"I made arrangements. Your mother had a research assistant—a woman named Nanny Yue. Skilled in transformation magic. I paid her to use that magic to appear as your mother. Not perfectly—the enchantment couldn't hold under close scrutiny—but enough that a small child wouldn't know the difference."
Elara's breath caught. "The woman who raised me..."
"Was Nanny Yue, transformed to look like your mother. I thought... I thought if you had even a semblance of her presence, it would be better than nothing. So for years, until you were old enough to remember clearly, Nanny Yue cared for you while appearing as Imperial Consort Mei."
"How long?"
