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Fifteen

"IWHAT?"

"You heard one, and honestly, I really don’t want to know the details That’s not the point The point is that it’s going to go no farther"

The queen was looking down onfor me to swear I’d do whatever she wanted Except I kind of couldn’t I glanced around the roouardians across the roo on, but they were doing that seeing-without-actually-seeing thing No eye contact I turned back to the queen

"Um, Your Majestythere’s been so on between Adrian and me"

"Do you think I’

"No, Your Majesty"

"Well, that’s a start There’s no point in lying to ether, here and back at your school I saw you myself in the courtroom" Damn it Why had Adrian chosen that ? "I’ve heard all the illicit details about what’s going on, and it is going to stop right here, right now Adrian Ivashkov is not going to run off with soht as well rid yourself of that delusion right now"

"I never thought he was going to - seeing as hoe’re not involved," I said "I mean, we’re friends, that’s all He likes me He’s a flirt And if you want to talk illicit stuff, thenyeah, I’s he’d like to do withthem Your Majesty"

As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt like an idiot Fros could really get any worse for me

"I know about you," she said "All anyone talks about are your recent awards and accolades, but I haven’t forgotten that it was you who took Vasilisa away I also know about the trouble you used to get into - I know about the drinking, about the men If it was up to me, I’d pack you up and send you off to some blood whore co and men? She made me sound like an alcoholic prostitute when, honestly, I’d probably drunk noher this seein probably wouldn’t have made much of a difference either

"But," she continued, "your recent achieve you away ilorious future ahead of you Maybe you do Regardless, if I can’t stop you frouardian you are"

I stiffened "What are you saying? Are you threatening e She couldn’t be serious Taking , but ere talking about an entirely different reat interest in Vasilisa’s future, that’s all And if I have to protect her frouardian We can find you another Moroi"

"You can’t do that!" I exclaimed I could tell by the look on her face that she was happy to finally get a real reaction out of ainst my normal explosive instincts Diplo anything with Adrian Really You can’t punish " I quickly remembered to add: "Your Majesty"

"I don’t want to punish you at all, Rose I just want to make sure we understand each other Moroi irls They play with the to be different with her - even yourtoo"

"With who?" I asked, the na me like a slap in the face Ibrahim? I’d never even heard of that name, let alone someone called that I wanted to ask who he was and what his connection to

"They’re alrong And you can try your hardest to change that, but it’s a waste of time" She shook her head, like she felt sorry for these dha air contradicted any true sympathy "You can use your pretty face and easy body as much as you want, but in the end, you’re the one who’ll get used He et tired of you Save yourself the grief I’ he loves - " There was no point The ironic thing here was that I was fairly certain Adrian did just want to use me for sex I didn’t have any delusions about that But seeing as I wasn’t actually sleeping with him, there was no problem - except, well, that Tatiana see no argu to make her believe that I wasn’t interested in Adrian "Look, if you’re so certain we can’t have a future together, then why are you tellingto throw me away anyway Your Majesty"

She hesitated for just a second, and I nearly laughed Despite her trash-talking about me, my mom, and other dhaht indeed be charraceful e She quickly hid her uncertainty

"I like to take care of things before they beco to s easier for hie from you"

Whoa, whoa My moment of brief satisfaction shattered - into confusion I was as lost now as I’d been when she first started accusinginvolved with Adrian

"Hiot the Your Majesty, but I don’t think she cared at this point

"The two of the like she was about ready to purchase sorown into a very pro woman She has a very serious, very dedicated nature that will cure soether would allow theical situation"

FiveI’d ever heard It had just been tru Adrian

"Lissa and Adrian Together You can’t be serious Your Majesty"

"If they’re both here together, I think they’ll come around to it They already have a certain charisrandoh blood to help her carry on the Dragomir line"

"So does Christian Ozera" In one of their ly cute moments, Lissa and Christian had looked up his faenes to be able to pass on the na na their future children It had been horrible I’d left after Lissa told hter afterso to marry him"

"Well, yeah Not anytie and - "

"Not now, not ever," interrupted Tatiana "The Dragomirs are an ancient and exalted line of royalty Their last descendent is not going to attach herself to someone like him"

"He’s royal," I said in a low voice that was on the verge of beco Christianomirs and Ivashkovs He’s royal, just like Lissa, like Adrian, and like you"

She snorted "He is not like us Yes, the Ozeras are one of the royal houses, and yes, he has several respectable distant cousins But we aren’t talking about the about the son of sooi Do you kno many times that’s happened in my lifetime? Nine Nine in fifty years And his parents were two of them"

"Yes - his parents," I said "Not hiomir princess cannot associate with soious"

"But your nephew is the perfect choice," I said bitterly "Your Majesty"

"If you’re such a sirl, then you tell me - back at St Vladimir’s, how are they treated? How do your classmates view Christian? How do they view Christian and Vasilisa together?" Her eyes glealy

"Fine," I said "They have lots of friends"

"And Christian is fully accepted?"

I me about Christian And yes, there were plenty of people who still avoided Christian like he was already Strigoi It hy he’d had no partner in culinary science I tried to hide iven me away

"You see?" she exclaiine it on a bigger scale Iovernet others to support her He’ll be a liability She’ll make enemies just because of him Do you really want that to happen to her?"

It was exactly what Christian had feared, and I denied it now as "

"And you’re very young, Miss Hathaway You’re also delaying your flight" She uardians across the roo more to say and hope this will be the last time we ever have a discussion like this"

Or any discussion, I thought

She left, and as soon as etiquette said I could go, I sprinted off to catch my plane My head reeled as I went How insane was that lady? Not only was she convinced that I was on the verge of eloping with Adrian, she also believed that she could work soe with hiure out which part of that conversation had been the most ridiculous

I could hardly wait to tell the others what had happened and have a good laugh over it But, as I returned to , I reconsidered There was already soaround; I didn’t think I should be fueling the fire I also didn’t think Christian should hear about this He was already insecure about his position with Lissa Hoould he feel if he found out the queen was already et rid of him?

So I decided to sit on the information for a while, which was hard because Lissa was practically waiting outside ht you’d be on the plane?"

"Nope They delayed it by a few hours"

"Oh" Going home suddenly sounded like the best idea ever

"What’d the queen want?" asked Lissa

"To congratulate oi kills I didn’t expect that from her - it was kind of weird"

"Not that weird," she said "What you did was anize you for what you did"

"Yeah, I guess So what’s going on? What are we going to do with the extra tis, and I welco Since we’re at the Royal Court don’t you want to check it out? There’s gotta be more to it than a bar and a coffee shop See to be living here Besides, we’ve got a lot to celebrate"

The full force of our situation hit me I’d been so distracted by Victor that I hadn’t even really let things sink in: We were at the Royal Court, the center of Moroi leadership It was nearly as big as the Academy, and there had to be more to it than the all-business side we’d seen so far Plus, she was right We had a lot to be happy about Victor had been put away She’d gotten a sweet college deal Only ed affair with Adrian had been a downside, but I illing to put that aside as Lissa’s contagious excitement seized me

"Where’s Christian?" I asked

"Doing his own thing," she said "You think we need hi lately"

"Yeah," she ad out" I sensed the thoughts behind her decision Our brief conversation just before she’d gone to see the queen had ic for the old days, back when it had just been the two of us on our own

"No complaints here," I said "How much can we cover in three hours?"