“Because you’re Eustaquia de Sonza, and no man will ever get the best of you.”

The corners of my lips twitch. It’s not quite a smile, but it’s the closest I’ve come all week. “Thank you. You know, you’re a halfway decent brother when you want to be.”

Alejandro shrugs. “I try. Now get out. I’m thirsty, and I heard the viceroy’s cracked open his oldest cask of wine for the festivities.”

With a roll of my eyes, I begin the arduous task of unseating myself. “Never change.”

I gather up my miles of silk and exit the coach with as much grace as they will allow, which is not that much at all. Now that I’m standing outside, I can see the viceroy’s villa. Its white stone walls glimmer almost silver in the moonlight, with pools of gold spilling forth from the torches mounted on the walls in regular intervals. The entire edifice looks like a giant pile of coins.

Appropriate, I muse. Considering what this city’s been built on.

Alejandro offers me his arm to escort me into the ball. I take it, glad to have something to hold on to as I navigate the steps leading up to the wide, wooden doors. They look like a darkened maw, waiting to swallow me whole.

Alejandro tucks my arm under his and gently pats the back of my hand. “If that ass Sebastian gives you any grief, you let me know. I’ll set him right.”

I snort as we begin to climb the stairs. “That’s one fight I’d pay to see.”

Once we reach the doors, all talk of violence upon the heir to this lavish estate ceases. A servant ushers us inside. The still, hot air is suffocating. I focus on breathing, in and out, in and out, barely hearing the introductions made on our behalf as we enter the ballroom. And what a ballroom it is.

The interior of the viceroy’s villa is every bit the gilded monstrosity one might expect from the richest man in the New World.

Fat cherubs perch in the corners, fingers poised over the strings of their golden lyres. An elaborate mural dominates the ceiling, painted in deeply pigmented jewel tones. I squint, trying to make sense of the scattered imagery. When I figure it out, I laugh.