"Come in." I called as there was a quiet knock on the door.

The maid opened the door and Evie stepped in, she looked weary, and barely happy. I stood to receive her and walked over to kiss her hand, before leading her to the armchair she had liked.

"Send for dinner." I asked the maid before she closed the door.

"Are you alright?" I turned back to Evie, drawing a stool close to her chair.

She shook her head. "It's fine. Oh I'm sorry I left the books in my suite, I'll have them returned as soon as possible." Her head hung a little, she was worried. I didn't want to press her though.

"What did you think of them?"

"Your Grandfather's book is very useful, however Reynolds's bias pretty much spoils his whole narrative."

I smiled and shook my head, taking up her hands and kissing them before getting up and leading her over to the row of shelves to the left of the window.

"It was my grandfather who you speak so highly of who left this room and it's contents to me, so that I might learn to renounce naivety, which you seem to be struggling with."

"Are you saying in so many words, Gavrila, that I'm stupid?"

"Merely shortsighted." I winked at her and put my fingers underneath the the green book on the physics of levers, which itself was a concealed lever. The door swung open and I felt her fingers grip mine slightly tighter.

"That is the single most cool thing I've seen in a year." She chuffed.

"Grab a candle would you?" I asked, letting go of her hand to step inside and take one of the paintings off the wall. "I keep them in here to preserve them from the light, some are the only copies anywhere." I picked up the first and held it out to her.

Her eyes dictated the picture to me, I gazed on as they flicked from one part to the next, before settling on one aspect and admiring it for a few seconds, her fist curling and uncurling. She swallowed hard and looked back up at me, her calculating brown eyes shining slightly in the candlelight.

"It's a...very real painting." She spoke in what was only a little louder than a whisper.

"During their war, my great grandfather commissioned an amateur, Birel, of our Kingdom to go and paint the battlefield in Baracosia."

"Wouldn't that be putting the amateur at risk? His work is... Different.... Beautiful I think." She was drifting away from the subject and I needed her attention. I put the painting back.

"Of course it would be risky, but consider this; could the so called Anarchists write or read?"

She shook her head.

"Would they have had access to paints?"

"They would never be able to tell their side of the battle." She whispered, moving her hair back behind her shoulders and inching towards the fire.

Dinner came in on a tray but she seemed in thought so I motioned for the butler to leave it here.

"So Grandad Horatio sent our artist to give an impartial view of the battle."

Evie snapped her head around. "But that painting still showed the Monarchists in glory. With all the weapons and flags and that silver cloud above them."

"Or was it mere coincidence?" I asked, taking advantage of the question to fetch her supper as she flopped down onto the carpet by the fire. "He was, after all, impartial."

I darted back to the anteroom of paintings and grabbed Birel's painting along with the Baracosian Topfem's too.

"Compare." I set them down in front of her and fetched my own plate.

"Well they both depict the same thing." She looked over her shoulder at me as she talked and the look she gave me numbed my fingers. "Though of course I've seen Topfem's before, it's in the Firistie."

"Spot the difference in them." I pointed to some of the more significant parts of Topfem's. "Symbolic no? If you had to say which one made Baracosia look better, which one would it be?"

"That one easily." She pointed to Birel's, knocking me off guard. "It shows the truth and honour, that one is practically propaganda."

I slid off of her armchair to sit with her on the floor, my dinner forgotten. "Well yes but consider that most people have never seen Birel's. Simply which is the prettiest, which is the nicest to look at?"

She nodded reluctantly. "I never realised that art could carry bias too."

"I'll teach you more another time, for now eat your food, it'll get cold." I passed her her plate and got mine. We both shuffled closer to the fire - and slightly to each other - and ate in companiable silence.

I watched her velvety hair shift every time she chewed, how her eyebrows creased in slight thought, but forced my eyes back to my own plate whenever she noticed my staring.

When she had finished eating, she set her plate gracefully down on the side table. I noticed her lingering over there, seeming to want to tell me something.

I put my plate aside and turned to face her fully.

"Gavrila," She spoke very quietly and I really had to focus to hear her, "I'm sorry but I don't fit here."

I smiled to myself. "Anyone could see that, believe me, Evie, you're like a breath of fresh air." I kissed her hand, which was cold even though we sat right next to the fire.

"That's nice." She murmured. "But I'm really struggling. It's my first time away from home and all these other girls are absolute bitches - pardon my language - I'm not from their circles so they don't trust my motivations and..." She trailed off and I realised it was because I was staring. I moved my eyes down to her hand, which was still in mine.

"Please stay." I murmured. "I don't want to lose you." I looked up at her and found that I was speaking in earnest. I couldn't kid myself that I just needed to keep an eye on her to make sure she wasn't a spy. I felt like I needed her.

"I don't know if I can." She whispered, her fingers gripping slightly onto mine.

"See the week out. I promise you it'll be worth it. See the week out." I couldn't tell when I looked at her if she would comply or not, I didn't dare to ask her as we walked back to her suite. "I'll keep the other girls away from you." I promised as I left her at her door.