Primrose cleared her throat softly, trying to break the awkward tension between them. "Ladies," she greeted with a bright smile once again. "I hope your trip to the palace wasn't too troublesome."
Arabella was the first to reply, her tone sweet and polite. "Not at all, Your Majesty. You don't have to worry." She smiled so gently, like a woman with no trace of ill intent in her heart.
If Primrose couldn't read people's thoughts, she probably would've been fooled by that smile too. But now, as someone who had often hidden malice behind a sweet smile herself, Primrose would never fall for that kind of trick again.
[If it wasn't for the fact that I wanted to show off my wedding ring, I wouldn't have bothered coming here.] Arabella thought lazily. [It's such a pain to come all the way here, especially when the weather's getting cold.]