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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
"Your children are a delight, my queen," Liliyana told Helaena. She had been spending more time with the royal woman. They had never been close in the past, and Liliyana felt bad about that. She also felt bad about only spending time now to spite Aemond.
Helaena did not look up from her sewing. "Thank you."
Admittedly, their conversations were normally one-sided: Liliyana tried engaging in conversation and Helaena responded with simple answers or head nods. But it was clear, with her warm eyes and sagged shoulders, that the queen appreciated Liliyana being around. She would continue to do so, when she was no longer upset with Aemond.
"Slice of skin," the queen murmured to herself, "slice of soul."
Without thinking, Liliyana looked at her arm. The skin was clear with the stray beauty mark. The queen's cryptic murmurings were not something new to her, but sometimes, Liliyana felt they were about her.
"That sounds painful," Liliyana told her. She didn't like it when others ignored the queen's words. Even if she had no clue what they meant, being kind was never a crime.
Helaena nodded feverishly. "It will be."
Princess Jaehaera stumbled toward Liliyana with one of her dolls and dropped it in her lap.
Liliyana smiled, but it was forced. "Thank you, princess." She brushed the doll's hair out of her face. "She is beautiful. But not as beautiful as you."
The king suddenly entered, silent and quick. Liliyana quickly stood and curtsied, but he ignored everyone in the room.
"Where is Jaehaerys?" he asked.
"Attending his lessons," Helaena told him.
"And those are where?"
Liliyana kept her head bowed. She was in no position to speak, not unless spoken to. And it was clear this argument would not spill onto her, yet she felt the tension circle her. The couple frequently fought, despite never being in each other's presence very much. Liliyana could count on one hand the amount of times the king visited his sister-wife.
The queen sighed and stopped sewing. "What do you need of him?"
"Taking him to the small council. He'll be king one day. He must begin his instruction."
Helaena looked away from her brother and stared at the wall behind Liliyana. "What if he does not want to be king?"
The king bent forward and whispered, with a downturned smile, "Where is he?"
"The library. You must not interrupt his custom." She watched him retreat. "I'm afraid."
The king faced his wife. "Don't be," he assured. "They'd be fools to come with Vhagar protecting the city."
