“I believe that’s a matter for Thea,” Vaile said blandly. “The Emperor would never impose the Iskat way of doing things.”

“Excellent,” the Ambassador said, while Kiem had a coughing fit and Jainan looked thoughtful. “Count Jainan, I must set up a meeting with the Infrastructure Bureau back home. I look forward to working much more closely with you. Ah.

The Emperor.”

They all turned to make their bows as an attendant opened the doors, and a wave of polite obeisances rippled out from the Emperor’s entrance. The Auditor was next to her. The people in their group gave them a nod and drifted away, part of a general realignment of the room as people flowed into the Imperial orbit. “Not very anxious to see her unless you are,” Kiem said to Jainan under his breath. “She’s probably got over the worst of it, but we may not be her favorite people right now. Just a guess.”

“I imagine not,” Jainan said. “Neither do I have any desire to speak to the Auditor. Is that Bel?”

Kiem followed his gaze. Bel was apparently deep in discussion with one of the Emperor’s soberly clothed aides. She looked up, as if she felt their eyes on her, and gave them an unreadable look before going back to the conversation.

“None of our business, apparently,” Jainan said dryly.

“Looks like it,” Kiem said. He had something of a premonition about what they might be discussing, fueled by the realization that the Emperor as a matter of course employed aides with bodyguard skills. Perhaps Bel demonstrating the ability to break into a military base to help out her employer wasn’t so much a problem as he had thought. The Emperor had granted that pardon to Bel without too much persuasion, now that he thought about it.

“Dammit,” he muttered. “I think we’re going to get our aide poached.”

“By the Emperor?”

“I’d bet money that she’s trying,” Kiem said. However much alarm he felt at the prospect of losing Bel, it would probably be a good move for her career. The Emperor’s ex-aides went on to run committees, palace departments, spy networks. Bel was too clever to stay as an aide for long.

Jainan was hailed by someone else from the Thean contingent, a woman wearing a jacket in the same greens as Jainan’s uniform. As they spoke, Vaile stepped away from the Ambassador and touched Kiem’s arm discreetly. “I’m glad I caught you,” she said. “The palace has been organizing the Thean side when it comes to events like this, but the palace coordinators have a lot on their plates. Taam was supposed to help, but of course, he was Taam … and the Minister for Thea wasn’t really up to it by the time he resigned.”

Kiem became wary out of habit whenever Vaile went elliptical. “What are you getting at?”

Vaile fluttered one hand. “The Emperor’s shuffling around the Diplomatic Service. She wants you to take the post of special liaison to Thea.”