joining (a club, organization, etc.); becoming a member; entry; admission; subscription; affiliation
to become better; to improve
future; possible; potential; prospective
imperial court; royal court
postbox; mailbox; post; position; post (e.g. goalpost); post (on a blog, social media, etc.)
foothold; footing; toehold; stepping stone
younger brother; little brother; brother-in-law (spouse's younger brother or younger sister's husband); (arch.) pupil; (arch.) apprentice
relatives; one's family; friends; members of the same organization; followers; henchmen
to build a market for; to promote (a product); to promote oneself; to sell oneself; to sell heavily
frantic; frenetic; inevitable death; brinkmate (inevitable checkmate)
(not) ever; (not) by any means; (not) in the least; (not) in any way; (not) at all
minority group (party); minority
opposition; resistance; antagonism; reverse; opposite; inverse
backing; support; backer; shield that protects one's back
for; for the sake of; to one's advantage; because of; as a result of
no matter how much time passes; no matter how long you wait; (taking) forever
quality; value; nature; inherent quality; logical quality
to keep; to preserve; to hold; to last; to endure; to keep well (food)
to taper to a point; to become pointed; to be on edge; to be nervous; to be sharp (of a voice, words, etc.); to be harsh
while it may be true that; just because; nevertheless; not necessarily
completely; absolutely; totally; (not) at all
to cut off (from); to separate; to detach; to sever; to uncouple
living a life of leisure with dignity; living quietly and comfortably free from worldly cares; otium cum dignitate
to make good; to improve; to do often; to be kind to; to treat well
seductive; carnal; troubling; difficult; anxious; uneasy
in one's own way or style
to gather; to collect; to assemble
leading aristocrat; great house; grand seigneur; boyar
children; sons; (lit.) children and younger brothers; young people
is not ... either; is (neither ...) nor ...; nor is it ...; does not ... either; (neither ...) nor ...; does not even ...
rich person; wealthy person
the person in question; the person themselves; said person
serious; earnest; sober; honest; sincere
to be talented; to be able
to meet all three important conditions; to be a triple threat; to be ideal
considerably; not a little; in no small numbers
in general; generally; mostly; gist; point; main idea
the precedence of merit; performance orientation; ability-based (promotion, pay scale, etc.); merit-based
very; considerably; by no means; not readily; middle; half-way point
owner; proprietor; possessor (e.g. of talent, beauty, etc.)