Chapter 21: The Queen’s Blush, The Princess’s Curiosity
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.
The crowd murmured politely. Seraphina lifted her skirts slightly and walked—no, practically glided—toward the palace steps, her expression caught somewhere between noble restraint and barely-contained giddiness.
Evelisse blinked. ’Wait. Did Mother just... blush?’
"Confirmed," Fluffy whispered beside her with the enthusiasm of a gossip columnist. "That’s a blush. Royal grade."
Evelisse raised a brow. ’Didn’t she do this exact dramatic excuse thing with me earlier yesterday?’
"Yup. ’Urgent private matter known only to the Queen,’ remember? Now known to the King. Is dramatic solo time their love language?"
She barely suppressed a snort. ’Do they always handle family reunions like covert solo missions?’
"One-on-one emotional ambushes might be their thing," Fluffy mused, twirling in the air. "Romantic. Mysterious. Elegant-o."