Lottie saw that Harmonia was working herself into a whirlwind of negativity. She'd do that with things from time to time. Instead of walking away or taking a step back, she'd circle something, looking at it from every angle, over and over again. She'd circle and circle and circle until she created her own maelstrom, and that was what was happening right now. Was that what she'd been doing all along? Oh dear.
Philotes was going to have to wait for her to calm down a bit before pointing out that the only way to make something familiar was to actually familiarize yourself with it. Which would be possible if you hid in your rooms. Nor would hiding make it possible for her to learn what she needed to do as a queen.
As they walked along, it became even more apparent to Lottie how hopeful these people were about Harmonia. And more importantly, how hopeful they were for her. They wanted their queen to be happy, because if she were happy it would mean all was well in the palace, and life would probably be a bit easier on the rest of them. What happened with the leaders usually ended up trickling down to the lowest peasant eventually. Plus she was carrying their heir.
But just how out of touch and out of sorts her friend was did not truly become clear until the child approached them. Harmonia looked at the girl like she was a wild animal ready to attack. Could she see the child wasn't a threat? What was wrong with her friend?
Lottie went down on one knee, putting herself at the child's level, and gave her a friendly smile. “That is very generous. And what a lovely toy! Is that yours? Yes? And you're willing to give that to the queen for her baby? That is very, very sweet. Isn't that especially nice of her, your majesty?”
Lottie very much hoped that prompt would break through. It wasn't as though the Harmonia she knew didn't know how to deal with people. Where had that person gone?