Cedric's rage boiled over when he discovered Caelum had whisked Lyra away to the kingdom's eastern territory.
The pair would hole up in one of the royal family's retreats there.
"Stop whining to me. If you want my opinion, I back his choice completely. They both need space to figure things out."
"Space?!" Cedric's voice cracked with frustration. "How much damn space do they need?! They've been glued together constantly! How can Caelum abandon his responsibilities?"
"Cedric, he's not abandoning anything. He's handled what needed handling. Even if he stayed, there's nothing more he could accomplish unless you expect him to wage war against the Shadow Fang pack and those rebel groups."
Julian was buried in battle preparations, set to command the assault. He'd be away from the palace for at least a month—the estimated time to crush the uprising.
