"Who else's accounts are there?"

"Every word out of Antir's mouth that wasn't annoyance with him was anecdotes about you. And you're handling this astonishingly well and in a way that speaks to handling a diplomatic crisis similarly well. Even better, maybe, because the betrayals you see coming and they're less personal, on that playing field."

"Well. Thank you."

"Let me know if you need anything."

"How would I hypothetically go about taking you up on that?"

"Finankar. So I live at the palace too, when I'm not taking extended diplomatic vacations. We are technically only half first cousins," he adds hastily, "which is like second cousins. I do not think you're likely to end up needing 'royalty who aren't Mitros' specifically, he's not like that, but if you needed that. Or had more questions."

"Or needed to mutter about him behind his back to someone more fairminded than my cat and with whom I share a language."

"That too!"

"Cricket has very few virtues and none of them are fairmindedness. - What do you think I should do?"

"Part of that depends on how tolerable you'd find having to keep an actual intimate relationship secret. But if you're willing to put up with that for the crown I'd tell him how he should have gone about it, what he'd better do the next time in his life he finds it convenient to lie to people so he can more easily charm them into doing what he wants, how seriously worrying about his leadership that tendency is - and then, I don't know, what are some actual political concessions you want, do you want a voice and vote on the budget committee? Run Foreign Affairs? He'll be so happy you're going along you could get 'most formal power for a Queen-by-marriage in history' just by having your ducks lined up."

"Ooh. I don't know about Foreign Affairs, I might want Education."

He nods. "There you go. One thing I will say for Mitros is that he at least uses people in ways that make them stronger."

"I've definitely got a 'how seriously worrying' benchmark, I was considering staging elaborate sabotage..."

"That would be interesting but he's got more resources than you and will probably get at least moderately scary if he thinks you're getting people hurt. By leaving the crown in incompetent hands or whatever."

"No, I was going to try to intervene on the royal wedding vows that put off the one of his brothers with the girlfriend and the girlfriend in question."

"Oh, good, that's a much better idea. Wait, who has a girlfriend? Telars has hit on me and Makariel's too self-absorbed and likes sleeping around too much and the twins are still kids..."

"Nistar? I didn't get the impression this was privileged information."

"Oh! It's not. Nistar hates people a bit too much to rule them, I think. Though it'd be the cleverest way of getting Mitros back ever."

"Thanks."

"The clocks on his walls are your work? They're really nicely done."

"Yeah, they are, thank you. I sell a surprising number of clocks."

"Can I get a box that's bigger on the inside?"

"Sure, take your pick, that's what they're there for."

He buys a box that's bigger on the inside. He pays for it. He smiles at her. "Do feel free to write, or stop by."

"Thanks. I appreciate you coming by."