Caelan nodded. “I’ll inform him later tonight after the ceremony and when I have all the plans finalized. With any luck, my people will be leaving for Damardor tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Caelan. Thank you so much,” Noemi said, brushing aside a rush of tears.
“I can’t make any promises, but I will do everything I can to have Shey returned home to you.”
“I know. I understand. It just eases my mind to know something is being done.”
With a hug and an admonishment to get some rest prior to the ceremony, Caelan walked Noemi out of the office to find his fiancé lingering in the outer office, distracting all of his assistants and making them laugh.
Seeing Drayce leaning against one of the desks, dressed in an elegant suit of black and Erya green made Caelan’s heart skip. His hair had been cut and styled perfectly for today’s ceremony. There were little hints about his face that he’d aged on their journey—a hardness in his jaw, a new coolness to his sparkling eyes. It combined to simply make him breathtaking.
Drayce hurried over and warmly greeted Queen Noemi like she was an aunt he hadn’t seen in years. The older monarch giggled and patted his cheek, not at all put off by his antics. Caelan rolled his eyes and chuckled. Rayne certainly had his work cut out for him if he was really determined to rein in the king’s consort.
After seeing her off, Drayce followed Caelan into his office. Strolling over to the massive windows that overlooked his city, Caelan smiled to himself, only to have it grow wider when Drayce wrapped his arms around him from behind and rested his chin on his shoulder.
“Everything okay?” Drayce inquired.
“It will be. Just a few things to take care of. We’ll talk more about it tonight after the wedding and party.”
Drayce snorted. “Are you seriously gonna rain on Eno and Rayne’s fun with work?”
“No, I’m going to give them an update on how I’ve handled things. They’ve got nothing to worry about.” Caelan huffed a small laugh. “Besides, if Rayne finds out what’s happening while he’s on his honeymoon, he’ll come back to manage things and Eno will threaten my life.”
Drayce hummed, tightening his arms. “Sounds like you’re getting better at this king thing.”
Caelan closed his eyes and leaned into his best friend’s warmth, love, and support. “I’m finding my way as a king. I think I’m getting better about doing right by this family.”
Turning his head, Drayce pressed a sweet kiss to Caelan’s temple. “I love you. My king. My god. My forever.”