“Well.” The Princess looked up, and Maya could see that she was smiling brightly again. For the first time, Maya realized that perhaps Princess Ludmilla’s bubbly personality was a mask she put on, just like Luka’s icy façade when he was with people who didn’t know him well.
“I realize belatedly that I have taken up too much of your time,” Princess Ludmilla said, smiling prettily. “Do not let me detain you.”
“It was my pleasure, Princess,” Maya said, unsure how she could prolong the conversation. She wanted to warn the princess, or protect her, but what could she say? Princess Ludmilla’s fiance was a prince, she would be an Empress, their marriage would bring both Sunvaara and Drakazov together. By all accounts, Luka’s sister would have a very good life.
And yet…the memory of the Sunvaaran prince’s smile returned to her. Something about that smile made Maya uneasy.
“I hope you can write to me if you ever have need of anything,” Maya said, wondering if she was overstepping her bounds. Then, on impulse, she leaned closer to the Princess. “I am planning to visit Prince Luka soon. Perhaps you could write to me there?”
“You are going to see Luka?” Prince Ludmilla’s eyes went big. A small smile made its way to her face. “Please…give him my love.” Tears glimmered in her eyes. “And tell him I miss his presence.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
As Maya left the tea room, she sighed. Well, now she had to start planning for her trip to Kamenev province, where Luka was staying in in the estate that belonged to the Second Queen.
~
It took the better part of three days to travel to Kamenev province by coach, and by the time she and her retinue rode into Luka’s castle, Maya was feeling the effects of the long journey.
Shaking her head at herself, Maya dismounted from the coach to stretch her legs. They had stopped in the courtyard of Kamenev castle as the stable hands and grooms saw to their horses and coaches, with Maya looking over the transfer of her luggage.
She was only going to stay for a fortnight or so, so she hadn’t brought too much with her. But her work couldn’t suffer, even when she was away from her lab, so she had brought all her notes and some of her smaller pieces of equipment along with her. She had to be sure the footmen didn’t break the more delicate glass instruments.
Behind her, her maid Vennela alighted from the carriage, putting both hands to the small of her back in a huge stretch. “I don’t know how you sat so still for so long, my lady. My backbone feels like it’s been taken apart and put back together again. Badly.”
Maya smiled. “Is Boris finally asleep?”
Vennela nodded. “Nodded off as soon as we rode in through the gates. If only we’d been so blessed this afternoon.”
Maya winced. At five, Vennala’s son Boris was still too young to understand why they couldn’t just stop the coach to get down and play in the grass whenever he felt like it. When his mother had refused his request to run around in the grass that was seen from their coach window, he had thrown a terrible tantrum, complete with a screaming fit.
Maya wassoglad she didn’t have to spend any more time with the child than was necessary.
As Vennela opened the coach door to stroke her sleeping son’s hair, a footman jogged up to Maya. “My lady, please allow me to escort you inside. Your luggage is waiting for you in your rooms.”
“Thank you.” She nodded, and turned to see Vennala was taking her son into her arms, and she helped the older woman alight. The three of them walked into the castle, where a bright fire was crackling in the grate and a table was set for her. Vennala set off for the rooms for the lady-in-waiting, saying that she would make sure their rooms were ready for them.
Vennala was from one of the little towns on the border between Sunvaara and Drakazov. She’d fallen in love with a soldier in the Drakazov army, leaving behind her homeland to marry him and build a future with him. When her husband had been killed in battle four years ago, she’d been left with nowhere to go. Maya’s mother had discovered her begging in the towns outside Kamenev province, and had hired her out of pity. When Maya had graduated from the academy, Vennela and her son had joined her at Rurik Castle when she worked on her inventions with the rest of her team of artificers.
They’d been together for four years, and Vennela was one of the few people Maya trusted completely, even if she did feel her son was a little spoiled brat.
A smiling kitchen maid brought a bowl of soup for her, along with a heavily buttered roll. Maya ate quickly at the table, enjoying the hot food after the long journey.
“Is Prince Luka still up?”
The kitchen maid shook her head, and Maya sighed. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. Putting it out of her mind, Maya finished her meal and thanked the maid. Vennela returned to take her to her rooms, and after a quick wash to remove the grime of her long journey, Maya slid into her soft, comfortable bed.
Tomorrow. She’d meet Luka tomorrow.
As she settled into bed, her mind drifted back to the last time they’d seen each other…
~
Maya looked down at the list in her hand as she walked down the halls of Rurik Castle, the seat of the Tsar. It was all here, all the information she could gather about her plans to improve the trebuchets and catapults. She had been working with her team of battle mages and artificers to improve the defenses on the siege breakers, too. She’d been testing all her improvements and ideas out before implementing them, of course.
She’d breezed into Luka’s office at the Castle one day, grumbling about how her father had refused to grant her permission to use some of the decommissioned armaments of their family regiment for her experiments.
“Just write to my steward and get him to give you access to the Stoneheart regimental armaments,” Luka had said, waving a hand dismissively. “I’ll put my own seal on it so that my aide—you remember Stoffel, don’t you, he was in the year below us at the Academy—he’ll receive it. If he sees my seal on it, he will know I requested it,” he’d said, shooting her a quick, distracted smile.
