She was silent, and she was this way for so long, I was about to open my mouth to speak in order to end this so I could get to my busy husband, when she blurted, “You did not flinch at the executions.”

Oh dear.

“Helga—”

“I went. I watched. I watched you. Many did. And you did not flinch.”

“In my land, we execute traitors,” I said warily.

“In this land too. We hang them. Though I have never witnessed this for this has not happened in my lifetime. But Carrington…” She shook her head and whispered, “You did not flinch. You watched that entire sentence carried out and did not flinch, nor once look away.”

“It is my culture that we deal severely with those who would endanger the king or his queen,” I explained.

“I would have humiliated him,” she suddenly hissed, leaning my way. “I would have walked him through the streets, naked. Allowing our people to throw excrement at him. Tear at his hair. Scratch his skin to shreds.”

By the gods.

“The people,” she continued. “They saw you watch without emotion.”

Oh no.

Was she saying…?

“Do they think that I have some unhealthy sway over True and this is why Carrington met that particular end?”

I feared this, but I couldn’t believe it to be correct, for as True suspected, the people had cheered the grisly entirety of Carrington’s sentence and the end to the traitorous archers.

“No,” she stated, leaning back. “His mother was murdered on his wedding day. His bride injured. His treasury sacked for decades. His father is considered widely to be an imbecile, and for some, that word is kind. Our land had been floundering for many years, the people felt it, and they did not like it. They thought it was our king. Now they know it was him as played by Carrington, which is not only no better, it is worse.”

I could not disagree with anything she said, but she was not finished.

“There is much talk of the ships being built in the north, the men finding jobs there. It is sweeping the realm, how shepherds, farmers and foundry owners must learn how to raise more sheep, grow more crops, craft more pewter to load on those ships. There is hope in our land, for once, now True is our king. So, no. It would not be met with surprise that our new king showed mercy to a traitor, any of them. It is King True’s way. But that would have been met with disappointment.”

This was a relief.

“Then I don’t understand why you mention that I had no reaction to the executions,” I noted.

“Because my queen, my Mercy, my…” Her voice broke, and I held myself carefully in order not to go to her as the emotion ravaged her face. She drew breath into her nose sharply, straightened her spine, lifted her chin and finished, “My queen Mercy, she…would not…have flinched.”

I felt my own spine straighten and warmth gathered in my chest.