Gertrude smiled as the Moonlit Queen laughed. She supposed it was about as well as she could have hoped to be received, taking the surrounding warmth to be a good sign. Obviously, the woman liked those who amused her, and amuse her is what Gertrude had done. It was possible, then, to close the deal if she could demonstrate that she had value as well. For that, she also had an idea.

In a way, the woman reminded her of her mistress-

Her former mistress, that was. Right down to the mirth she showed when amused. Gertrude was bitter, and bitter towards Aleksiya, but she was not immune to nostalgia. She was capable of remembering the better times, if only for a moment.

...And the Moonlit Queen's laugh was [i]much[/i] more enchanting, so that was a plus.

Gertrude was about to attempt to close things out when one of the ruler's aides interrupted her. Gertrude frowned for a moment, annoyed, but quickly plastered a smile over her impatience. It seemed that something was missing. Loudly. She was tempted to tell the Moonlit Queen how unladylike her outburst was, but she had to hold it in, though the itch to tease the woman was strong. Instead, she looked to Gerard, and back to the Moonlit Queen.

"Aye... using the fighting as a smokescreen was the likely method. As for the culprit... you do have a baby sister, yes? We did our research before heading out to see you, and though your fame [i]far[/i] eclipsed hers, we may have heard a whisper."

Though it pained Gertrude to do so, she knelt and looked into the Moonlit Queen's eyes.

"Is it not the eternal duty of the younger sibling to jealously grab for what the older has earned? Perhaps this is a possibility to consider."