After receiving thy letter this morning, I have spent the entire day attempting to convince my present minders that I am well enough to take the leap across town. Physician and midwife are in staunch agreement that I am not yet recovered enough to walk over to the next room (let alone the Untheileneise) and, though it pains me to admit defeat in thy time of need, from the effort it took to leave my bed for the writing desk, they may be right. At the moment, the physician estimates I will need the better part of two weeks before it is safe for me to adopt a new environ, but know that I intend to fight his assumptions at every turn. I will not see thee abandoned, Idris. I will get to thee as soon as I am physically able.

For the time being—dost recall how our father went about convincing the Dean of Students to allow Kira into classes with me? Wert newly thirteen, so I will not fault thee if the details have been drowned out by all else that occurred as a result of thy entry into the ceaseless mire that is court politics. Either way, wilt perhaps remember that our father never once took it upon himself to insist upon it. He did not need to; after Mother paid special attention to the Dean’s wife across various social gatherings, many of which ended with the pair enumerating the merits of permitting female students to bring their children along for lectures, the Dean was prepared to present the idea as though it had been his own.

Remember, Idris, that even when thy court does not look upon thee favorably, all are eager to please the emperor. This is, perhaps, as strong an advantage as wilt ever have—so long as they believe thy interests to be aligned with thy own, wilt rarely have to convince them of much else. It is this principle which allows a true leader to separate himself from a dictator; whilst a dictator imposes his will upon his subjects, a leader has his subjects believing they always wanted that which he wills. An he is especially crafty, he can arrange matters so in achieving his ends his adversaries believe they have won concessions of him. Knowest as well as I do that our father was rarely in agreement with the old cranks on the Corazhas, but he fostered his alliances among them carefully. He did not do so by alienating them.

Idris, I know how deeply thou wishest to uphold Baba’s legacy, but wouldst do him no honours and thy own self no favours by attempting to champion that which he did not manage to express in life. I too wonder what he would have accomplished, had he the time; unfortunately, all I can do is assume that if he did not bring the matter up as the emperor, it could very well be that such was his preference; that the matter was better handled not by the emperor directly, but through his network of support. 

Give our siblings my love. Veris sends his love as well, though his is of course less important than mine. I will write to you all with much nicer news about the baby soon enough—early as it is, I can say with confidence that Kira treats his new brother much better than I ever treated thee. Hopefully, I will see thee soon enough that more than one or two more letters will not be necessary, but I will write to thee as often as wouldst have me write. I love thee dearly. I wish I could descend upon the Verven’theileian myself and demonstrate how a dictator might actually appear. Until my sleeplessness drives me well and truly mad however, must manage without the comparison. Hold thy head high and remember whose son thou art.