Prime Minister Sephiran, Duke of Persis, watched the procession that slowly marched all the way to where the members of House Idras were buried. Many had come to pay their respects to Duke Tiloki.

Sephiran had been shocked and grieved when he had received the sad news. The official statement was that Tiloki's heart had failed him, but Sephiran suspected there was more to it than that. Ever since Misaha's assassination and the Serenes Massacre 13 years ago, Tiloki had changed.

His dreams – our dreams – were shattered the moment their blood was spilled.

Tiloki had been the only member of the senate Sephiran had ever liked – simply because he was the only one who was not corrupt or racist. Or both.

As Sephiran slowly approached the coffin in which the senator lay, he saw the two young duchesses. Both were dressed in black, veils covering their hair and faces.

Sephiran recognized Liane, the older one. He had met her on several occasions, and thought her to be a charming person. He had, however, never met Maian before.

She was shorter than her sister, and seemed a lot more fragile. Sephiran could see a curl of golden hair that had escaped the pins keeping her hair up, and was falling down to her waist.

It seems like Tiloki's story about her being frail was true.

Sephiran expressed his condolences and then stepped aside to let the people behind him take his place.

"I wonder which one of them will take the Seat", a voice next to Sephiran spoke.

He turned to face Vize-Minister Lekain, Duke of Gaddos.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, right, you were not here when the last Seat was passed on. You are, after all, too young."

Sephiran smiled thinly, not liking the condescension in the other man's voice at all.

"When a senator dies, the Seat is offered to his children, in order of birth. One of his daughters is going to succeed him."

"But what if none of them wants the Seat?"

"That is highly unlikely. But in such a case, the Seat is offered to the uncles and aunts, and after that to their children, in order of birth. Since those ladies have no aunts and uncles, it would go back to their great-uncles and their children. It is like passing on a crown or a throne, actually."

"I see."

The funeral feast was held at Idras Manor. When Sephiran arrived, he was welcomed by Senator Hetzel.

"Greetings, Prime Minister. You have just missed something outstandingly beautiful."

"And what would that have been?"

"Young Duchess Maian. She has excused herself, she is not feeling well. The poor child..."

"You should probably not call her 'child'", another senator, a woman, interjected. "She has to be in her late twenties by now."

"I would have never guessed", Hetzel replied, stunned.

"Yes, she does appear to be very young. But when I asked her why that was the case, she told me a most peculiar story..."

"What?", both men demanded to know.

"That she had been cursed by a sage because she had refused him. I have no idea what to think of that – I would never consider everlasting youth and beauty a curse."

"I have heard that she had many suitors", Hetzel replied. "Maybe she considered that burdensome."

"I am surprised so many men fell for her", the woman replied dryly. "After all, she is nothing but a bastard..."

"I would not recommend saying that again", a soft voice came from behind them.

They spun around to face Liane.

"I – I did not mean to insult your sister", the senator said hastily.

"Then please choose your words with a little more care. Insulting my sister means insulting House Idras. She is my father's lawful daughter and heiress, after all."

"She actually inherited something?", Hetzel asked, surprised.

Liane glared at him. "Yes. I got the manor and our summer home, Maian gets its worth in money. Everything else has been equally divided."

"Will your sister be better soon?", Hetzel asked in a placating voice.

"I do not know. Our father was the only parent she ever had, so, losing him is hard on her."

"If I might ask – what about her mother?", Sephiran inquired.

"I fear I can give you no satisfying answer. I never met her – none of us ever did. My father was the only one who knew her. She has been dead for several years now."

"Your father never mentioned anything", Sephiran said, surprised.

"Since no-one here in Sienne knew her, there was no need to tell anyone. She was buried in her hometown. We never felt the need to broach the subject to anyone."

"And Maian herself does not know who her mother was?", Sephiran pressed.

"No. All we know about her is her name, but that is not of much help. My father probably knew more, but he never told us."

"And now, he has taken the secret to the grave."

"So to speak."

Sephiran stood on the balcony and gazed at the starry sky, lost in thoughts. A chilly breeze made him shiver, and he pulled his cloak closer around himself as he watched the sleeping city.

The sound of heavy footsteps and the jingle of armour announced the arrival of his right-hand man, General Zelgius. The knight stepped out onto the balcony.

"I have returned, master."

"So I have noticed."

"There is nothing that ever escapes your notice."

"I wish that were the case. I would have less trouble that way."

"I heard about Senator Tiloki. We have lost a loyal and valuable ally. Has it already been decided who will succeed him?"

"Maian, his younger daughter."

"Will she be our ally as well?"

"I do not know. I have never met her before... the mysterious younger Duchess of Idras. She did not come to today's meeting of the senate, she excused herself because she had not fully recovered after her father's death."

"That really got to her, it seems."

"They were very close, so, losing him is very hard for her. But I have a feeling that we are going to see her soon... So, what news do you have for me, General?"

Maian stopped in front of the gigantic building and looked up at the façade. She had never been inside Mainal Cathedral, home to the apostle's family and meeting place of the senate, before. Ever since Misaha's assassination, the country had been ruled by the prime minister with the help of the other senators. Maian would never admit that to anyone, but she was nervous.

