“This is a camel, Ekaterina,” Alexei explained, since I shouldn’t have seen one before. No normal young noble lady would have, so he’d assumed I was staring because I had no idea what it was.
“Thank you for telling me, brother. I read in a book that these animals were nicknamed ‘ships of the desert.’ It said the merchants beyond the Summit of the Gods travel with dozens of them in tow.”
“You’re very well-read, my lady,” the butler commented. “The previous duke of Yulsein purchased this statue when Her Imperial Majesty the Empress was still the young lady of this house. When she was little, Her Imperial Majesty often said she wanted to travel through the desert, and she was set on keeping camels. I still remember the long conversations the duke had with her, trying to convince her that the empire was far too cold for camels to thrive in, and it would be too cruel to bring them here.”
“My, what a charming story!” I said.
Still, it seemed all dukes truly were, well, dukes. Who got a life-sized camel statue set with precious stones for a child begging for a camel, instead of a stuffed animal?
We were led from there into a splendid drawing room. Before we really had time to wait, our host arrived.
“Hi, Alexei. And hello to you as well, Ekaterina. Welcome to my home,” he said cheerfully as he strode into the drawing room with his long legs.
He was a tall, handsome man in his prime, with teal hair and a stylish mustache that suited his face. He was also surprisingly tan. I assumed he was the sort of man who didn’t stay home much. Perhaps he still boarded three-masted ships and embarked on long journeys across the open sea. His teal eyes, shining next to his tan skin, reminded me of two oases in the desert. This man was Dmitri Yulsein, the current Duke of Yulsein.
He looks really cool!
“It has been a while,” Alexei said. “I’m glad to find you in good health.”
“Oh, stop being so stiff! We’re both part of the big Yul family, aren’t we?”
While they were both grand dukes and technically had the same status, Alexei spoke to Dmitri deferentially. Dmitri, on the other hand, spoke with great familiarity.
He looked at me and added, “Shouldn’t you introduce me to your treasure, Alexei?”
“Of course. Ekaterina, meet His Grace, Duke Dmitri. He serves as His Imperial Majesty’s Minister for Foreign Affairs. As you can see, he’s very amiable.”
At the moment, there was no prime minister in the empire. Konstantin didn’t want to leave the government to someone else, so he ruled directly. Under this system, the Minister for Foreign Affairs was the highest position that could be awarded, which made Dmitri the second most influential man in the empire.
Alexei glanced at me, and I performed a proper curtsy. “It’s an honor to make your acquaintance. I’m Ekaterina Yulnova.”
“I’m glad to finally meet the young lady whom all the rumors are about. I hope we’ll see more of each other in the future. Call me Uncle Dmitri, all right?” he said mischievously.
I laughed. “I might really call you that, uncle.”
“Perfect,” he replied. “Your voice is beautiful. Although your face is more beautiful still.”
Yeah, he truly is a duke. His mastery of flowery flattery is perfect!
The butler soon returned, accompanied by maids, and they served us tea and snacks. I enjoyed the flavorful bite-sized pastries. Although they had a peculiar spice, the ample quantity of butter made them absolutely delicious. Dmitri watched over me warmly while I ate.
As we were exhausting the polite topics and our conversation slowed down, I straightened my posture.
“Uncle, I’ve brought you the glass pens you ordered from my humble workshop.”
“Oh! Can I see them?” he asked, excitedly leaning forward.
“Please, have a look.” I handed him the teal box.
A deep sigh escaped the duke’s lips as he opened the velvet box, and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. That sigh spoke louder than words; there was no higher praise.
One by one, Dmitri took out the pens and studied them, checking how each fit in his palm. He was probably imagining how it’d feel to write with them, and he seemed to be delighted by the sensation of the glass against his fingers. First, he held the black-and-teal pen, then the lavish gold pen, and finally, the one with the painting of the Goddess of Beauty.
After gazing at his unborn Goddess of Beauty, who slept within a transparent pearl guarded by waves, Dmitri held the pen firmly, as if he cherished it. Then, he let out a soft laugh.
“Ekaterina, your artisan understands beauty. He’s absolutely right. A woman’s features are most captivating when they aren’t fully revealed—when the hidden parts titillate your yearning. This is very nice, indeed.”
“He’ll be glad to receive the praise of a man of the world known for his tastes,” I replied with a smile.
However, my harmless comment provoked an unexpected reaction. “Where did you hear this assessment of him, Ekaterina?” Alexei asked, a worried look on his face.
