(At the Personal Quarters of Empress Seraphine)
I sit upright in the plush chair across the elegant table from Empress Seraphine. To my absolute amusement, for our high-stakes Imperial breakfast meeting... we are having noodles.
She gracefully takes the first bite, an unspoken rule of royal etiquette signaling that I am now officially allowed to start eating as well.
I take my first bite, carefully dabbing my mouth with a silk napkin.
The Empress's sharp eyes drift briefly upward — scanning my hair with the practiced eye of someone who notices everything.
"Your Majesty's hairstyle truly is stunning," I say smoothly, touching the elegant style Elin spent the morning perfecting. "Elin recreated it beautifully. I have to thank you for sending your handmaid to teach her."
The Empress says nothing. But the faintest curve touches the corner of her lips before she sets her fork down.
"What matter is it that you wanted to discuss this morning, Your Majesty?" I ask.
