The Court

"The queen's eyes drifted over the squabbling crowd.
Liars, thieves, beggars. Liars, liars all. The men wanted her for her power and her beauty, not her wit. And naturally, like all men, they wanted what was under her long, lavish gowns. The women on the other hand filled her ears with unimaginably dull gossip, trying so very desperately to outdo one another in the knowledge of scandals. They wanted to be her, and if that could not be arranged, they wanted to bathe in her glory, be her lap dog, be treated like kin.
And yet none of them knew that the biggest, most shocking secret was sitting on the throne of their great country, ruling over them all. She was their beloved queen.
An ambassador was presented to her. For the first time in years, her eyes lit up. They started paying attention to the diplomat, the way he gesticulated when explaining why he was here and how honored he was to be received at her court.
The queen smiled.
The closest around her lauched a series of quizzical gazes at each other. The queen has smiled."

E.