Seeing Rue leave the dining hall had them sitting in silence for several minutes. The group quietly savored the dessert served in front of them, trying to take in the situation at hand.
"She…" Milera, unable to take the silence, decided to speak up. "...changed a bit, didn't she?"
"I don't think so," Kian immediately disagreed, with a somewhat prideful tone. He was one of the two people who was with her the most. "She looked like she was about to cry when she saw you two ladies."
"She did…" Dolunay, with a softened expression, agreed with him and chuckled. "But I do think she carries subtle pride in being the empress, that's why she refused to look weak like she did before. She certainly matured, that's for sure." She agreed with Milera's comment as well.
