I.
When she was young, her mother gave her a warning: "To be queen," she said, "is to maintain the illusion of power while having none."
She learned the truth of this at her mother's knee, watching as her father flirted with the pretty daughters of his favorites. None were surprised when the girls grew round with child, nor when the brats were paraded around the court in triumph.
She dreaded those moments the most, when her mother was forced to compliment her husband's squalling bastards while receiving veiled sneers and pointed comments in return.
She hated her mother's—her—fate.