“Councillors,” I said, “any final thoughts before I pass judgment?”
“I don’t like how powerful VBione Corp will become after this acquisition,” Nnati said, defiant as always. It was nice to have someone with Nnati’s commoner upbringing on the council. He always called it like it was when the noble-born council members sucked their thumbs and remained quiet. I respected Nnati for that, but it didn’t mean I had to agree with him.
“Noted,” I said.
Aska Xi spoke up. “I think it’s a good thing. Superbugs have been a threat since the beginning of time, and our defense against them is tenuous at best. Our medicines are regulated no matter what happens here today. To have more effort put into the development of new drugs to help our citizens is an opportunity we can’t ignore.”
“Thank you, Xi,” I said. Then I looked down at Hagan, standing patiently and with supreme confidence, as if she already knew her case was won. “I side in favor of VBione Corp,” I announced. “This case is closed.”
Hagan didn’t whoop or smile. She simply said, “Thank you, Your Most Supreme Majesty,” and walked backward from the room with her burly associates, bowing deeply.
I could feel Nnati’s anger. He had his arms folded, staring straight ahead. I wanted to comfort him, to say it was the right decision and I was sorry, but Torio spoke up in his loud voice. “Next on the docket,” he said, “the commemoration of Lordin. The clans would like to build a monument in the capital. People could visit, see her work, remember Lordin for—”
“Skip,” I said. I didn’t want to think about Lordin. I was sure Zawne was visiting her binightly in Shiol. I had resolved to speak with him about it but hadn’t found the time. I’d been too upset about Roki and too busy being queen.
“Skip?” Torio sounded confused.
“Skip,” I repeated. “On to the next, Torio. I’ll deal with Lordin later.”
Zawne and I ate dinner quietly that night, nothing but the sound of our knives scraping against our plates. I needed to broach the subject of Lordin without coming across accusatory. I started with something neutral.
“What do you think of the rulings?” I asked. “Do you ever consider ruling differently from what the Crown of Crowns recommends?”
“I wouldn’t dare,” he said, very matter-of-factly. Then Zawne did something I hadn’t expected. He got up and moved around the table, hunkered down next to me, and cupped my face in his hands. It made me feel delicate, priceless, like he did still want me.
“I’m sorry we have been so stressed,” he said, and kissed me on the lips. “I want us to be okay together.” He kissed me again, his breath delicious, his voice raspy.
“Me too,” I said. I was lost in his voice, spellbound by his beautiful eyes. It felt like forever since we had spent quality time together. I still hardly knew him, yet I was drawn to him nonetheless. I wanted to explore this draw, explore our relationship together. But I was worried about Lordin. I needed to know … was our marriage authentic?
I moved to kiss him more deeply, helpless in the moment; Zawne had already gotten up and moved toward the door. “I have to go,” he was saying.
And I just blurted it out. I had to say something before it drove me to insanity. “Have you seen her?”
“Who?” His face was scrunched up.
“Lordin,” I said in a mousy voice. I was fearful of provoking Zawne’s wrath. I didn’t want to cause any more problems than we already had, especially now that Roki was out of my life. My husband was all I had left.
Zawne’s demeanor grew cold. He stomped across the dining room, grabbed a chair, and dragged it loudly across the floor, flipped it around in front of me, and sat down, leaning and glowering into my face. “I don’t know,” he said. “Have you seen your boyfriend, Roki?”
My heart stopped. I bumbled, “I … Roki …”
Lordin must have told him about Roki and me! No wonder Zawne had let me be depressed the last week or so. He had known the whole time.
“That’s what I thought,” he snarled. “And yes, I have seen Lordin. She was my fiancée before you, remember? She came to me one night after we were crowned. She told me about you and your sweetheart. She told me everything.”
“We never touched!” I said, feeling humiliated. It was worse because we had touched. I had touched Roki’s sweet face, held his strong hands …
“It looks like we both have secrets,” Zawne said.
I felt I needed to explain myself. Maybe if Zawne heard the truth from me, we could get past it together. Maybe we could still salvage our relationship. “Roki was my first love,” I stammered. “I never knew he was a Min. He came to me around the time of the coronation, and I agreed to be his friend. But nothing else happened. He’s not my sweetheart, as you say. I haven’t even seen him in almost two weeks.”
“Sure,” Zawne scoffed. He didn’t believe me.
I knew it was unfair of me to demand anything from Zawne, but I had to know if he had gotten back together with Lordin. “Are you done with me?” I asked. “I know I screwed up, so I understand if you’ve gone back to Lordin. Just please tell me, have you? Are you seeing her again?”
“I’m not going to answer that,” Zawne said, standing up angrily and moving across the room. He stopped at the door. “You knew what had happened to Lordin this whole time, about her death, about how she had chosen to become a Min over ruling the kingdom. But you hid
