[He nods, takes a drink of the whiskey -- the ones you sip aren't what he usually drinks so it's a little weird, but not bad-weird -- and tries to decide whether it'd step on any toes to ask more about the assassin thing. Not time to back off yet, he decides, not when he doesn't know what put that uncomfortable look on the guy's face in the first place.]

How's that make a difference? Not trying to sound like I'm doubting you or anything, I just grew up in a place where 'a lot of cooperation' is how everything gets done, so it all the rest is always going to come out sounding weird to me. Seems like if somebody wants the role, though, killing off the competition's going to help them out whether there's a king or queen around or not. That change the way heirs get picked?