"There's more," Egon continued, "Andreas mentioned that he had long since made a decision not to favor one mate over the other."
Adela rolled her eyes, a habit she had acquired from spending ample time with Sasha but displayed it in public for the first time.
Egon cleared his throat noticeably. "Pardon me..." he said, rubbing his weary eyes and regaining his composure. "I learned something new today. Andreas himself is no longer able to locate the mines. He leaves his first mate behind because he believes the Crown Prince still has time before surpassing him."
Was this perhaps a bluff on Andreas's part? Egon didn't seem to think so. But what about Noctavian?
As Adela looked at her son, she noticed an oddly composed expression on his face. It contradicted the reaction she had anticipated, considering all the talk about Andreas being stronger than Noctavian. Knowing her son's competitive nature, she couldn't quite make sense of his response.
