The air seemed to turn to ice.
He glanced at Ashe, the source of that sudden coldness.
She was still smiling, accepting Serenya's embrace with perfect poise. Yet for a brief moment, that flawless smile looked terrifying to Amiri alone.
"Good day, little princess. I am Ashe Beaumont. It is a pleasure to meet you," she said gently while lowering herself to Serenya's height.
Serenya pinched her dress and returned the polite greeting like a little lady.
"I'm Serenya. It's nice to meet you, Great Aunt."
"You did that very well, little lady."
Serenya's cheeks flushed with happiness at the praise and their mother smiled softly with relief.
"My, Princess Serenya, how wonderful!"
"How adorable!"
"As expected of you, my lady!"
The maids all praised her at once. Then, the room temperature seemed to drop by several degrees again.
Ashe's smile didn't waver, yet Amiri couldn't bring himself to look directly at her face.
The tea party continued peacefully after that.
