CHAPTER 228: THE CHILL IN THE ROOM

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.

"Is His Majesty, the former king, in good health?" Ashe asked Amiri’s father.

She was referring to her older brother.

"He is well," the king replied. "If you visit him, he will surely be happy."

The former king—Amiri’s grandfather—and his wife were enjoying a peaceful retirement in a lakeside villa by Rosaria Lake.

When he was still ruling, he had suffered from heart problems and poor health, but now he spent his days happily fishing.

Life as a reigning monarch meant sitting at a desk most of the time.

On top of that, the old king had loved sweets and food.

With all the banquets he attended, he drank too much as well.

It wasn’t surprising he had become overweight and unwell.

Now that he was free from duty, he seemed full of life again.

Amiri glanced at his father.

He was happily eating pastries and small sandwiches, but his figure had also grown round.

Every king in their family seemed to become plump after taking the throne—perhaps it was their nature.

"It must be the stress that makes them gain weight..."

Amiri remembered his mother once whispering that to him with worry in her eyes.

"Your Majesty, if you eat too much, it may harm your health," she said gently.

Her voice pulled Amiri out of his thoughts.

His father froze for a moment while holding yet another plate of cake covered in thick cream.

"Oh my, a scolding for His Majesty?"

"To spoil such a pleasant mood—how cruel."

"How unkind."

"Well, she is a queen by political marriage. It’s no wonder she’s cold."

The maids whispered among themselves, but their voices were loud enough for everyone to hear.

Amiri’s mother’s face clouded over and her shoulders sank.

The maids were not exactly servants. Their role was more like attendants or advisors, not just caretakers. They could speak their opinions and even instruct their masters if needed. Most of them were the daughters of the nobles family and those who served royalty came from high-ranking families. With such powerful families backing them, they often behaved with pride.

Amiri’s mother had married into the family from the royal house of Nabradia.

The kingdoms of Nabradia and Kingdom of Rosaria had maintained their alliance through repeated intermarriage.

When Ashe had been married off to General Gabrant, Amiri’s father took Princess Cyrene of Nabradia—Amiri’s mother—as his bride.

But since Cyrene lacked strong political support in this kingdom, she was always cautious and reserved toward the maids.

She was kind, gentle, and modest by nature.

Amiri’s father never took a concubine and loved his wife deeply.

However, the maids always acted pleasant and polite in front of him, so he never noticed their coldness toward the queen.

Even Amiri himself had only recently started to realize the truth.

However, he was afraid to go against the maids. Since birth, he had been surrounded by them, and over the years, their presence had become too intimidating to challenge.

Then—

A chill ran down his spine.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop again... or at least that’s how it felt to Amiri.

Strange.

The weather outside was bright and sunny, almost hot. Yet, from the direction where Great Aunt Ashe sat, a cold chill spread across the room.

Amiri felt the icy air creeping over his skin, but he was too afraid to even glance her way.

"No! I want to eat strawberry tart! The one with lots of honey on top—that’s the one I want!"

Serenya suddenly shouted, her high-pitched voice breaking the quiet atmosphere. She didn’t seem happy with the sweets that had been served.

"Oh my, how could the chef forget to prepare Princess Serenya’s favorite tart?"

"Such carelessness. We must have one made right away."

Serenya’s maids started chattering noisily.

This was a familiar scene.

"Serenya, there are so many delicious sweets here," their mother said softly, glancing nervously toward Ashe. "Each one was made with care by the royal chef. Why don’t you choose one from these?"

"Oh, making Princess Serenya endure such a thing!"

"She’s a princess—she doesn’t need to show restraint herself."

"I’ll go to the kitchen and order it myself."

One of the maids was already hurrying toward the door.

"She came from another country, so of course her love is weak."

"Poor Princess Serenya."

"Let’s make sure she gets all the affection she deserves—from us."

The maids’ gossiping voices filled the room like a flock of sparrows.

Meanwhile, the temperature dropped even more.

Why didn’t anyone else notice it?

Then came a quiet cold voice.

"You guys haven’t changed at all, have you?"

Amiri turned his head instinctively then instantly regretted it.

Ashe’s smile was terrifying.

It wasn’t just cold, it radiated something dreadful. For a second, Amiri could almost see a dark shadow growing behind her, like black smoke swelling larger and larger.

Surrounded by the gossiping maids, Amiri’s younger brother, Lucaren who is just ten years old spoke up carelessly while holding a sweet in each hand.

"What’s wrong with wanting to eat what you like? If you ask, they’ll make it for you, right?"