"And the equally overprotective paranoia of your father, Duke Kaelus von Nacht."
Seraphina sat up straighter, the hair on her arms standing up. "What did they do?"
"They left," Bartholomew stated, throwing his hands into the air in a gesture of pure exasperation.
"Left? Left where?"
"For the Ashen Forest!" Bartholomew groaned, doing a frustrated squat. "The moment they realized an ancient anomaly was buried beneath the territory, they didn't just sit in the war room and make a perimeter plan! Our Duke, Leonidas insisted that they needed to 'visually assess the threat' before the Imperial military bureaucracy got involved. And your father, terrified that the anomaly might eventually pose a threat to you, agreed that a preemptive strike was the most tactically sound option."
Seraphina's jaw dropped.
Her mind, which had assumed the two Archdukes were currently sitting at a table drinking tea and drawing maps, completely stalled.
