Maria was amused by the nervousness of the guards, and rightly so. An occasional trick or two is good for keeping appearances, not letting even close servants forget their inferiority. Maria was glad to see Caroline was punctual as always, and returned her greeting in customary manner.
She gently placed the crates down, and followed after Caroline, rolling into the elevator once prompted. 

It wasn't that uncommon for Alexandra to want a quick report, since it was convenient to do so as part of the tax delivery, though more serious discussions about Aurora were made during conferences, where more Nobles were attending. Maria had absolutely no reason to decline, even if she was going to meet the very person she was later going to usurp the throne from eye-to-eye.

Regular commoners may have enjoyed small talk when going up such a long way, but the both of them knew they were far above such impolite nonsense. Maria spent the time quietly listening to the almost silent humming of the elevator as it rose up.