“Welcome back, Your Highness,” Blaine greeted from the threshold of his office. “How was the inspection?”
“Everything was in order,” Kassian replied, pulling off his jacket. The weather was so hot that he had almost suffocated in his military uniform. But this was an inspection, not a casual walk among the soldiers and their dwellings, so he had to be presentable. Or so Blaine said.
Kassian undid a few of the buttons of his shirt and let out a tired sigh. His aide set a tray with a pitcher of water on the desk, pouring some into a cup and handing it to Kassian. He gulped it down in a single breath, giving him a sign to pour some more. As he finished the second cup, he dropped into his chair, leaning his head on the backrest.
“Did anything happen while I was gone?”
“You were gone just f
