The young woman who had been unforunate enough to draw the noble's rotation card that night squished herself closer to the wall between the bed and the small sofa that adjoined it. The room that had seemed welcoming and just a little over warm was now sweltering, the layers of rugs and fabrics everywhere trapped in the heat of the day, even with the small windows opened and the hearths banked to the lowest possible height. This was the lair of the Rus, always over hot, warm during the coolest of days and sweltering during the winter. The inhabitant of this room yearned for his more temperate home and for comforts that were barely afforded in such a reserved court.
On this particular evening, one of the servants who had been positioned outside of the princess's rooms had come to report th
