I'm hoping the mix of "baudy" and "serious" will get more tolerable from here on out. It was alright in this one, as if the latter half of the chapter became serious and was able to draw out really good pathos. Anastasia's talk with Valiere, especially, was heavy-- the sayings themselves were simple but I felt that the talk as a whole was well framed.
...it's possible, on the other hand, that I might just be getting used to this work's ribaldry. I'm 90% sure that the premise and its execution is an extensive troll-op-- as if, the author's insisting that he can write a really engaging story straightforwardly, and he does intend to, but it'd be more fun to have the reader fight through some of the most ridiculous fan service to get to that conventional intrigue (I refuse to believe that I'm totally just talking for myself-- what happened in the first chapter was beyond absurd). I suspect it'll also work to make the parts of the story with substance at least look better.
Valiere's still my favorite character in this-- her design is appealing without having erotic force, and she's entirely about getting to business.