She flounced across the room and came up with a flimsy something which she shrugged into, but didn’t close completely.
“Right after the wedding,” she declared, “I want that window enlarged, or better yet, the whole wall torn out. Anything to get a little ventilation in this place.”
She plopped down in a chair and curled her legs up under her. It eased my discomfort somewhat, but not much.
“Ahh … actually, that’s what I’m here to talk to you about.”
“The window?” she frowned.
“No. The wedding.”
That made her frown even more.
“I thought it was agreed that I would handle all the wedding arrangements. Oh, well, if you’ve got any specific changes, it isn’t too late to….”
“It isn’t that,” I interrupted hastily. “It’s . . . well, it’s come to my attention that the high prices Possiltum is charging your kingdom for food is forcing you into this marriage. Not wishing to have you enter into such a bond under duress, I’ve decided to cut our prices in half, thereby negating the need for our wedding.”
“Oh, Roddie, don’t be silly. That’s not the reason I’m marrying you!”
Rather than being upset, the Queen seemed quite amused at my suggestion.
“It isn’t?”
“Of course not. Impasse is so rich that we could buy your yearly crop at double the prices if we wanted to and still not put a dent in our treasury.”
My stomach began to sink.
“Then you really want this marriage? You aren’t being forced into it for political reasons?”
The Queen flashed all her teeth at me in a quick smile.
“Of course there are political reasons. I mean, we are royalty, aren’t we? I’m sure you’re a pleasant enough fellow, but I can get all the pleasant fellows I want with out marrying them. Royalty marries power blocks, not people.”