I sway on my feet at the thought. “That won’t ever happen,” I say before I can help it. The idea of carrying the king’s child is just too much for me to process at the moment.

The woman glances at me sharply, and the king stiffens at my side. “Er … I can’t have children.” It’s not even necessarily a lie, considering all the radiation I’ve been exposed to.

“You poor thing,” the woman says.

“The queen doesn’t know what she’s saying,” King Lazuli says. “She can have children.”

I try to hide my swallow at the way the king looks at me, like my reproductive system is now at the forefront of his mind.

“Oh.” Now the woman glances back and forth between us in confusion.

“Great to see you Claudette—Roger.” The king nods to both of them and they take the cue to move on.

I watch their retreating forms. “Do you even have any real friends?” I say. “These people make me want to blow my brains out.”

“What the hell was that about, Serenity?” King Lazuli says.

“Nothing,” I say quickly.

The king studies me. “This discussion isn’t over.”

An older, regal woman greets us next.

“I’m so glad to see you settle down,” she says to King Lazuli.

The king smiles back at her. “Thank you, Margot.”

She squeezes his hand with her wrinkled one. I eye her withered beauty. She wears strings of pearls and gaudy gold jewelry. My upper lip curls. It changes into a grimace of a smile when she focuses on me.

Her eyes widen when she sees the scar that trails down the side of my face. I’ve gotten this reaction all day. And just like the others, I get the feeling that the woman in front of me has never seen violence firsthand. She’s never killed a man, never watched his blood slowly seep out of him and the light fade from his eyes. I’d wager that she came from a nation that either allied with the king, or surrendered before war broke out.

She recovers from her shock and pats the side of my face. “My, my, what a pretty thing you are.” My smile slips at her words, and she must see the killer in me because she recoils.

The woman clears her throat. “Congratulations again you two,” she says, nodding at the king and trying hard not to look at me. I watch her as she walks away, and just as I suspected, she throws a final, spooked glance over her shoulder, like she can’t help herself.

I narrow my eyes and give her a slow, predatory smile. Her eyes widen and she hurries away from us.

“Stop scaring our guests,” King Lazuli says next to me.

“You mean your guests,” I retort.