The servants were uniformly attired in a simple tunic that fell below the knees, cinched at the waist with a double cord. Pug thought of them as boys and girls as they were all young, none looking older than late teens, or early twenties, and all were exceptionally attractive.

The nobles were all minor palace functionaries. Only the Imperial Chancellor was of note; he was there as a concession to Jim’s diplomatic rank. Normally a Kingdom Baron wouldn’t be entitled to so lofty a host, especially one sent on an academic mission with little political or military significance, but it was probable that the Quegans suspected Jim of being more than he appeared. Jim’s own spy network wasn’t the only one operating in the Bitter Sea, and no doubt he had attracted Quegan interest over the years as much as he had Keshian interest.

The other nobles were all mid-level functionaries, and Pug had been paired with a very attractive middle-aged woman named Livia, who reclined on the large settee employed by the Quegans for dining. She waved away a servant holding a tray of candied fruits and said, “Too sweet. I like simple foods, I confess.”

She wore the traditional Quegan toga, which clung to her well enough to promise a full healthy body. Her features were strong yet feminine, and she had deep, dark brown eyes, and a tiny touch of grey amid her auburn hair, worn loosely to her shoulders. While Pug had little interest in dalliance, he still found her attractive and interesting. She was introduced to him as a fellow academic, an archivist assigned to assist him and his companions the next day. Pug was certain that she’d prove helpful, just as he was certain she was charged with observing everything the three visiting academics did and would report back. What he didn’t know was if she was an archivist playing at being a spy or a spy playing at being an archivist.

“Really?” said Pug in a noncommittal tone as he selected a ripe pear lightly coated in honey and sprinkled with crushed almonds. He bit into it and said, “Unusual, but very good.”

“You get bored with…” She sighed. “I’m not very good at this sort of thing. My parents were very minor nobles, ragged cousins of some very important people. I was not likely to marry well, so they secured me a position here in the palace.”

Unsure what to say, Pug merely nodded. Then he asked, “Do you enjoy it?”

She seemed less than enthused, but said, “It can be interesting. Occasionally someone such as yourself arrives to disrupt the monotony.”