A queen kept her chin raised, her eyes steady, her feelings hidden. I knew. I had been watching my Aunt Mercy, Queen of Wodell, and Elpis, Mars’s mother, Queen of Firenze, since it occurred to me my present might include a new husband and whatever my part was in the prophecy to defeat the Beast.

But my future and the rest of my existence included being queen.

Queens did not get squeamish.

Queens did not complain.

Queens did not have nightmares that they brought into the day.

Queens were smart, quiet, and most of all, they carried on.

I would some day, I knew, need to come to terms with this in some manner and find my way to accept my husband as he was in our lives, as my ruler, and in our bed.

It was just that now I was finding ways to…delay that.

And it must be said that as the days passed, and his attention did not divert from Farah even as it was clear True was quite determined to be the strong shoulder for her to lean on in this time of grief, this did not help matters.

For my husband was not mine.

He was not my king (not really, I was Dellish, though officially that had changed, I’d never not be Dellish even if I was Queen of Firenze).

And he had been forced to wed me.

He did not select me. He did not fall in love with me.

But even if he had, he would not ever truly be my husband.

Not after, as he said we would, we took others to our bed.

This meant I had to share him in all ways.

And I did not wish to do this.

I didn’t consider it selfish to chafe at this.

The matter of him being king obviously was not at issue. What he did at the necropolis in Firenze was something I had to come to rights with in my head…somehow.

But sharing my husband?

I wasn’t sure I could come to terms with that.

Though I had to do that too.

Because it was the Firenz way.

And I might not be of Firenze.

But I was their queen.

I just needed time in order to do it.

And my mother and father, Elena, her mentor Melisse, Tril, my pet monkey, Piccola, and any number of other things I could latch onto were giving me ample opportunity to give myself that time.

Like now.

“I told my father I would attend him,” I prompted. “We must go.”

Kyril stared at me for some time before he sighed.

He then looked right, caught someone’s attention and called, “Our queen is having a drink with her parents.”

I looked in that direction and saw Basil, another of our Trusted, nod.

He appeared disapproving too.

I really didn’t know what to say.