Unable to guess the answer, she asked, "Who am I, that you should love me?" "You are My Queen," said Eugenides. She sat perfectly still, looking at h… - Megan Whalen Turner

The dandified Attolian who had spoke, a patron, but not a baron by any means, glanced at the queen to see if she approved, but she was looking the other way. The king shrugged his shoulders slightly and said, "I could send you to ask them."
The man laughed. "It would be a long trip, Your Majesty. I would so much rather hear the answer from you."
"Oh, the trip would be much quicker than you think," said the king pleasantly. "Most of my male cousins are dead."
The silence that had begun at the head table had spread to the edges of the hall. The Attolian's smile grew uncertain.
The king didn't smile back. Those who understood shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

Least said, soonest mended isn't the advice for every occasion, Your Majesty, isn't the advice for every occasion.

I had to ask, "Is it a true story, Aunt Charlotte?"
Aunt Charlotte looked at me without saying anything for a while. Then she said, "I've told you my story. What you believe is up to you, Marguerite."