The next morning, a full three hours of sleep later, I was in my own chambers again, half-heartedly munching on a warm sweet roll. Chava sat next to me, practicing her letters on a chalk slate. It brought me quite a bit of joy to realize that she was wearing clothes very similar in design to my own. Men's trousers and a more feminine top. I wondered if other servants--other noblewomen even--might start to dress like that.

"This one is..." Chava pointed to a section of her work. I made ...