The Mengsk Dynasty

Time wove on, swift as an arrow.

Augustgrad Palace held every memory Louis had from childhood to the present: palace walls of gray-blue marble, vibrant gardens, suites fragrant with gardenias, spacious and bright halls, aromatic kitchens, and wooden stairboards that creaked beneath one's feet.

Korhal's climate could hardly be called pleasant, but it was far less extreme than that of planets with vast oceans and powerful magnetic fields. For most of the year, Augustgrad was sunny and mild.

When people spoke of the imperial palace, their first impressions were always of gold and jade, resplendent splendor, and art treasures unrivaled throughout the Koprulu Sector. But to Louis, this was simply a warm home.

The palace was famed for its grandeur and magnificence. Its underground portion was even larger than the structures aboveground, with so many rooms and staircases that one person could wander for years without ever covering them all.

Yet Louis knew every corner by heart. Whenever she was unhappy, she could hide away for an entire afternoon. Other than the Empress and the finest Ghost operatives of the Royal Guard, no one could catch her.

Now, she walked down a straight corridor, her footsteps light and soft. The wooden floor beneath her feet had been painted in alternating black-and-white squares like a chessboard, and a dark crimson carpet lay over it. The sun had already risen, and natural light poured down from the ceiling overhead.

The vast palace felt somewhat deserted. The imperial household had always been frugal, and there were not many attendants. That was because neither the Emperor nor the Empress cared for extravagance; whenever they needed to put on a show, they simply called in the military.

Louis's morning lesson had ended quickly. Master Saermos's classes were no easy matter. Every apprentice had to undergo