"Mother," Portia said gently as she entered the queen's private chambers.
The queen looked up, surprised. "Portia? You're here? Is something wrong?"
It was an honest question as the crown princess hadn't been summoned, and the queen had her hands full with the increasingly complex matters of the harem. Her workload had doubled ever since a new concubine had arrived at the palace.
"Everything's well with me," Portia replied, stepping further inside. "I came for you. Cristiano said you have been overwhelmed lately, and that I should assist you however I can."
The queen raised an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement and perhaps suspicioncrossing her expression. "Cristiano said that?"
Portia gave a small nod. "He did. How may I help?"
The queen studied her daughter-in-law for a long moment, as if measuring how far she could be trusted or how far she had come. Then, with a tired sigh, she reached for a stack of documents on her desk.
