your family is respected, and a union between your houses will go some way to preventing a pretender rebellion. Furthermore, the Duke can provide your city with soldiers to replace those that the King has been forced to relocate to the Borderlands. The security of Haelling Cove is the security of the realm, after all.'

I did not ask him how he knew of the removal of the King's soldiers from Haelling Cove, something which concerned the Vizonian Order not at all. I also did not ask him why he was so concerned with the security of the realm, as I knew that he would only tell me that the Vizonian Order was loyal to Halivaara. I did not wish to betray my ignorance of the machinations that were clearly taking place in the capital, so I responded based on what Father had told me: that the Vizonian Order were not to be trusted.

'Thank you for your offer, Highfather, however I do not wish to be in anyone's debt.'

'You would not be in my debt, Countess,' Ioran began, but he spoke slowly and I interrupted him before he could continue.

'Be that as it may, I decline your offer, but gratefully,' I said, invoking as much of my diplomatic training as I could remember.

'Very well,' Ioran replied. 'If you require help in any matter, or advice, my lady, my door is always open to you. Just come to the Vizonian Quarter of the city, and my men will show you to me.'

'Thank you, Highfather. You are most generous,' I said, and he departed.

I let out a breath of relief. Then I remembered the crowd of unemployed servants who had watched the entire exchange.