"My apologies, Your Grace," the knight said carefully, his voice laced with unease as he bowed. "We did search for His Highness but we truly could not find him. It has been several days now. Instead… we have something else to show you. Would you be willing to step out for a moment?"
Luke stepped forward, gesturing with a subtle hand, his demeanor respectful but edged with urgency. Magnus regarded him in silence before moving, his long strides falling in line behind Luke's lead.
He said nothing—
not because of anger, though the thought might have crossed others' minds but because of something far quieter and heavier inside him:
disappointment.
Despite traveling all the way to Evadene,
despite braving the dangers that lingered in this foreign land,
despite swallowing the bitter taste of disregard as men who should have bowed to him instead treated him as though he were just another nobleman, Magnus had endured it all without allowing it to taint his composure.
