Sienna left the room after handling everything and arranging separate housing for Winona. She made sure that Cuthbert transferred a lump sum in alimony and child care to Winona, so that the money would not be used to corner them later.

Before she even made it to her ship, some of the details about what transpired in the room were already spreading in certain circles. Sienna’s ruthless brand was growing without much effort from her.

By the time she reached the cafe in a mall somewhere in the middle of the city, some heads were turning to get more than one good look at her.

The queen was already seated, her posture regal even in the causal setting. A porcelain cup of steaming coffee rested in her hands. She looked up as Sienna entered the cafe, lips curving into a delighted smile. "You have caused quite the storm," she said, her voice warm but edged with amusement. "I am proud of you."

Sienna sat opposite her, setting her bad down beside her chair with a thud, as if it weighed thousands of tones. "Your spy around me is really good because you get minute by minute updates on my life." She glanced around the cafe, which had only the queen’s guards and attendants, pretending to be ordinary people. "Someone had to do it. If the fox clan protects men like him, it will be ruined before Eli takes the position of patriarch. These old laws need to go."

The queen nodded, her eyes gleaming. "You handled it with courage. Many would have bowed to the elders and money, but you struck at its heart. That woman will thank you in future."

Sienna leaned forward her voice low. "Enough talk about this, I wanted to meet you so that we can discuss this plague. Should I be packing my up cubs and searching for a cave? What’s happening inside Houndfang?"

The queen’s expression darkened. She stirred coffee slowly, as though weighing her words. "No caves for now. Houndfang is chaos. Families locked in their homes, soldiers patrolling the streets, dead bodies accumulating. The vaccine is still days away, but we got our hands on Vinira’s remedy. If it works, credit will go to your tribe."

Sienna sighed. "As expected. My worry is the sea. Will it be affected? I am in the process of planning a canned sea food factory for the tribe. That all falls apart if sea food is carrying the plague."

The queen laughed. "Look at you, Mrs. Veythar, doing Elias’s job and yours at the same time."

Sienna shrugged. "Who made me his wife? I can’t be spending his money for nothing. He took in my falcon relatives, so I owe him. The only downside of being his wife is his mother. She undermines me at every turn, even in the plague refugee settlement arrangements, she was whispering to the people and elders about how she is the one that is truly in charge. She has been claiming credit for my work! Mind you, she later told Timothy that my compassion is a weakness that should be slapped out of me. She would rather let the fifty infected we have die than risk scandal. What scandal?

Today, she was on Cuthbert’s side, even though she could see the bruises on his wife’s body. She knew he was beating her and the cubs, and she acted blind. She would rather uphold rotten traditions than save lives.

Lord Marius is a good man. What did he see in that woman? I cannot see any redeeming qualities in her." She took a sip of coffee directly from the queen’s cup.

Some of the attendants grimaced.

The queen’s gaze softened. "You remind me of myself when I was younger. Fierce, unwilling to bend. I think your only weakness is your cubs. Unlike you, I am still lacking in that department. My husband thinks I don’t know that his family is already whispering about the possibility of my being barren.

His sister said the gods had cursed me. That my very slender figure is a sign that I will never carry my own bloodline. They are starting to use it to question my authority."

Sienna tilted her head, studying her. "Why don’t you have cubs? Is it choice--or fate?"

The queen’s lips pressed into a thin line. "Ten years ago, my husband was attacked by rebel remnants and I was injured in the fight. It affected me. I could still have cubs, but hope is thin..like thirty percent. I have tried priests, doctors, local herbalists, rituals and prayers. Nothing. And so I pour my strength into my husband cementing his rule, into the kingdom and its prosperity. But it leaves me vulnerable. Sooner or later, a queen without heirs will be deposed, no matter how much my husband fights it."

Sienna’s voice was steady, but her eyes burned. "You are a good queen. Your strength is not in your ability to pop out cubs. And if anyone doubts that, I will remind them with my bees and pan. Just set a condition, if you make it to sixty without bearing an heir, then you will adopt a child from the royal family and raise them as the next king. It buys you time while keeping the royals happy. Hell, most of them will fawn over you in the hopes that their children will be the next king."

The queen laughed softly, the sound rare and genuine. "You are full of wonderful ideas Sienna. That is why I enjoy talking to you, because you say what is on your mind. If someone else heard this story, they would be looking at me with pity and asking if I have tried this or that. But not you."

Sienna smiled. "Why do you think I am not divorced even though I weight twice as my husband and my mother-in-law is campaigning for me to be kicked away? Because leadership is not in looks or bearing children, it is up here." She pointed to her head. "I firmly established myself as the leader at home. My husband has to follow my lead. Soon, his family will do the same. You should do the same with the royals. Terrify them, and then give them some sweetness. You will have them eating right out of your palm. If that doesn’t work, kill everyone and declare yourself King."

About six cups shattered within the same three seconds.