Richard smirked. "Exhausting? Lucivar, you drank your way through half your councils, and somehow still managed to keep the kingdom standing. If that's exhaustion, I'll take a cup of it for myself."
The two men laughed together.
"You did do one thing perfectly. You raised the king right. He will do great things. Hell, he's already started."
Lucivar's lips curved in quiet pride. "Yes. Damien is everything I could not be." His chest tightened.
"When do you leave?" Richard asked after a long pause, sensing the heaviness in the air.
"After the ceremony, actually," Lucivar answered.
Richard shook his head. "I'm going to miss you."
Lucivar smirked faintly, masking his vulnerability with wit. "I'm going to miss me too."
That earned a genuine laugh from Richard, hearty enough to fill the room again. "Still arrogant, even with one foot out the door."
Before Lucivar could retort, the doors creaked open and his butler entered. He bowed deeply. "My Lord, the queen has arrived."
