The velvet dais curtains hadn't even stopped swaying before Queen Seraphina's posture shifted. From regal and composed to... flustered?
Lady Irelia leaned closer, whispering again, but this time Evelisse was too far to catch the words. Whatever was said, it made Seraphina stiffen briefly—then blush. A faint pink rose to her cheeks, so subtle it might've gone unnoticed if Evelisse hadn't been watching her so intently.
The Queen's eyes darted across the crowd as if checking for eavesdroppers. Then she cleared her throat, turned to her guests, and said in a tone just a touch too high, "My deepest apologies, dear guests. It seems the King has returned. I must greet my husband."
She offered a quick curtsy—not the slow, graceful kind expected from a queen, but the hurried type of someone trying not to look like they were rushing off for a date.
