Queen Nerissa's question was a challenge. Her black eyes, wide and unblinking, bored into Roxy's soul, searching for weakness, for treason, for the slightest hint that Roxy deemed the throne unworthy.
The entire court held its breath. The generals gripped their tridents. Even the bubbles stopped rising.
Roxy's heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Think, Roxy. Think fast.
If she told the truth—"I don't want your job because I'm planning to steal your grandson and flee to the surface"—she would be executed on the spot.
If she said she was unworthy, Nerissa might see it as weakness and eat her. If she said she was lazy, Nerissa would see it as an insult to the lineage.
She needed an answer that fed the Matriarch's ego while keeping the crown firmly on Nerissa's head.
She needed to play the role of the devoted, wide-eyed student who was simply too awestruck by Nerissa's greatness to take over.
