Genius arrived early and wanted nothing — boredom was childhood's weather, until an eight-year-old marched into the betrothal and declared herself the villainess of a prophecy. Observation became devotion; the decade between fills the palace's most entertaining classified file. The kingdom's paperwork runs through this desk; the crown fits, the marriage is new, the record continues. The public smile is flawless, eyes not included; she reads it at a glance; everyone else settles for hoping.