“Thank you, my sister,” Melisse said in a manner True knew she was about to decline. “But it’s been some time since I spent any in Notting Thicket. It’s my favorite city outside The Enchantments. And if there’s time, I’ll head to Go’Doan and meet with some friends.”

“I didn’t know the Thicket was your favorite city outside The Enchantments,” Mercy remarked to Melisse.

“Sky Bay may have the architecture, but the Thicket has all the charm,” Melisse replied.

Mercy sent her a small, but genuine smile.

Gallienus clearly opened his mouth to speak, seeing as Cassius warned on a rumble, “Not one word.”

True turned his attention to the Airenzian king and watched him clamp his mouth shut with defiant eyes on his son.

True then turned to Farah and said quietly, “You should have some time with the women before we go. We’re in no rush. You’ve all grown close and I know they’ll wish to make certain you’re in as good of spirits as you can be before they leave you.”

She smiled up at him and nodded.

She didn’t often speak at the breakfast table. She preferred quiet, intimate conversations, not only with him, but, he’d noticed, with anyone.

He greatly liked this about her.

He had often, in his adult life, had thoughts of what he wished his life to include (these most frequently coming when he was in a tent, on a hopeless campaign that Carrington, through his father, had ordered him to take his men on).

True was not foolish enough to think, when he was king, he could broker a lasting peace with the other realms and sail smoothly through his reign.

Taxes needed to be paid, and people did not like paying taxes.

Services needed to be offered, and many thought they were never good enough or delivered fast enough.

And people had an alarming tendency to simply refuse to find ways to get along.

But at the end of each day, he’d hope to go up to his private rooms in the castle, to his wife, and share a quiet intimacy. Dine with their children and discuss their days. Have some small amount of normal after a lifetime of royal.

In this, Farah was like an answer to a dream.

So yes, he greatly liked this about her.

As he greatly liked everything about her.

Not mostly, but it must be said, gazing upon her.

Her beauty was incandescent.

And last night he’d learned her laughter was the most pleasing sound he’d ever heard.

“You also should select a servant to travel with us,” he told her.

“I can see to myself.”

“You need to select a servant to travel with us,” he repeated.

“True, I can—”