Anaïs Mataro

Anaïs Mataro is the daughter of Count Balian Mataro of Emesh, sister to Dorian, and Hadrian's formally arranged betrothed. Despite her youthful appearance, she is almost certainly decades older than Hadrian in real age -- a product of palatine interstellar life. Hadrian describes her as beautiful, clever, and ambitious, with all the makings of the classic palatine lady.

Anaïs's pursuit of Hadrian throughout his time on Emesh was calculated courtship at her father's direction: Count Mataro arranged the match to bring Hadrian's bloodline -- a distant cousinship to the Imperial throne -- into the Mataro family. After Hadrian defects from Emesh and abandons the betrothal, Bassander Lin mockingly asks whether she is still waiting for him, suggesting the marriage arrangement was never formally dissolved. Hadrian never sees her again.