It was Iko who responded, Thank you for noticing.

Kai laughed, while Cinder, her thoughts fluttering in all different directions, ducked her head.

Cinder limped along, making a point not to look at her stepfamily. When she was close enough, Konn Torin bowed to her. Diplomatic respect, Cinder thought, remembering all the many glares shed received from this man since shed first seen him at the annual ball. But when he raised his head, he was smiling. In fact, he seemed downright friendly.

Your Majesty, he said. On behalf of the people of the Eastern Commonwealth, I want to thank you for all youve done, and all you will do.

Oh, um. Yeah. Anytime. With a difficult swallow, she dared to look at Adri.

Her stepmothers face had a gauntness about it. Her number of gray hairs had tripled these past weeks.

There was a moment in which Cinder thought of a thousand things she could say to this woman, but none of them seemed important anymore.

Adris gaze dropped to the floor. She and Pearl both lowered into uncomfortable curtsies.

Your Majesty, said Adri, sounding like she was chewing on a bitter lemon. Beside her, Pearl also mumbled, almost unintelligibly, Your Majesty.

Iko snorteda derisive sound that Cinder hadnt even thought escorts were capable of making.

Staring at the tops of Pearls and Adris heads, she attempted to come up with a gracious responsesomething Kai would have said. Things a good queen would have done to ease the tension. To offer forgiveness.

Instead, she turned away.

Kinney fisted a hand against his chest and Cinder gave him what she hoped was a regal nod, before Kai led her through a pair of double doors. She had asked him to find a neutral place to host this meetingnot the throne room that had seen so much blood, or the queens solar, or wherever Levana would have conducted such a thing. She entered into a conference room with an enormous marble table and two holograph nodes, turned off.

The room was already full. She gulped, the uncanny silence nearly pushing her back into the hallway. She recognized most of them, but her brain interface wasted no time in pulling up their profiles from the net database anyway.

President Vargas of the American Republic.

Prime Minister Kamin of the African Union.

Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom.

Governor-General Williams of Australia.

Prime Minister Bromstad of the European Federation.

Dr. Nandezthe acclaimed cybernetic surgeon, and Nainsi, the android that Cinder had fixed for Kai a long time ago. She had been brought to Luna to record this occasion for Earths official records.

Adri and Pearl were escorted around the table.

Which left only Iko, Kai, Konn Torin, and Cinder herselfor, Her Royal Majesty, Queen Selene Channary Jannali Blackburn of Luna. She wondered if it was all right for her to ask that everyone just call her Cinder.

Before she could speak, the worlds leaders rose to their feet and started to applaud. Cinder recoiled.

One by one, they went around the room, bowing and curtsying in turn.

Suddenly panicked, Cinder looked at Kai. He gave her a one-shouldered shrug, suggesting that, yeah, its weird, but you get used to it.

When the circle came around to him, he too pressed one hand to his chest and inclined his head, the best bow he could give while still supporting her with one arm.

Th-thank you, she stammered, wondering if she should curtsy, but she couldnt perform a graceful curtsy on her best of days, and it would be disastrous with all her injuries. Instead she held her cyborg hand out to them. Um, please, be seated?

The clapping had faded, but no one sat.

Kai led Cinder to the head of the table and eased her into a seat. Only then did the others follow, Kai taking the seat to Cinders right. Adri and Pearl were sandwiched between Konn Torin and President Vargas. They looked supremely uncomfortable.

Um. Thank you all for coming on such short notice, Cinder began. She tried folding her hands on top of the table, but that felt strange, so she instead curled them in her lap. Im sure youre all eager to return home.

Im so sorry to interrupt, said Queen Camilla, not looking at all sorry, but might I take this moment to say congratulations on the reclamation of your throne.

Another fit of clapping started at the queens words, and Cinder had the impression they werent so much congratulating her on becoming a queen as they were congratulating themselves on no longer having to deal with Levana.

Thanks. Thank you. I hope youll understand that I um. I hope youll be patient with me. This is all new for me and Im not

Im not really a queen.

She glanced around the table, at the eager, hopeful faces staring at her like she was some sort of hero. Like she had done something great. Her gaze swept around the table, feeling more nervous and inadequate with every person she crossedolder, wiser, experienceduntil Kai.

As soon as he had her attention, he winked.

Her stomach flipped.

She turned away and squared her shoulders.

I asked you here today because the relationship between Earth and Luna has been strained for a long time, and my first act as She hesitated and moved her hands to the top of the table again, lacing her fingers together. A few gazes dropped to her cyborg prosthetic, but all tried to pretend they hadnt noticed. As my first act as queen of Luna, I want to forge a peaceful alliance with the Earthen Union. Even if its only symbolic at first, I hope it will be the start of a fruitful and mutually beneficial political um She glanced at Kai.