Chapter 76: North
Jett rolled his shoulders and tugged his shirt over muscles still buzzing from Eleonora’s touch.
"Front and center, ladies," he drawled, patting the mattress.
Mia arrived first, back straight, every movement precise. "Your itinerary awaits, Master Jett," she said, voice soft yet edged as her gaze flicked to Eleonora’s flushed cheeks.
Noctlisa swaggered in next, eyeing Eleonora from head to toe. "Damn, Ellie, he wrung you out like a tavern mop," she laughed, crude grin stretching wide. "Hope he’s still got juice for the rest of us."
Eleonora flushed a deeper crimson but refused to look away. A trembling exhale escaped her lips.
Mia’s fingers tightened around the clipboard she carried. "Mind your tongue, Noctlisa," she chided, tone genteel but steel-lined. "Master Jett’s satisfaction is not fodder for the gutter."
Noctlisa winked at Master Jett. "Gutter’s where the fun starts, head maid."
Jealous sparks everywhere, Jett mused, amused.Can’t blame them—Ellie hit a nerve.
He clapped once. "Eyes up. Skia—the capital of Dukedom Stormcloud—is rebuilding, and the duke’s waiting."
Morning light spilled across scaffolds and fresh-cut marble while cranes creaked and masons hollered, a symphony of rebirth echoing across the square.
An escort bearing Stormcloud colors advanced below, Duke Stormcloud at its head, armor gleaming beneath fresh polish. The man’s smile was thin but genuine.
Jett met him halfway down the grand stairs. Stormcloud clasped his forearm. "Spare me the speeches, Warden. You’ll be back before the new spires cure, and we both know it."