When Lakshmi's tone changes, some of the tension is broken, and Teren backs off. This candor is, perhaps, what she was hoping for; genuine feeling, acknowledgement of suffering, not the usual lip service royals pay to keep their subjects from beheading them.

Taking a few more steps toward her, Teren strokes a hand over the top of Lakshmi's head, closing it in a tight but not painful grip as she tilts the woman's face up towards hers.
"It's a pity you left them," she says, and the words sound genuine, though her expression is calculating, a little inquisitive.
If this isn't something Lakshmi wants, she's welcome to protest, pull away, anything she likes, and Teren won't pursue.