Relyara stood behind me on my balcony and looked at the painting over my shoulder. “Thank you.” I sighed inside and set down my oil brushes. I thought the piece was a failure, but didn’t feel like arguing with my servant. Her opinion mattered little, and no matter what garbage I produced she would praise it effusively. “How do you imagine such wondrous landscapes?” I shrugged my shoulders and turned to face the beautiful woman. She wore her usual light-blue gown and seemed to float above the stone of my veranda. I had lost track of the day, but the position of the sun and heat on my back indicated that it was probably lunch time. “Your guests will be arriving in half of an hour. Do you wish to freshen up?” she asked cheerfully. “I suppose I must.” I stood from my painting stool and gave one last look at the canvas before leaving the scent of my oil paints behind on the balcony. In truth, I was nervous about my plans for today, but I needed to keep Relyara from discovering what I was up to for a bit longer.
