The uncomfortable silence of the dining hall was broken only by the clatter of chopsticks against porcelain and the shuffling of servants' feet. Only human servers were present- a concession to Minx's avid distrust of androids. She claimed it went against her people's morals, and the laws of nature, to bestow fake emotions and thoughts on man-made machines.
George knew, however, that she just didn't like androids because she couldn't brainwash them.
Sitting opposite the queen, George found himself struggling not to look at her- it was both a temptation and a repellent, and both feelings irritated him. Bad was beside him, and Minx was flanked by Alex and the second thaumaturge. The two lunar guards stood against the walls. George wondered if they ever ate.
The emperor's seat at the end of the table would remain empty until the coronation. He did not want to look at that empty chair, either.
Minx made a grand, flourishing gesture, drawing everyone's attention to her, though it resulted in nothing more than taking a sip of tea. Her lips curled as she set the cup down, her gaze meeting George's. "Alex tells me your little festival is an annual occurrence," she said, the cadence of her voice swooning like a lullaby.
"Yes," George said, lifting a shrimp wonton between his chopsticks. "It falls on the ninth full moon of each year."
"Ah, how lovely for you to base your holidays on the cycles of my planet."
George wanted to scoff at the word planet but sucked it back down his throat.
"It is a celebration of the end of the Fourth World War," said Bad.
Minx clucked her tongue. "That is the problem with so many little countries on a single globe. So many wars."
Something splattered on George's plate. He looked down to see that the wonton's filling had been squeezed from its wrapper. "Perhaps we should be glad the war happened, then, and forced the countries to conglomerate as they did."
"I hardly think it harmed the well-being of the citizenry," said Minx.
George's pulse throbbed in his ears. Millions had died in World War IV; whole cultures had been devastated, dozens of cities reduced to rubble- including the original Beijing. Not to mention the countless natural resources that had been destroyed through nuclear and chemical warfare. Yes, he was quite sure some harm had come to the citizenry's well-being.
"More tea, Your Highness?" said Bad, startling George. He realized he'd been gripping his chopsticks like a weapon.
Grumbling inwardly, he sat back, allowing a servant to refill his cup.
"We can give credit to the war for bringing about the Treaty of Bremen," said Bad, "which has thus far been beneficial to all countries in the Earthen Union. We hope, of course, to see your signature on the document someday soon, Your Majesty."
The queen's lips tightened against her teeth. "Indeed. The good of the treatise is thoroughly discussed in your history books. And yet, I cannot help but feel that Luna- a single country ruled by a single government- provides an even more ideal arrangement. One that is fair and beneficial to all inhabitants."
"Assuming that the ruling government is fair," said George.
A flash of contempt set the queen's jaw but almost instantly faded into a serene smile. "Which of course Luna has, as is evidenced by hundreds of years without a single uprising- not even the smallest protest. Our history books attest to that."
YOU ARE READING
cinder || dnf
Fanfictionbased off of the lunar chronicles by marissa meyer book one dream is a lowly mechanic with a secret- he's part cyborg. his stepmother will stop at nothing to make his life miserable. what dream doesn't know, is there's something special about him...
