"I'm leaving," Mattia muttered, dragging a hand down his face as though willing his emotions into order.

"I'm heading to the … Kingdom," he added, catching Marcello off guard.

"You don’t have to"

"I want to," Mattia cut him off firmly. "I can’t stay here right now. Taking responsibility for the Kingdom will be distraction enough, and we need someone dependable to handle the task." His voice carried a steadiness Marcello rarely heard from him.

Marcello studied him carefully. ...