Once the heavy stuff was out of the way, Mariela and I chatted for a while. She was a rather insightful person; given the chance, she really would make a terrific diplomat.
My distaste at this world's chauvinistic ways grew the more I learned about her predicament. She would have shone like a star in my world. I could easily see her being one of those influential women that teenage girls idolize on social media.
She could have become anything she wanted if she hadn't been born in this fantasyland. Mariela deserved much more than being a decoration.
The duke had wanted me for my mind. Did Franz not realize what a sharp one his wife had?
For someone aspiring to be king, he certainly didn't know how to manage his resources. Were all men here so pigheaded?
