"Tell me, Lady Susanna," she said, voice soft and deceptively pleasant. "Are you always this invested in the King's bedroom affairs, or is it just mine that interests you so?"
Susanna met her gaze with an unfazed smile. "If you don't consummate the marriage soon, people will start talking," she mused, swirling her tea with deliberate slowness.
"People are already talking," Genevieve added with a smirk.
Martha rolled her eyes, setting her cup down with a soft clink. "Who cares about gossip? The Queen should be more concerned with what the Council will say." She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. "My husband mentioned that some of the councilmen are…" She hesitated, casting a glance at Selene.
Selene arched a brow. "Go ahead. Say it."
Martha straightened her posture, feigning reluctance. "Forgive me, Your Majesty, but they are questioning your purity."
A collective gasp rippled through the group. A queen's virtue was not just a matter of personal reputation—it was the foundation of her legitimacy.
Gloria, the only one who hadn't reacted with feigned shock, scoffed and shook her head. "One night. One night, and they're already questioning her? How utterly ridiculous."
Selene fought the urge to sigh. At least one of them had some sense.
As for the matter of consummation—she had no solution. Not yet. So she simply exhaled, smoothing her expression into a pleasant, practiced smile. "I would think the Council has far more pressing matters to concern themselves with than my personal affairs. The kingdom is under attack. Their focus should be there."
Martha let out a sharp laugh. "The kingdom?" she repeated mockingly. "A small village burned down by a few savages, and you think the entire kingdom should be alarmed?" She snorted, and the other women chuckled in agreement, except for Gloria, whose expression hardened.
"How can you say that?" Gloria snapped, clearly appalled. "Lives were lost. Homes destroyed. If that isn't a reason for concern, then what is?"
The others merely exchanged amused glances and took leisurely sips of their tea, dismissing her outrage without a second thought.
Selene said nothing. She merely rose to her feet, smoothing out her gown. "Well, this has been… pleasant," she said, her tone light but her eyes cold. "I should retire to my chambers for some rest."
She didn't wait for their response. Turning on her heel, she strode away, leaving them behind.
The moment she disappeared into the palace, the whispers began.
"Did you see that?" Susanna scoffed. "She didn't even deny it."
"I knew it," Genevieve murmured. "She must have been spoiled before the wedding."
"Not that it matters," Martha said, smirking. "If she doesn't warm the king's bed soon, she'll be replaced before the year is out."
"I wouldn't mind being her replacement," Emily murmured, her voice laced with something dangerously close to longing.
Martha arched a brow. "Aren't you already married, Emily?"
Emily let out a soft, amused sigh, trailing a fingertip along the rim of her glass. "The gods know I'd kill my husband just to spend a single night in the King's bed."
Laughter erupted around the table, high and cruel, ringing through the garden.
All laughed, except Gloria.
She merely set down her teacup quietly, rose gracefully to her feet, and walked away without a single word.
*****
By the time Selene returned to her chambers, the sun had already begun to set, casting a warm glow over the room. The late afternoon had slipped away, stolen by idle conversations with the ladies, leaving her no chance to sneak out again. But that was the least of her concerns now.
Evening was approaching, which meant dinner with Ronan—and worse, another night in his chambers. She let out a frustrated groan, rubbing her temples.
The council was already questioning her purity. If that doubt took root, her entire plan could unravel. But how could she possibly sleep with the man who had destroyed her life? The man she was meant to kill?
Her fingers curled into her hair, gripping it tight. If only she could slit his throat in his sleep and be done with it. But she knew better. She'd never make it past the palace gates before being captured and executed. And the faction—her faction—would never forgive her for failing them.
No matter how she turned it over in her mind, there was no escaping this.
"That's right, my Queen," a voice whispered inside her head.
Selene stiffened. Only then did she notice Lila standing in the room. Of course. She had forgotten she wasn't alone. And with Lila, privacy was a luxury she didn't have.
Selene's jaw tightened. "How dare you," she said coldly. "If you ever read my thoughts again, I'll make sure you slit your own throat."
Lila didn't flinch. "I didn't need to read your thoughts to know what you were thinking," she said smoothly. "It was written all over your face. And I'm not your enemy, Selene. We are the same. If you stopped fighting me all the time, maybe you'd see that. That's why the faction sent me with you."
Selene scoffed. "You're wrong. We are nothing alike. And they didn't send you to help me. They sent you to watch me—to report everything I do back to them."
"They sent me so you wouldn't be alone," Lila corrected. "So that if something goes wrong, you'll have someone to help you. But I can't do that if you keep threatening me—if you keep thinking about killing me."
Selene's shoulders relaxed slightly.
"Fine," she muttered. "But—"
Lila waited for Selene to finish her sentence. When she didn't, Lila let out a quiet sigh.
"You don't trust me," she said, more statement than question.
Selene scoffed. "Should I?"
Lila studied her for a moment, then shook her head. "No. But it would make things easier."
Selene turned away, walking to the window. The last traces of sunlight stretched across the horizon, fading into the deep blue of the evening sky. Somewhere in the distance, the bells of the city chimed, signaling the start of the dinner hour.
"I cannot sleep with the King," she murmured, her gaze fixed on the fading sun. "I watched him kill my father. I watched him burn my home to the ground."
Her throat tightened, the memories flooding her chest. Tears burned at the edges of her vision, but she refused to let them fall. She would not break.
"I can't."
"You must," Lila said, stepping closer. "It's part of the mission. You knew what this would require when you accepted it. Enduring this will only make his death all the more satisfying."