"Banished" from the princess’s tea party, the observant Budsquires noticed Princess Melloblum’s subdued spirits. The First Lethal Thorn’s intervention, meant as protection, had only deepened her quiet distress. Where the Budsquires could release their pain in tears, the princess swallowed her tears, aware that her moods affected the entire court. The radiant figure who brought smiles to others wore none of her own.
