The return journey to Lewellyn's dukedom passed in relative silence. Claude, Etienne, Lexie, and the mage accompanying them barely spoke as the teleportation spell pulsed them back to familiar soil.
What lay ahead allowed no time for relief. Upon their return, preparations for the palace banquet kicked into high gear. The nobles, greedy for gossip, were eager to feast their eyes on the newly risen duke, who disappeared from high society after Princess Eleanor went missing, and the so-called lost princess.
Etienne was whisked away almost immediately by Duke Eugene, whose staff ensured every detail of his transformation was executed to perfection.
"Are all of these…truly necessary?" Etienne asked as his gaze roamed over the rows of clothes before him, and hesitation played in his eyes.
"Yes. You will enter with me," Eugene answered. He waved his hand, and a female servant approached. He began giving orders, ignoring Etienne.
But Etienne was still unconvinced. "Why must I—"
