"It is unseemly for a man of your girth. Simply accept that the North is inherently superior, halt your excavation immediately, and send me a thank-you note carved in solid gold."
"I hate you!" Leonidas muffled into the silk. "I hope she draws a mustache on you while you sleep!"
"She already has," Kaelus replied smoothly, not missing a beat. "And I wore it with pride."
As the two Archdukes bickered, Seraphina shook her head, abandoning the ridiculous display of masculine insecurity. She turned her attention to Duchess Lysandra, fully intending to ask for another fruit tart.
But as Seraphina's dark eyes locked onto the beautiful, smiling Duchess, her Spirit Sight, which was still actively humming in the background, caught a ripple in the ambient mana.
Seraphina stopped chewing. The warm, sunlit beauty of the solarium seemed to dim slightly around the edges.
