The Duchess froze, seemingly wanting to retort.
But Arthur already stepped forward quietly and said, "I understand there might be some rift between you and Her Highness... Yet you are her mother and she is your daughter; nothing in this world can make you regret for life like losing her."
The light of the candle flickered on the eagle head of his silver cane, casting a cold gleam, yet Arthur's gaze was warm: "Your Highness, the crowd outside, reporters, rumors, these can be left for me to handle. But the one upstairs is the one you cannot leave to others to guard. Go and see her, she was just in a feverish delirium, I heard she seemed to say she missed her mother greatly."
The Duchess of Kent's breath visibly halted, her eyelids trembled slightly, her lips moved, but she couldn't make a sound.
"Did she... did she really say that?" The Duchess's voice was very light, almost imperceptibly choked.
Arthur merely nodded, without saying another word.
