What does "gentle interrogative" mean?


While browsing Jishio.org, I come across [this
definition](https://jisho.org/word/%E3%81%93%E3%81%A8) of こと. I tried googling
"gentle interrogative Japanese", and found not much that explains what
differentiates a "gentle interrogative" from another interrogative.

I then tried searching several times on Japanese.stackexchange.com, but
nothing came up that aids my understanding of what a "gentle interrogative"
is, what it means, and what makes it 'gentle' in comparison to other Japanese
interrogatives.

Edit: Well then, I have no clue how to interpret the こと in the following
sentence, other than as for 'difference'.

違(ちが)うのは、 辺りに人の気配がない **こと** くらいだ。




It's a way to ask questions in a polite and gentle way, traditionally you
might imagine a polite lady of a certain age using this speech form.

The article <https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/80375/meaning/m0u/> presents the
following explanation and examples (section 2):

質問の意を表す。「お変わりありませんこと」「これでいいこと」

It feels to me that this form attenuates the question to make it sound like it
is not a direct question.

