“You needn’t worry,” Thea said. “In any case, we’re past formalities now. You’ve served me for many years. You can come and go as you please.”
“Though perhaps things are different now,” Iva remarked, hanging up Thea’s damp towel.
“I was queen before as well, you know,” Thea said.
“Yes, but you are not just the queen any longer,” Iva said with a wink. “You are regent, also.”
Thea finished wringing out her hair and shook it loose. “Not everyone would agree with you on that, unfortunately.”
Her maid frowned. “How so?”
Thea frowned. “There is a member of the council who feels I was unjustly put into this position.”
Her maid was aghast. “Members of the council are defying a decision made by the king?”
“Indeed.” Thea sighed. “I don’t think that being a woman has helped me at all, either.
