Long May She Reign(62)

“At least we know who was responsible for all those attacks against us,” Holt said. “Sten has shown his hand now. He wants the throne for himself.”

“No,” I said. “That’s not right. The second poisoner . . . it seemed like she wanted to get rid of the throne entirely. Why would Sten be involved in that?”

“He could have allied himself with them, even if he did not share their beliefs. And it does seem likely now that he was involved in the attack on the banquet.”

“Perhaps,” I said. But I did not think it was him. He had seemed so convinced when he accused me of murder. So furious. He could have simply been a good actor, but . . . I didn’t think so. “We don’t have any evidence yet. Do you think he’ll gain a lot of support?”

“Unfortunately, Your Majesty, I have to say that I do. Some have already left with him, and he will be even more popular outside the city. People know him, and they trust him. They do not know you.”

“But he attacked me in my sleep. He took my father. People can’t support him.”

“Not everyone, Your Majesty,” Norling said. “But those will be seen as actions of justice, if people believe you are guilty. You should not have shown mercy to your attackers, or insulted the memories of the dead by taking jewels from the river. People here are not inclined to support you.”

The nobles here weren’t inclined to support me. My guards had seemed reasonably happy. But all my efforts to appease the court clearly hadn’t been enough, and a ruler without nobles behind her . . . I shook my head. “If his argument is that I killed the king, we have to focus on finding out what actually happened. If I can prove it wasn’t me, he’ll lose support.” And maybe, maybe, if I found proof, Sten would stop his attack, as well. Perhaps that was irrational, or it was naive, but . . . he’d always seemed sincere in his grief. He wanted to find his friends’ true killer. If I could prove I hadn’t been involved, he wouldn’t attack me again. “I need the poisoned cake brought to my lab. I need to study it.”

Norling frowned. “Your Majesty, I’m not certain—”

“But I am.”

Holt shook his head. “We cannot fight him that way now. We have to secure the city, gather support for you. Come up with a counterstrategy.”

“And we will. But I need that cake.”

I stared at him until he nodded.

“He’ll return to his own lands first,” Norling said, into the quiet that followed, “to gather more strength. But I don’t doubt that will only be the beginning. The balance of power in the kingdom has been shattered by recent events. If I were a betting woman, I would say he would start in the south, and then sweep around the kingdom, building his support one region at a time.”

“If he does that, it will be difficult for us to stop him from winning their support. We have no one to send as envoys to the other regions,” Holt said. “Not if we wish Her Majesty to have any protection left. No, Her Majesty must focus on here. We will have to win this with words.”

“And actions, too. Some people don’t like me, but some—they don’t know me. If I can show them I’m worth supporting—” Continue to do what I thought was right. Hope it was the right thing to do.

“The nobles may be hard to convince,” Holt said, “and you cannot run after those who have left. But perhaps you are right. The people of this city have seen very little of you, and those extremists have been whispering in their ears. If you can prove you’re not as corrupt as King Jorgen and his court—” He nodded. “Going into the city will be the first step. Perhaps some charity work. There are already rumors that the Forgotten were responsible for all the deaths at the banquet. If you can show them that you are worthy of the Forgotten’s favor, as we all know you are—that may work for us. People will fight for the Forgotten’s chosen queen.”

I twisted the ruby pendant again. The idea of the Forgotten had worked for me once, hadn’t it? The sight of Valanthe’s pendant had made Sten hesitate, long enough for my guards to arrive. Could the same idea inspire people to protect me, as well? If they did, they’d be risking their lives for a lie. But terror had gripped me, deep in my stomach. I did not want to die.

It wouldn’t come to that. I’d find a way to avoid fighting him. And this way, I could help people. Even if it was through a lie. “Madeleine supports an orphanage,” I said slowly. “I’ll go there. Make sure people see it. That might help, mightn’t it?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Holt said. “An excellent idea.”

“And I want you to distribute copies of Gustav’s Treatise. Place them everywhere. Make it so anyone can read it.”

“Your Majesty?”

“It’s become legendary since it’s been banned, and it’s being used against me. But the actual text might support me. At least, it doesn’t support trying to kill me. I think we should try it.”

“If you’re sure, Your Majesty—”

“I am.” I wasn’t, but it was worth trying, at least.

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” Holt said. “But then, we have another issue we must take into account. If you are to present yourself as one favored by the Forgotten, then we must look to the court, and the company you keep.”