"It is a great privilege that Your Highness would care to know a humble lady like myself. I am really flattered." Regina smiled and Neriah held back a scoff.
"Well, the truth is, no matter what I do, I shall always be a foreigner on these lands." Neriah began her acting.
"Oh, no Your Highness, please do not think that way. You are the wife or Ba— His Highness, hence you are one of us now." Regina assured her and cringed her nose as though she smelt something.
"Please, you are just being modest. I know what everyone thinks of me. They think I am a crazy princess. And I do not blame them, my reputation precedes me." Neriah faked a sad sorrowful laugh and watched for a reaction from Regina. But all she saw was that cringe of her nose again.
"Your Highness that—"
"It is fine, really. If I am to confess, the real reason why I called you today is not mainly because you are friends with my husband," For some reason, lately she had been saying the words My Husband a lot lately. "The truth is, apart from Aria who has always been with me, I have no one around my age whom I converse with here. My only friends are my husband’s little brothers."
"Princess, are you saying—"
"Aye, I want to get to know you because I would like to become friends with you. I believe my husband would not keep you by his side if you are not a loyal friend. I wish to have a good relationship with you, Lady Regina." Neriah smiled and sniffled as though she was nearing tears.
Regina watched her with an awestruck expression. In her head she thought, ’Bar was right. His wife really has changed.’
"Your Highness, I really do not know what to—"
"Oh, look at me!" Neriah gasped and clapped her hands. "I want to be friends and I have not offered you anything. Who invites a person over for tea and does not offer tea?" Neriah chuckled beautifully and signaled Aria.
"Take this away and bring forth the tea I have prepared." She ordered and Aria diligently cleared the tea kettle and cup from in front of Neriah and walked away with them.
"It might not seem like it but I am very nervous right now." Neriah confessed the only truth she had spoken since Regina sat down for tea. "I have never tried to make friends before." She continued. "I do not know where to start."
Regina smiled and Neriah could see it was a sincere one, "Your Highness, as girls, I guess the most usual topic to start with is fashion and that being said, I cannot take my eyes off your head. I have not seen that style before." Effortlessly, Regina fueled the conversation.
Neriah would have greatly preferred that the lady picked another topic, however she remained composed and smiled even brighter as she touched her head, "Oh the scarf, I saw the style on the princess of a human kingdom who came to Avelah once. She always had her hair tied in a different scarf, styling the scarf in different beautiful ways." She lied ever so smoothly.
"When I picked this red dress today, I thought of a way to hide my red hair for I did not want to look too red. And that was when the memory of the human princess came to mind. So using this black scarf, I can hide my hair completely, while still giving a beautiful look, I hope." Neriah explained and Regina listened with open ears as though indeed she was going to try the style on a later date.
"Oh it is, Your Highness. Indeed it is. If you do not mind, I would like to try it sometime soon." Regina cringed her nose yet again.
"Oh of course. I can not monopolize fashion." Neriah chuckled and so did Regina.
"I guess not. Thank you very much, Your Highness."
"Uhm, Lady Regina, if you do not mind my asking, is something bothering your nose by any chance? You seem to be disturbed by a certain smell, if I am not mistaken." Neriah had to ask. The constant cringing of her nose was starting to unnerve her.
"Oh forgive me, Your Highness. I just have a dog’s nose. I think I smell Rhotmus."
"R_rhot what?"
"Rhotmus, it is a hair dye. But I must be mistaken." She said and Neriah’s head quickly rewind and she could now see the label on the bottle of dye and indeed, it read Rhotmus. Dear goddess!
"O_Oh, the smell must have come in with the wind and, and— Ah! The tea is here!" Neriah breathed out a sigh of relief as Aria reentered the room with a new kettle and two tea cups.
"Please, try it. It is hot chocolate tea. I always have it with the Queen and I wanted to make it for my husband at least once, so I have been learning." Her lies continued as Aria poured the tea in both their cups. "Do tell me what you think about it. I shall consider your evaluations when I finally make it for him." She urged.
’Drink! Drink it! Just drink it! Do not evaluate anything! Just drink the damned thing! I beg you drink. Drink!! Neriah cried in her head trying her best not to pinch her arms. Trying her best to remain composed.
"Oh! I see. You made it by yourself." Regina’s red-gold eyes widened as she spoke, "How can I drink something so precious? Something that was handmade by the crown princess herself." Regina shook her head at the thought.
Ah! At the rate they were going Neriah could see her entire plan failing. "Do not think that way please, just think of it as something made by my husband, your friend. I am certain you would not reject it if he had made it. Please think of it that way." Neriah shrugged.