Princess Elena's expression brightened the moment Ren told her they would be leaving tomorrow.
The change was immediate.
The composed, regal look she had been wearing softened, and a genuine smile appeared on her face—small, but unmistakably pleased.
"Good," she said. "I've been ready for a long time."
Ren studied her for a moment before asking, "Is your absence going to cause problems?"
"It will," Elena replied without the slightest concern. "But that's hardly my problem."
She leaned back in her chair with the air of someone discussing a mildly inconvenient weather forecast rather than the political consequences of a princess vanishing into a dangerous hidden realm.
"I'll leave a few notes behind," she continued. "Mother and the others can complain all they want, but once I'm inside the Fey Realm, there's nothing they can do to drag me back out."
"Is that right?"
Princess Elena gave a soft chortle and rested her chin against her hand.
