Shade sat by the fireplace and read, thinking he would truly have to wait for more than an hour. But just after he finished the story of Galina's great-grandfather and brother switching identities to fool an assassin, a knock sounded at the door, followed by a familiar voice:
"Sir Hamilton, may I come in?"
It was Queen Diana's voice.
After giving birth to the Twin Princes last year, Queen Diana had needed time to recover, so Shade had not met with her often. Still, he occasionally saw her when accompanying Galina to banquets during the winter break, so they were not strangers.
Shade wondered what the Queen was doing here so late, while Queen Diana warmly asked:
"I just heard from Galina that you were waiting here to go to the study, so I stopped by to have a look. Sir Knight, is there anything you need?"
This was clearly a lie. Queen Diana could not possibly have only just learned that Shade was coming tonight. Shade guessed this was the Queen's way of winning people over, so he replied:
"Good evening, Queen Diana. I do not need anything for the moment. Galina has arranged everything very well."
Then, behind Queen Diana as she entered, he saw several young princesses. Leisha, who had come in with her younger sisters, met Shade's eyes before quickly looking away. She clearly did not want to be here.
Queen Diana did not leave after saying only a few words. Instead, she had an attendant bring her a chair, and she sat by the fireplace to chat with Shade. Their conversation concerned royal life, and the princesses she had brought along also became topics of discussion.
She was certainly not trying to make Shade develop feelings for her daughters. Between the lines, she was telling