[ she looks away and debates leaking state secrets that serve no one. she thinks she is about to die, and charles can't do anything about it anyway....
she is too tired to care and be as angry about it as she usually would. ]
My country originally had two kings. It now only has one in name, so war can't erupt between the two.
The Summer King is the emperor everyone recognizes. The Winter King is the one no one no longer knows about. Centuries ago, a summer king killed a winter king and threw the country into chaos. No dynasty lasted without both kings until one day a man came to claim the throne with someone else with him.
You see, the Winter King is chosen by a goddess, and that man was led to her by an arrow. He knew he could not rule without her, but he also knew his power would not be stable if he didn't hide her.
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[if he had to pick—]
More than that, I'd rather hear about your life.
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... That is why I know what it's like without food.
[ she keeps quiet and tries to keep her voice as even as possible. it's not something she's told anyone so frankly before. ]
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... I see.
[he doesn't think she wants him to say "i'm sorry" but it's definitely there, unspoken.]
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It wasn't too long after that I was chosen to become the next Raven Consort. I was whisked away to the Inner Palace.
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[ wearing fancy clothes and fancy ornaments even if she only had the one set until not so long ago. ]
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And being the Raven Consort involves what you told me about before—doing tasks in return for a price?
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I don't think I like how your home's court runs.
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that surprises her enough that she almost cracks a smile. ]
If you dislike it now, you'll dislike it even more if you knew the full history of how it works.
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Dare I ask...?
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she is too tired to care and be as angry about it as she usually would. ]
My country originally had two kings. It now only has one in name, so war can't erupt between the two.
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Conflict does tend to spark with multiple people competing for power...
[but.]
I take it that the "in name" part is important here.
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There were centuries of war.
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[said with some understanding.]
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The Summer King is the emperor everyone recognizes. The Winter King is the one no one no longer knows about. Centuries ago, a summer king killed a winter king and threw the country into chaos. No dynasty lasted without both kings until one day a man came to claim the throne with someone else with him.
You see, the Winter King is chosen by a goddess, and that man was led to her by an arrow. He knew he could not rule without her, but he also knew his power would not be stable if he didn't hide her.
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well, based off what she's said before about being secluded—]
... And so the Winter King became the Raven Consort.
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