I just decided to get out of my room and take a short stroll in the garden.
I've worn a simple black gown. The doctor said not to wear the corset, so I am allowed to walk around like this. Right?
With Kate's help, I tied my hair in a complicated style, and I've also drawn a silver line on my eyelids, just like any girl in Polis would do.
The girl that smiled back on the mirror was more similar to Queen Theodora than the gloomy Duchess of the last few weeks.
Even if I'm a captive, even if I'm alone far from home, I can't change who I am.
If the Ethirians look down on me because I'm different from them, it's not my problem.
I've just stepped out of my chamber when a messenger comes my way. He stops a few meters from me, and he bows respectfully.
«His majesty, the Sun of the Empire, sent me here to invite her grace, the Duchess of Kyre, to have tea with him,» he says out loud.
