“I will. You’ll have plenty of time for your own routine once you replace makeup with magic.”
“I was hoping I could just keep that extra time for myself.”
“It never works like that,” she states bluntly.
I sigh, not actually in disappointment though. This feels nice, like a massage.
“This is a lesson, not a massage.” She digs a brush through my hair, holding onto the side of my head to keep it still. “Grab the mirror on the table to study what I’m doing.”
“What mirror?” The table looks empty.
“Right th—“ She inhales. “I’ll make Piero grab us one when he comes in.”
“Won’t we be finished by then?”
“Not with your hair.”
I, slightly less than intentionally, lean into her hand. “Is he your only sibling?”
Her brushing hesitates. “He told you that?”
“Was I not supposed to know?”
“You didn’tneedto know. My family life doesn’t need your perspective.”
“Does that mean I won’t get an answer… M-mistress?”
“He’ll happily tell you if you ask him anyway, so yes, he’s my only sibling.” She adds, “and don’t ask anything else unrelated to your studies.”
My ability to attract a patron is very much related to my studies, so it is therefore relevant and good for me to ask: “do I appear homosexual to you?”
“Aren’t you bisexual?”
“I’m not asking that! Do—do… do I have the appearance that I’m gay?”
“I asked Stella to give you a gown in the style of the Vampire Queen, but heterosexual women also emulate her appearance. I don’t think you appear any way in particular.”
“Okay. Piero assumed I was homosexual, and I was wondering if… uh. I don’t know.”
“Piero thought that?” She leans her head over mine to peer at my face. “He always had a better sight for that than me. So trust his perspective.”
“Why is he better able to tell?”
She turns her head, staring off while reciting, “we were both there when the Immortal Queens took their throne. They, and their soldiers, completely turned around the relationship rights of women overnight. Men were complicated.
“It wasn’t illegal, but besides Field Marshal Onisko, there were no prominent homosexual men—not compared to the Queens, certainly. He had to learn to identify other homosexuals while I… This conversation has gone beyond the scope of your studies.”
I droop my eyes. “About my studies, will you ever give me lectures? Is it only just books and spells?”
“There’s mathematics too. How’s your calculus?”
“I think I can do U-substitution?”
“Vectors?”
“Never touched them.”
“Then tomorrow night, I’ll assess you to create a lesson plan. While my focus is on turning you into a necromancer, every profession benefits from mathematics. Sciences too. Wearea subsection thereof.“ She places down the brush and starts collecting my hair. “I know there’s no mirror; you’ll get your full lesson next time. What style do you want this in?”
