The difference between my return to Radovalsk and my unexpected departure is more drastic than the difference between first-class and economy class on a plane.
I alone ride in a carriage, a discreet but luxurious vehicle with supple seats I can't stop bouncing on. My father, my brothers, the royal guard, and all high-ranking generals within the army ride horses, the fine stallions setting them head and shoulders above everyone else.
But even so, I cannot fully enjoy the return due to many factors: the empress waiting for me in the palace, Julian's iffy response regarding telling his subordinates, and our impending break-in to the most heavily guarded individual in the Erudian Empire.
The past few days have been more stressful than applying to college, which should not be possible.
"Your highness, we've arrived," Emma informs me quietly, tugging me out of my daydream of little versions of me running around as everything is on fire.
