For a little while, the two women remained silent.
Milena had gone back to filing that endless mountain of paperwork, reading reports and filling grids, doing some calculations at time, but her quill only seldom froze. She only stopped to let Dinah adjust the cushion behind her, or to drink more of her honey tea. Across the desk, Philomenie was frowning while reading her book, as usual when she was deeply absorbed in it. The Queen was soon offered a cushion too, but she barely seemed to notice the maids' movements around her.
Sometimes, Milena took a break to observe her sister-in-law. Philomenie had gotten plumpier from her pregnancy, but it made her look even younger and prettier somehow. Her blue eyes had gotten an extra spark of life, and her long blond hair was shiny, taken care o
