Over the next few days, Giselle kept her focus on preparing the small gathering she had planned. It was not meant to be an extravagant affair, just a simple tea party to warm a few noble omegas during the cold spell, yet arranging it required more work than she expected. She reviewed linen choices, selected pastries, approved fruit arrangements, and asked the kitchen staff to prepare extra servings of cinnamon tea to counter the chill.
Despite the bustle, her mind drifted often to her first teatime in the palace with Lysara and Countess Vivienne, when she had been so anxious she could hardly swallow her tea. Back then, she had invited only the omegas she knew, but now such a small gathering would look suspiciously selective, so she and Lysara made a list of more than twenty names.
Invitations went out the next morning. Replies trickled in over the next two days, most of them accepting with enthusiasm. By the afternoon before the gathering, everything was ready.
