Throughout all of this terrible ordeal, doing her duty for two warring kingdoms, she had only a few glimmers of light in this new land: Brad, Simprina, and now...the Queen. Despite not being her mother or anyone of a blood relation, the woman was so kind to her, speaking to her as though they'd known each other for years, as though they were mother and daughter (and that the strumpet of the evening wasn't even there). Ever the understanding and magnanemous figure, she wasn't at all put off by Simprina's actions earlier that day.<br/><br/>As the salad was placed in front of her, Maria picked at it, her expression thoughtful as she carefully hid her nerves about the coming months once everything came out. "I don't know what I'd do without Simprina some days," she admitted quietly, after eating a bite of her salad. "She's always been there, for as long as I can remember. More often than not, she's my sanity and my savior, knowing me better than I know myself and taking care of me even when I didn't realize I needed it." A small smile graced her lips.<br/><br/>"But, that is neither here nor there." Shifting the subject, she allowed her smile to grow. "I'd love to see what you have from when the twins were young. Maybe we could make an afternoon of it? Tea or an intimate lunch while looking over the remnants of their childhood clothing? I've not yet thought ahead to what I'd dress the baby in, sort of taking this all one day at a time as I'd not anticipated such a miracle so early on in my marriage to Ivor. Now that my baby's birth on the horizon, I'm a bit out of my depth at all that I need to prepare and ready for their arrival..."<br/><br/>Abby was forgotten, all but pushed from her mind as she focused entirely on the Queen's kind face. "I'd be incredibly grateful for any words of wisdom you have to pass to a new mother."