“Forgive me, Your Majesty, but we had given consideration to the spirit of the event,” I said.
It wasn’t totally a lie. I had given some thought about how our divided display could still indicate some measure of cooperation, even if Linda hadn’t.
“Explain yourself,” the Queen said.
I motioned toward our display. “At first glance, our table is divided, which could reflect the deep disagreements between us and our adversaries. Yet if you look closer, you will notice that our selections actually complement each other.”
The Luna and King pressed in closer to the display, peering at where I suggested. Behind them, Nicholas and Julian gave me supportive looks – a full smile from Julian, a partial from Nicholas. Joyce continued to look off into the distance, disinterested.
“Linda’s cold sel
