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With a fearful glance at Beric, the threat got her moving—he managed to look far too intimidating when he wanted to for how gentle I knew him to be. But she wasn’t walking fast enough for my taste, so I used more magic to move her along. I pushed her on ahead of us, holding Beric’s hand as we walked behind her. At a certain point I didn’t bother using magic anymore, since Ann wasn’t interested in being shoved and so walked quickly, as if to avoid the shield that was no longer behind her.

She slowed down as we entered the throne room, dragging her feet. Until finally, she lifted her eyes to our new queen.

Eliza sat on the royal throne as if she was born to rule, Faline and Albert standing on either side of her. She wasn’t dressed any differently. No headpiece, no cape, no jewels. Just her, in all her charismatic authority.

A queen, despite her father’s best efforts.

What surprised me were the wealthy man and woman at the bottom of the stairs, bowing before her. I didn’t even need to see their faces to recognize them, the presence of my aunt and uncle confirmed when they peered at us from their kneeled positions, shock shaping their expressions.

“Mother,” Anise cried, rushing up to the woman, who stood and embraced her.

“My darling,” my aunt cried right back, “they told us you’ve committed a horrific crime.”

“What? I would never,” Anise said, aghast. “That’s absurd!”

“We don’t believe a word of it,” said my uncle—the person who gave my cousin that disrespectful air of superiority. “Utter nonsense. They’re clearly mistaken.”

But I was close enough to hear when my uncle added, “They have no proof.”

“Well,” said Eliza, raising a brow as she watched my relatives fuss over each other, “this should be amusing.”

Anise turned to the throne, clearly not processing that she was standing in the presence of the queen. “I didn’t do anything wrong,” she protested, oblivious to the fact that it was far too late for this nonsense. “I’m as much a victim as anyone else. The king asked me to be his queen. Who was I to refuse him?”

Even with no escape from justice, Anise still insisted on being obstinate. Even with all signs pointed to her being in the wrong, she would never apologize. But I wasn’t surprised, she had been that way since we were young. I couldn’t help her if she wouldn’t help herself, and honestly, it was time I washed my hands of her.

I would let her live with the consequences of her selfish actions without interfering.

“So you blame Deus Rex?” Eliza asked, and I nearly laughed out loud as Ann’s complexion turned gray.

“O-of course not.”

“‘Your Majesty,’” I corrected, grinning as my cousin shot me a look of her regular annoyance mingled with high alarm. “‘Of course not, Your Majesty.’ You are, after all, speaking to the Queen of England.”

It was bizarre how, finally, Anise put two and two together.

She gaped up at Eliza, mortified. There was a moment of trembling and glancing around before she lowered herself to her knees—for once, not at all gracefully, her demeanor as if she might pass out. Her parents quickly joined her at each side.

“Generally,” said Eliza, “a ruler should allow her subjects the chance to defend themselves. But I’m pretty sure I’m in possession of all the facts. So…” Eliza turned to me, with her witty, winning grin. “Lady Cali, what do you propose we do with her?”

Anise looked to me, her expression begging for mercy. It’s not so much fun, is it? I thought, to be on the other side of treachery.…

And yet, she was still family, despite everything she’d done. I didn’t wish her true harm, even if she had proven over and over that she didn’t care for me. A life in the dungeon felt too cruel. And I had no desire to keep her from finding her happiness, sending her home held no future for her, things would simply go back to what they were—her mother rejecting suitors, her life going nowhere.

“If I could give my cousin anything,” I said, “it would be to offer her the opportunity for a better life. One she could never build for herself here.” I turned to Anise to find premature relief in her expression. “Would you prefer banishment to the Americas or Portugal?”

Ann’s expression dropped to horror. My aunt tried to protest loudly and was hushed just as loudly by my uncle—he at least understood there was no arguing with royalty. But, for once in her entitled life, Ann was speechless. The realization that there were actual consequences for her actions was finally dawning on her.

I gave her another few seconds to speak for herself, but she couldn’t seem to manage it. Her look of betrayal might have broken my resolve once, made me give in to what she wanted. And in a way, she was still getting her way—I had given her two choices, and the only way she could rebel was to choose neither.

And to be honest, that suited me just fine.

“Very well, then.” I turned back to Eliza. “I believe banishment to Portugal sounds like a romantic sort of punishment.”

I heard Anise gasp, and turned to her, a grin escaping me despite her look of horror. “It might benefit you to learn a bit of Portuguese, cousin.”

Eliza shook her head with fondness. “You are better than me, Cali, and I love you for it.” She turned to Ann. “Very well—Anise Bailey, your sentence is permanent banishment to Portugal. Be thankful that I will allow you to go home with your family and pack a single chest to take with you before you’re escorted to the first ship to the continent tomorrow morning.”

Her parents hugged her, whispering in low tones, trying to comfort her … or, if I knew Anise and my uncle—and now, I certainly did—they were plotting a way to get out of this.