I’d heard it from Halil, actually. They’d been on friendly terms for years, and when Halil heard I’d be meeting Dmitri for the first time, he’d told me a few things about him. Halil had said Dmitri was an outstanding merchant, loved beautiful things, had great taste, and was easy to get along with—a true social butterfly.
The only mark on his reputation was related to his wife: She couldn’t show herself in front of other men. She was a princess from a large country beyond the Summit of the Gods and still abided by the rules of her country. This was a condition her father had insisted upon when he’d agreed to give her hand in marriage to a man from a distant land. But in the empire, it was customary for men and women to intermingle at social functions, and married couples normally appeared together. On top of that, the wife of the organizer was usually tasked with entertaining the other ladies. That wasn’t the case for the Yulseins, even if parties were held at their residence.
To make up for that, in the first years of their marriage, Dmitri had invited women whose jobs involved “entertaining” guests to help him. He’d also made his parties quite unique. At times, they’d been eccentric enough to astonish his guests; at others, they’d been so refined that they’d made even the imperial family sigh with delight. Over the years, Dmitri had become a bit of a legend in the social circles of the capital. Even foreign royals acknowledged Dmitri, and he was on friendly terms with many of them. He’d eventually been chosen as the Minister for Foreign Affairs thanks to his connections. In the end, his fortune and misfortune truly were two sides of the same coin.
That was how Dmitri had earned himself a reputation as a “man of the world.”
But Alexei had taken issue with my wording because, while the expression typically referred to a sophisticated man with experience in the broader sense, it also sometimes implied familiarity with red-light districts and their beauties. In fact, it was often reserved for true connoisseurs of the pleasure districts.
Duke Dmitri, however, despite his immense popularity with women—including those who sold their charms—was no libertine. He always handsomely paid the women he hired for his parties and used his connections to help them meet high-ranking clients, which explained their fondness for him. But he never partook himself. According to Halil, he was a devoted husband through and through. Apparently, his bride’s brothers had made it very clear that they’d have his head should he ever disrespect their sister by laying his hands on another woman outside the bounds of matrimony. In their land, it was acceptable to take several wives so long as you treated them all equally, but that was not an option in the empire.
Anyway, that was why the expression wasn’t one an innocent young lady should have known, let alone spoken aloud. Oops.
I turned to Alexei as I realized that and favored him with a cheerful smile. “Rumors have a way of reaching one’s ears without one noticing. I could hardly tell you where I heard it. Perhaps a wandering wind spirit sang my good uncle’s praise so they’d reach me on a breeze.”
Dmitri laughed. “What a delightful way to put it, my wise, kind Ekaterina. If the spirit had been a man, you’d have been hard-pressed to hear anything about me at all, for he’d surely have whispered sweet praise of your beauty without pause.”
“My, your words are more delightful still, uncle! Thank you.”
“I think people are right to applaud your refined sensitivities, Duke Dmitri,” Alexei declared solemnly.
I noticed the corners of his mouth were more relaxed than usual. The duke praising me had clearly put him in a good mood.
Dmitri tried all three glass pens. When he saw how much he could write in one go, he nodded several times in approval. “These pens aren’t simply beautiful—they’re also remarkably practical. The people beyond the Summit of the Gods will love them.”
“I’m glad to hear that! If you say so, it must be true, uncle!”
I hadn’t lacked confidence before, of course. Not only were these pens Lev’s best work yet, but Halil, someone who hailed from that area himself, had already talked to me about exporting the pens. Still, Dmitri had traded with them for years. If he was sure they’d love the pens, I had no doubts they’d sell.
My entrepreneurship dreams are growing bigger!
“Are you interested in foreign cultures, Ekaterina? If you’d like, I’d be happy to take you beyond the Summit of the Gods.”
“Truly?! How wonderful!”
By ship?! Will we sail across open waters?! Can I see scenes straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean in real life?! Aaah, that’d be amazing!!!
“Ekaterina.”
I snapped out of it at the sight of Alexei’s face, which was so pale that his unease was obvious at a glance.
“I appreciate your consideration, Duke Dmitri, but Ekaterina’s health is poor. She couldn’t possibly handle such a long journey.”
“Oh, is that so?” Dmitri asked, perplexed.
I understood his puzzlement. After all, I looked completely fine.
Alexei took my hand. “Do you want to travel abroad, Ekaterina?”
“I do... With your leave, of course,” I replied nervously.