Maian was wearing her hair in an elaborate way, her servants had spent almost one hour working on it. Since Maian was always very pale, she could only wear light colours like white, pale green or blue, and pastel colours. Any other colour made her look like a corpse.

Maian took a deep breath and stepped into the coolness of the temple.

A servant stepped forward to greet her and led her to the big assembly hall that was used by the senate. It was a spacious room on the first floor, with high arched windows that opened to the garden. Comfortable chairs were arranged in several circular rows, so the senators could easily talk to each other.

As Maian entered the room, every head turned in her direction, and all the senators paused to stare at her. Maian had expected that, after all, some of them had never met her before.

"Good morning", Maian said, smiling slightly. "I am Maian, Second Duchess of Idras. I am honoured to be a member of the senate, and I apologise for not coming to the last meeting, as I should have."

"There is no need to apologise, Senator Maian", a black-haired man replied. Maian remembered having seen him at the funeral, but she didn't know his name. "You needed time to recover, which is understandable. Please take a seat. Senator Hetzel will be your guide, and explain everything. Do not hesitate to ask him, should you have any questions."

Maian looked at the old man that was Senator Hetzel. He seemed to be a kind person, and smiled at her in a way a grandfather would smile at his granddaughter. Maian suppressed a smile as she took the vacant chair next to him.

She could easily find out some of the names by briefly touching the senators' minds, but not that of the man who had greeted her. He was the youngest by far, with waist-long black hair and piercing green eyes.

Maian turned to her guide.

"Who is the man who welcomed me?"

Hetzel looked surprised. "You have not met Prime Minister Sephiran before?"

"I have not met many people in my life", she replied. "The Prime Minister... my father often spoke of him. It appears that they were good friends."

"Yes, the Prime Minister was deeply moved when he learned of your loss."

Maian nodded, and turned her attention back to what was happening.

After two hours, Maian felt a strange dizziness and lethargy befalling her. She was not used to being inside a closed room with so many people for such a long time. The loud voices trying to drown each other made her head ache. Maian leaned back in her chair and covered her face with one hand.

"Senator. Are you feeling unwell?"

She looked up to find Hetzel watching her anxiously. Several other senators turned to look at her.

"No, I just – I think I need to get some fresh air. Please excuse me."

As Maian rose hastily from her chair, trying her hardest not to fall, she felt the Prime Minister watching her, frowning. Maian really couldn't care less.

"Maybe we all should take a break", Sephiran said as Maian hurried out of the room and down the stairs in search of the garden.

Nature... I need it to stay calm... to stay healthy... just like the herons. Curse this frail body...

Most of the senators had gathered around the windows to spy on Maian. Sephiran sighed.

"My lords and ladies, please... I doubt she wishes to have an audience. Give her some moments to herself."

As most of the others followed his request, Sephiran stepped behind a curtain and glanced down at the small figure that was sitting at the roots of a tree, her eyes closed, seemingly relaxed. Again, he frowned. He had had this strange feeling about her ever since she had entered the room. But he couldn't be sure, not yet... he required proof. But how to get it?

Shortly after midday, the meeting finally ended. Maian was in no mood to stay and chat with the others. She simply took her leave, without noticing that another member of the senate left only minutes after her, and in a great hurry.

Maian slowly walked along the sunny streets of Sienne. She enjoyed being in the open all by herself. No relatives, no guards, and no servants. She had no intention of using a palanquin, either. For the first time in her life, she felt free.

Maian heard the sound of running footsteps and someone calling her name. It came from behind her. Surprised, she turned to see a servant hurrying after her. Maian stopped and waited for him to reach her.

Panting, the man held his side while rummaging in his pocket.

"E-excuse, m-me, Senator, I-I - "

"Why do you not try to catch your breath first? You can tell me what this is about after that."

Maian smiled when she sensed his gratitude. He took several deep breaths, then he tried again.

"Senator Maian, my master has asked me to deliver this note to you as quickly as possible."

He handed her a letter.

"Thank you. If I might ask – who is your master?"

"Prime Minister Sephiran."

"I see. Thank you. Here, take this."

Maian took a gold coin from her wallet and handed it to the servant. He beamed at her, bowed, and left.

Interesting. What could he want?

Maian carefully stuck the letter inside her cloak.

"How was your first day?", Liane asked once they were safely inside Maian's garden.

"Interesting, but also tiring. I almost fainted."

"Oh no! We should have thought of that... What did you do?"

"I excused myself and went into the garden. Luckily, no-one asked questions. But I would not know what to do if that should happen again and again..."

"Maybe opening the windows will help", her sister suggested.

"It would certainly be worth a try."

Maian took out the letter.

"I should better take a look at this, since that poor servant went through so much trouble to deliver it."

"Who is it from?"

"The prime minister."

"Really? What does it say?"

"He invited me to have tea with him this afternoon. But I wonder why? We are not acquainted."

"Maybe that is exactly the reason why. He may be curious, after all, Father has often spoken about you, but kept you hidden from him. His friendship with Father may be another reason."

"You do have a point. Well, the only way of finding out is going there, I suppose."

A/N:

Hmm, what could he possibly want?