Dear Empress,

It does no good to backpedal after you’ve contradicted yourself in public. People have ears and eyes and feelings and your wasted attempts at deflecting personal culpability only add salt to the wounds. The harder you try to ignore or cover your errors or pawn them off as someone else’s the more foolish you look. You are making it impossible for anyone to regain any respect they may have formerly had for you, and are merely feeding your enemies grist for the mill. Practice the art of being as transparent as your frocks.