"Nah, I've got something to take care of." Ethan shook his head, clearly uninterested.
As soon as he said that, the bald-headed Travis's face lit up with relief. He grinned and said, "Well, in that case, I won't force you…"
But before he could finish, Starlily suddenly spoke up. "Valkarion, what do you need to do? Can I come with you?"
The moment those words left her lips, Travis's expression darkened. His eyes flashed with a warning glare directed straight at Ethan.
Ethan, however, completely ignored him. Instead, he turned to Starlily with a smile. "If you want to come with me, sure. I just need to head over to the Grand Ducal Palace for something."
The Grand Ducal Palace?
Everyone froze.
"Wait, you mean Grand Duke Theodore's Grand Ducal Palace?!" The cute-looking girl couldn't help but ask again, as if she hadn't heard him right.
Ethan nodded. "Yeah."
"…"
Silence.