"Go on then, Mother, teach me all you can. Like a good student, I'll listen to whatever you have to say, and at the end of the day, I'll decide what to do with them."
The Dowager laughed, and I got irritated. She was deeply amused by me, it seems, and that didn't bode well for me.
"Oh my goddess, when a baby fox thinks it all wise, not knowing the old fox is wiser."
"Tch!"
"Alright then... let's do this. I'll give you a month."
"A month for what?"
"Soon you shall meet with the inner court."
"Inner court?"
"The ladies of the noble houses. Do you not know that they will come to greet you? Paying their respects to you is akin to seeing who are truly your allies. A queen must have the ladies of the noble houses on her side."
So that's how she had so much power in court. It was the noble ladies! They are significant figures to their houses, and it was a great bonus for the queen if she wanted use them.
