Castle Ursaulis wasn’t that much different from Castle Glynn. The tapestries, though larger and more ornate, were just as dirty, while cobwebs, heavy with skeletonized flies, hung everywhere. The day she’d found mouse droppings in her kitchen cupboards, Laveth quit worrying about her pedigree.

            She’d kept those of the servants who’d work and dismissed the rest; individuals of higher rank were also treated equitably. The nobility who attended the fledging functions of the ‘Peasant Queen’ were warmly welcomed; those who chose not to come were never invited again. Now, especially after the birth of an heir, the Court at Ursaulis flourished and Laveth, young and golden, was the center of it. She was in control, save for days like these.