The duke rose to greet me with vigor to match his youth. He couldn’t be more than five years my senior, once I looked past the pointed beard and the profusion of gold embroidery on his doublet. We exchanged the requisite courtesies and settled into chairs flanking a low table, which bore an intimidating array of delicacies: airy little pastries, fruits and olives, fine cheeses, figs wrapped in prosciutto, tartgrass crostini. It all looked delicious, but there was no way I could take more than a few bites in this corset, even if I weren’t too tense to eat.

After a suitably awkward interval of how-was-your-journey and isn’t-it-fine-weather, the duke leaned his elbows on his knees. “Lady Amalia, I invited you here for a reason that may surprise you.”

“Oh?” I hoped it wasn’t a daggers-and-poison sort of surprise.

“Indeed.” He turned a forgotten grape in his fingers. A hesitancy shadowed his eyes, which I had never seen in the doge. “It was to ask for your help.”

Well. “You’re right, Your Grace. That isn’t what I was expecting.”

“I don’t want to go down in history as the last duke of Ardence.” His temples flexed. “Yet on the one side, I have the Empire, demanding I turn over a jess I don’t have and the perpetrators of an attack I know nothing about. On the other side, I have nobles demanding I refuse to cooperate with the Empire until it returns children it claims not to have taken. And if I cannot somehow reconcile and accomplish these impossible tasks, both sides will hold me responsible for the destruction that follows.” He bared his teeth in a grimace. “I am trapped, Lady Amalia. I can’t get out of this on my own.”

“I would love to help you.” I hesitated, thinking how to phrase this. “I do have, ah, a particular mission here in Ardence, however …”

“I know why you’re here.” His tone turned bitter. “Lady Terringer made the doge’s message quite clear weeks ago. This further escalation with your fire warlock is not necessary. It may wound the pride of Ardence to bow before Raverra, but our military power is insufficient to start a war over pride alone. I assure you, I am chastened enough already.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “With all respect, Your Grace, I would not characterize Ardence’s behavior toward the Serene City as chastened.”

His hand closed around the grape, crushing it. “Everything was going well enough with Lady Terringer. Much as I might prefer your cousin’s gentler methods, we had reached an understanding, I believe. But the children! I cannot back down now, Lady Amalia. My nobles are crying out for justice.”

“But Your Grace,” I said carefully, “Raverra didn’t take the children. Surely Lady Terringer has told you the letters claiming that the Empire was holding them were false.”