A few minutes later there was another knock on the door. I opened it, exasperated at South for taking the risk of visiting again.
But it wasn’t South. Instead, Queen Magrit herself and a squadron of guards stood in the doorway. I froze, startled.
“Leave us,” she commanded, and the guards reluctantly backed away.
The day of the Challenge, there had been distance between us. All of the Couterie, the guards, and the prince had been there. Now I was all alone with the Queen. The woman who had taken everything from me. The woman I was about to take everything from.
I didn’t want her here. Not like this. It was too soon. What if I did or said something to give myself away? What if my anger overcame my reason and she called for her guards before I could wrest the life out of her?
“I see that the new position has not improved you,” the Queen said. “Where are your manners? Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
I stood back and opened the door wider. I held on to it as I curtsied to steady myself, and then shut it behind her.
“Your Majesty does not have to be asked. Every inch of this palace belongs to you. I am just lucky to be your guest,” I said, offering a small smile while my insides raged more than the Cusata River.
“I promise you, I have devoted every bit of my being to readying myself for the honor that has been bestowed upon me,” I vowed.
The Queen nodded and glided past me, the train of her ridiculously ornate gown flowing behind her. She took a seat just steps away from where South had stood.
“Do you have everything you need?” she asked.
“The staff has been even more accommodating than I imagined,” I said.
“The prince means everything to me,” she said, studying me. “I have seen him through all his milestones. Are you prepared for tonight to go off without a hitch?”
“Of course,” I said, but I wasn’t paying attention. I was trying to do the math. Could I kill her here and now? How would I escape with all those guards just steps away? How would I find South?
“Couterie are prepared for any circumstance,” I added.
I bowed my head again. Being servile to her pained me, but I had to forgo the immediate satisfaction of killing her now for a better chance of success later tonight.
“Forgive me, Your Excellency. It is just an honor to be in your presence.”
“I hope you spare the obsequiousness with my son. He is completely without airs. He abhors flattery of any kind,” she said firmly.
“I assure you, Madame Linea has taught me all I could learn from the Ana. But only a mother can truly know her child’s heart. If there is anything you care to share about Prince Mather, I would be ever so grateful.”
It was the Queen’s turn to be surprised. She looked at me hard, as if trying to determine if I was sincere. I held her gaze and she softened.
“That is true,” she confirmed.
“I know what he reads and eats and what he listens to, but who is he really? What does he want?”
“He wants for nothing. He is the Crown Prince. But you will see that. Now I have a question for you.”
“Anything, Your Majesty.”
“What is the most important thing to remember about my son?”
I hesitated. “From what I can ascertain from the Ana, His Highness has friends, but no one close. He’s been hidden from the world for his protection. He is lonely, starved for attention.”
“Very few realize how lonely the Crown is. Mather has led a rather solitary existence until now. It was an unprecedented thing, you challenging your Couterie. I think I am rather glad you did,” Queen Magrit said approvingly.
“Me too,” I said, meaning it for myself and for my plan. But a tiny part of me prickled at the idea of hurting the lonely boy she had just described.
“I think you will be a good match for my son before he is married. You have haunted eyes, like you’ve lived. My son has been so very sheltered because of the dangers out there. One day he will rule us all.”
He will never rule, I thought. My mind went to the prince, but I stuffed away the thought of him. He was still alive while Hecate and all my sisters were dead.
I wanted to say: You took my mother. I am going to take your son, and then I am going to slit your throat.
But I held back my words.