Which book’s world would be the absolute worst to live in?

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Imagine living in a world where your cousin wants your throne, your husband wants an heir, your sister wants your crown, and you’re wondering whether somebody’s poisoned your dinner.

A queen might wear the crown, but she could still be a prisoner in a gilded cage.

Every courtier could be an assassin, every smile could conceal a dagger, and every meal could be your last.

History proved that running away only changed the location of the cage.

When Mary, Queen of Scots, fled her rebellious kingdom to seek safety with her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, she wasn’t given a quiet cottage to live out her days.

Because Mary had a claim to the English throne, Elizabeth kept her in captivity for 19 years before finally sending her to the chopping block, following her implication in a plot against Elizabeth.

In this cutthroat era, the crown wasn’t a piece of jewelry you could take off when you were tired of the headaches, the poison, and the smell.

For many kings and queens, the only way they ever truly left the throne was in a coffin.

Even the comforts of royal life came with their own dangers. Behind the magnificent gowns and jeweled crowns were questionable hygiene, restrictive corsets, lead-based face makeup, and mercury-laced pigments for the lips.

Beauty, it seemed, carried its own price.

Apparently, surviving the royal court wasn’t enough. You had to survive your beauty routine, too!

You can keep the castle, the crown, and the royal bloodline.

I’ll keep my head, thank you very much.