"There is no need for apologies, Lady Essa, especially not from one who has done so much already. You could not know how much my mother has suffered at the hands of the usurper, and how it has broken her health. She is but the shadow of her own self, I fear."
Felippe returned carrying the frail form of the Lady Bidane and placed her gently in the padded chair at the head of the table, while Marguerite set out an array of food from which wafted tantalizing scents, in hopes of tempting her mother's appetite.
With a gracious gesture of invitation, she begged Felippe and Lady Essa to take their seats before she served them. A smile showed her appreciation for the good appetite their angel exhibited. Might young angels be not so very different from young humans?
Once she too was seated, she gave thanks for the blessings they had received, followed by a few words invoking a blessing for the efforts of their rightful King.
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