Montes presses a button built into the wall of the bathroom. “Marco, get me a doctor—”

“No.” My voice is sharper than I intend it. “Please,” I add, leaning against the counter, “the alcohol didn’t sit well. That’s all.”

“Your Majesty?” Marco’s static-y voice blares into the room. Just the sound of it makes my trigger finger itch.

The king scrutinizes me for a long time before he turns back to the intercom. “Scratch that, Marco. Just bring some broth, crackers, and something with electrolytes in it. Oh, and I believe it’s time to put the queen on my pills.”

My ears perk up at this.

“Consider it done,” Marco says, and the line clicks off.

“Pills?” I inquire. “Trying to poison me?” I fish.

Montes’s gaze lands meaningfully on the toilet. “Seems like you’re doing a perfectly good job of that on your own.”

“Then what are they for?”

“Your long-term health,” he says cryptically, and that’s the last he’ll say on the subject.

Even on the king’s honeymoon he has to work; it’s one of the drawbacks of being the leader of the entire globe.

“I’m coming with you,” I say, as he buttons his cufflinks.

The king assesses me. “You’re fatigued. You should spend the day resting. One of the servants can give you a massage if you’d like.”

I yank a dress from a hanger in our closet. “I wasn’t asking.”

“Nor was I.”

Today I’ll discover what happens when two stubborn people reach an impasse.

“You’re going to have to physically stop me from leaving, then.” I’ve been cooped up for too long. I need to get back to the world of the living.

“Don’t tempt me. I can get creative.” The look Montes is giving me makes me flush. I wouldn’t mind his methods one bit, and I’ve made peace with this disturbing realization.

His words, however, don’t stop me from getting dressed. When he’s about to leave, I block his exit. “I’m coming with you.”

“No, you’re not.”

I reach up and trickle my fingers over his jaw. I’ve learned that the king enjoys any casual affection I give him—likely because I have so little to offer. “Find something for me to do, Montes. Surely you have more than enough work to keep the both of us occupied.”

I’m more than ready to begin healing the damaged lands of the world. I need to prove to myself and to my people that I haven’t turned my back on my past.

He scrutinizes me, then sighs. He must have figured out what I already know: if he leaves me alone, I’m going to get myself in more trouble than if he simply drags me along.