Drawing the line

"Thank you for accepting my request despite the short notice."

"Drop the pretenses, Lord Miguel." Aries maintained a stony countenance while keeping her eyes locked on the person sitting on the divan on her right. "I might've accepted your request for a private audience, but I don't have the spare patience to indulge in flatteries and formalities. That would be a waste of my time."

Miguel pressed his lips into a thin line, eyes on the woman on the one-seater couch by the end of the rectangular center table. 

"Aggressive," he commented under his breath. "But you are right, Your Majesty. Flatteries and formalities were simply a waste of time. Though you cannot blame me for you are still the sovereign of the mainland and thus, I cannot skip the formalities without your permission."