Jacob chuckled as Iris shook his hand, “Have a good life, Iris, and stay safe out there.” He waited for her to exit the car and then watched her walk away from a few seconds more before he put the vehicle in drive and turned it around to head back to the capital. Fortunately, he had just enough fuel left to make it back without stopping at any of the pumps along the highway—which he was sure were being watched by opportunistic thieves who would try to jump him the minute he stepped out to top off the gasoline—and he returned to the border without any incidents.

From there, it was a straight shot back to the palace, where he found Caspian between meetings. With his sedan back in the garage and a check-in done with the other guards, Jacob stepped into the king’s [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b7/95/81/b79581ce29dc5722780d7f8f4cbe4b2e.jpg][color=aba000][b]executive office[/b][/color][/url], where the new monarch was flipping through what looked like a report on the growth of a few pharmaceutical companies that were essential to Aspiria’s production of drugs and healthcare equipment. The moment he entered the room, Cas looked up and set the stack of papers down in front of him.

[color=#b97703]“Any chance you could read these for me?”[/color] he asked the security guard with a tired half-smile. After his meeting with the warden, he’d had a second session with a representative of the company he was looking over now who was asking for financing from the crown to support a new business endeavor. The man had told him that the company didn’t have enough funding to expand their research and had left him with a sea of diagrams and figures to ‘confirm’ his conclusion. Cas had assured him that he would review the stats thoroughly and get back to him with an answer before the end of the week, but the reading was already starting to make his head hurt.

He wasn’t completely demoralized though. Despite the amount of work that had been dumped on him that afternoon, he was still riding the high of his success with the warden. He had arranged to drop Iris’s charges and had signed written proof that the crown no longer viewed her as a threat. All that was left was to spread the word among the soldiers who were still looking for her, so she could leave the [i]Sunset Veil[/i] without fear of arrest. He couldn’t wait to tell her the news.

“Legally, no,” Jacob replied, striding over to the long, polished desk in the back of the room. “However, if it’s the same group that was pestering your father over the last few months, chances are good that they’re just looking for another handout to increase the pay of their top CEOs. I wouldn’t take their word at face value, Your Majesty.”

[color=#b97703]“Hm,”[/color] Cas grunted, glancing at the papers again with a frown and then pushing them aside. [color=#b97703]“It’s still hard for me to tell when someone is just trying to take advantage of me.”[/color]

“You’re a new ruler,” Jacob lifted his shoulders. “They’re testing their boundaries with you. My advice is don’t be afraid to say ‘no’ often and repeatedly. You’re going to need it until the dust settles, and you establish yourself as our leader.”

[color=#b97703]“I just wish I was better at it,”[/color] Cas shook his head, pulling his arms over his head in a long stretch. [color=#b97703]“Anyway, I’m glad you stopped by, Jacob. I wanted to ask you for a favor.”[/color]

“A favor?” the guard arched a brow.

[color=#b97703]“Yeah, I’ve… kind of been working on something between all the meetings. Something I didn’t tell you about,”[/color] he admitted, shuffling his feet underneath the desk. [color=#b97703]“I’ve actually been staying in touch with Iris since she went missing… I put her up at a resort on the outskirts of the city to hide her from the guards, and we’ve been talking on the phone almost every night. I still love her, and I want to be with her, so… I had her charges dropped today, so she can move into the palace with me.”[/color] The words tumbled out quickly, and he eyed Jacob’s reaction for any sign of shock or disapproval as he went on, [color=#b97703]“I wanted to know if you could fly me out to pick her up tonight at the [i]Sunset Veil[/i]. Taking one of the hover cars will be faster than driving, so we can get back earlier, and she’ll have time to settle in. Do you think you could do that for me?”[/color]

Jacob took a measured breath. He had prepared for this to happen, and he could already tell things were going to deteriorate even faster than he’d expected. As soon as Caspian discovered Iris was gone, he was going to crumble. However, he couldn’t give the king any hints that he already knew she’d fled the city, so he simply bowed his head and replied in a cool, courteous voice: “I’d be happy to, Your Majesty.”

Just like he would be there for the monarch when he broke.