The East Wing of the Royal Palace was usually a place of silence and shadows, but today, the air vibrated with a different kind of tension.
Primrose marched down the marble corridor, her boots clicking rhythmically against the stone. She wasn't wearing her apron. She was wearing a sturdy traveling coat over her dress, her hair pulled back in a severe bun that meant business, and Rurik's satchel slung across her chest.
She stopped in front of the heavy oak doors of the Grand Duke's study. But before she could pound on them, the side door to the solar opened.
Princess Leonora stepped out. She looked frantic, her golden hair slightly disheveled, as if she had been running.
"Primrose!" Leonora gasped, nearly colliding with the petite tutor. "You're back! I heard what happened—the carriage, the escape... did you really take Ellia to a daycare?"
