“I must beg your majesty’s pardon and that of my two distinguished friends here,” he said. “Your majesty, permit me to present Colonel Wotsn, impressed into service as chief of staff of the palace forces, and Nan-nan, one of the priests of the lost religion, who ministered unto me in the Caves of Kar. A very human individual, in spite of being a priest.” Toron patted the cheek of each in turn as they bowed low before him. Again Lilla sought to interrupt: “But my cousin is not king.” “What do you mean?” Cabot exclaimed, amazed. “Certainly you hold no brief for his brother, the renegade Yuri.” “Certainly not,” the princess remonstrated, “but you forget our little son. It’s our little Kew who is King of Cupia.” All the party turned to look at her in horror! Was her mind becoming unhinged by the ordeals which she had gone through? Did she not remember the terrible doings in Luno Castle, when Yuri’s dagger had stilled forever the heart of the little babe? Toron had found the dead body and had withdrawn the dagger and prepared the funeral bier. Cabot had buried the little corpse with his own hands. Nan-nan knew the whole ghastly story in its every detail, from the spies of the lost religion. And even Wotsn shared in the general popular knowledge. Had Lilla’s mind gone blank on this subject? Lilla, from whose own arms the babe had been snatched by its assassin! Myles flung a protecting arm about her. “My poor, poor, dear girl,” he said comfortingly, “our little darling lies dead and buried in the courtyard of Luno Castle.” Indignantly she broke away from him, and stormed: “I’ll _not_ be soothed as though I were drunk with saffra-root. I know what I know. And—” But suddenly Nan-nan exclaimed, “Look! Look at the street below!” Instantly all were attention. And no wonder, for the street below was filled with the ranks of marching ant men! “Is it a _coup_?” Cabot shouted. “Are we betrayed? You, whose religion tells you everything, answer me that.” All stood doubly dumfounded. What signified the marching Formians? And what meant Princess Lilla’s words about the infant king? XXI BUT WHO IS KING? Myles Cabot, Lilla, Toron, Nan-nan and Wotsn watched the marching Formians for a moment in amazement from the palace terrace. Then, “They are unarmed!” Nan-nan exclaimed, with relief. True. Not a single one of the black ant men carried a weapon. And then there appeared in their wake rank upon rank of armed Cupians, the army of liberation. “No _coup_ at all, thank God,” said Cabot, “but merely prisoners of war!” Lilla, too, sighed with relief. “And now that that is over,” she said, “I _will_ be heard on the subject of who is king. Our baby is safe and sound, disguised as a peasant child, in the care of my old nurse in the village of Pronth in the Okarze Mountains.” “But, darling, I buried him myself at Lake Luno,” Cabot remonstrated, still unconvinced.