Somehow, Maya wasn’t so sure. But what choice did she have? If Luka was back, the least she could do was meet him. And if he was recovering from battle wounds, then he couldn’t travel.
She had to go to him.
“Well, don’t let me keep you,” The Second Queen said, suddenly cheerful. “I’m sure you have much to pack for your long journey.”
“I shall send word when I reach Kamenev castle,” Maya said, standing up with a bow. “Good day, Your Highness.”
“Safe travels,” Lady Inessa called gaily, and Maya nodded, bemused.
As she stepped out into the halls, the doors closing behind her with a whisper, Maya blinked. Somehow, she felt as if she had been…managed. As a veteran of the court, the Second Queen was adept at getting her way without making her machinations obvious, quite a contrast from her father, Baron von Rakhmonov, who was prone to simply make declarations that she then had to rebel against.
This feeling of beingmaneuveredinto something—even if it was a goal she had set for herself—was something new to Maya.
“Lady von Rakhmonov?”
Maya turned with a polite smile on her face. Princess Ludmilla von Engelhart stood behind her, a sweet smile on her face.
“Princess,” Maya said, sinking into a curtsy. She was wearing a dress for her audience with the Second Queen, and the silk whispering about her legs made her feel strange. She had gotten used to spending her days wearing a version of her uniform from her days at the academy, the tailored breeches and smart jacket offering her a great deal of freedom of movement. Now, she felt ungainly in the gowns that were the outfits that noble ladies like her were expected to wear.
In contrast, Princess Ludmilla looked like a princess born and bred, dressed in beautiful green silks, her blonde hair curling in little tendrils around her face, shining golden in the sunlight streaming in through the windows in the hallway.
“I am very glad to see you,” the Princess said now, smiling up at her. “Please join me for tea.”
Maya nodded, following the Princess and her attendants into a little tea room. The serving ladies hurried to light thesamovarand at a nod from the Princess, set out thepodstakanniksthat were fitted with little glasses to hold their steaming tea. Sugar, honey, and jam joined the biscuits and sweetmeats set out on the table. Maya noticed that the Princess asked for sugar and jam to be added to her tea, and smiled. She remembered Luka telling her about his little sister’s sweet tooth.
Well, the girl was only eighteen, after all. Still a child in many ways, despite the fact that she was already betrothed. To a man twelve years her senior. Maya sipped her tea uneasily as her thoughts drifted to the Crown Prince of Sunvaara. Something about the man set her teeth on edge.
Oblivious to her unease, the Princess smiled. “Lady von Rakhmonov, I hope you do not mind that I have hijacked your time like this. It is only that I wondered if you had heard from Luka.” The Princess looked at her, trying to smile. “My last few letters to him have gone unanswered, you see.”
“I can see why that would make you worry.” Maya said, unsure of what else she could say to the Princess. She hadn’t even known Luka was back from the front, for pity’s sake. She felt like a fraud, claiming him as her friend.
Princess Ludmilla’s face fell a little, and she took a sip of her tea, as if searching for words. “I wrote to him of my betrothal, but I received no reply.” The princess bit her lower lip, and Maya was powerfully reminded of just howyoungshe was.
A spark of irritation lit her up at the disappointment in Princess Ludmilla’s eyes. So, bad enough that Luka had ignored Maya, forcing her to find out about his return from the Crown Princess, but it seemed that Luka had ignored Ludmilla, as well.
Maya well remembered what Luka had told her and Volkov about his sister, one night at the academy when the three of them sat on the little sloped roof of the girls’ dorm, looking out at the stars and passing a bottle of wine between them.
My baby sister,Luka had said with a smile, and Maya had heard everything he did not say, how Ludmilla’s uncomplicated love had won Luka’s heart. Where the Crown Princess had always been a rival for him to overcome, in contrast, Ludmilla’s easy acceptance of Luka and her devoted hero worship of her older brother had turned their relationship into a gentle, loving one.
It was not easy, being the children of two different mothers who shared the same father, and Maya knew Luka’s resentment for his father over playing favorites between his children would always rankle, but he had been careful to never it let it poison his own relationship with Ludmilla.
So now, Maya was fully aware that she sat facing Luka’s loving sibling, feeling as protective of the girl as Luka did himself. Why, Ludmilla was as old as she had been when she had joined the academy, and Maya knew how painfullyyoungshe had been then, how…naïve. A wave of protectiveness welled up in her, and before she knew it, Maya was speaking.
“Princess,” Maya started, and now that she had started, she paused, unsure of how to phrase her question. “I hope you will feel as feel comfortable talking to me as you would to Luka.” She set her tea cup down, and looked at the princess, who seemed to be shrinking into the cushions of her chair, despite her posture remaining the same.
“Of course, Lady von Rakhmonov,” Princess Ludmilla said, as her eyes skipped away, following her fingertip as she traced the intricate designs on the metal glass holder sitting before her.
“I only ask because I know Luka would want me to make sure that you are as happy with your betrothal as you should be,” Maya said, pushing the point slightly. “So you can talk to me about anything. Anything at all.”
At that, the Princess looked up, her eyes wide. “Are you—are you happy?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I meant—” Princess Ludmilla compressed her lips, before her voice dropped further. “Are you happy, being single?” She flushed as she looked up. “I apologize for my bluntness. Only, you are twenty six, and you have remained unmarried, despite the nobles who pursued you, or what your parents wish for you.”
“Well, yes,” Maya said, setting her own teacup down, her fingers drifting to the jewel at her neck. “I am happy as I am.” She shrugged. “I have my work. A husband would only interfere with it. And I do not think I am suited for matrimony.Which is not to say that I feel others should follow my example,” she said, looking keenly at the princess.
The younger girl was still looking down into her tea as if it held all the answers to the universe, but her finger tapped against thepodstakannikrestlessly.
