Le palais d'hiver

Her rise to power is such a fascinating period with so many untold stories. I'm curious what motivated Eva Stachniak to explore this specific chapter.

There were moments where the focus on court life and negotiations dragged a bit. Was that intentional to build atmosphere or did it affect the pacing?

The characters felt so vivid and layered—I'm wondering if they were based on specific sources or if creative license played a big role.