Alric took that response in stride, replying formally, but with a subtly playful tone of courtly banter, as though nothing was particularly amiss and it was just like any other sort of diplomatic tangle. He'd hoped a touch of normalcy in the middle of things might be calming--and perhaps unexpected enough to pique her curiosity.
"Then I apologize most sincerely for intruding, Your Majesty, but as a Knight of the Order of the Dragon, I'm afraid I can't very well leave an allied monarch in distress. ...much less a friend, if you would forgive the presumption of thinking of you, still, in such familiar terms."
A brief rhetorical pause to let that sink in, and perhaps inspire a little more curiosity.
"Even if the expression of that distress is magnificent to behold. You have an exceptional talent, Your Majesty, I must say."
That last comment, although sincere, was marked also by the same disarming courtly playfulness, given the circumstances. But moreover, describing it in such a harmless and even positive way might just help her sense of intrigue win out over her concerns, for the moment.
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"Then I apologize most sincerely for intruding, Your Majesty, but as a Knight of the Order of the Dragon, I'm afraid I can't very well leave an allied monarch in distress. ...much less a friend, if you would forgive the presumption of thinking of you, still, in such familiar terms."
A brief rhetorical pause to let that sink in, and perhaps inspire a little more curiosity.
"Even if the expression of that distress is magnificent to behold. You have an exceptional talent, Your Majesty, I must say."
That last comment, although sincere, was marked also by the same disarming courtly playfulness, given the circumstances. But moreover, describing it in such a harmless and even positive way might just help her sense of intrigue win out over her concerns, for the moment.