"Mr. Hamilton!"
Tifa's voice came from outside the door. She had actually returned, and sounded rather anxious:
"Queen Diana wants to see you, but no one could find you. Miss told me to bring you back at once."
Shade looked again at Leisha's expression. She had a stiff face and was taking deep breaths.
Angelina held her cup, sipping the somewhat hot tea in small mouthfuls as she watched the two of them with great interest:
"Mr. Hamilton, you'd better wipe off all that lipstick before you leave."
She kindly reminded Shade, and when he looked at her, she even took out her own handkerchief. It was a silk handkerchief embroidered with butterfly patterns:
"You can borrow this."
Thanks to Princess Angelina's reminder, there were no improper traces left on Shade's face when he met Queen Diana. The meeting place was the very waiting room where he had waited to see Larus III after being shot in the street last time.
Queen Diana was not meeting Shade alone. Besides Miss Galina, there were several Noblewomen at her side whom Shade did not know. Since they had accompanied the Queen down from the third floor earlier, Shade guessed that they were also connected to the royal family.
When Shade was led into the room by an attendant, Queen Diana was holding up the perfectly round pearl, more than half the size of a fist, showing it off to the others beneath the glow of the gas lamp.
Even the Queen had never seen a jewel like this, one that neither men nor women could resist. After all, naturally formed pearls could be larger, but they would never be as round as this one.
"Good evening, your highness. Good evening, ladies."
Shade greeted everyone present. Since he did not know most of