She was born in the winter, came to power in the winter, and was crowned by the Winter Queen.Having both the Summer and Winter Queens at her ball had gone a long ways towards quieting the worst of the rumors, but they were still persistent. I hadn’t decided yet whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. I’d survived many a situation simply because my enemies were terrified of me, and while I wanted to see Sophia as light and good, it might serve her better to be feared.Though, Titania was also feared, and she was seen as being the “good” sister.Nevertheless, Sophia’s calm the day of the Ball reminded me a helluva lot more of Mabel than Titania.In fact, with her father having accepted her formal invitation, it’s possible I was more nervous than her.There were stipulations on his invitation, which Sophia had requested Mabel decree. Still, I worried. After all, I’d once confounded a “only if you don’t intend or wish harm” proviso by making the plans for ill before I accepted the invitation, and then wishing them well just before I RSVP’d, and thereafter.Jonathan was exceptionally good, and while I didn’t entrust her safety to him entirely, he’d earned my respect.
