Their journey back took about a week. Even with the use of teleportation runes scattered across the empire, Solara knew that the moment she returned to the capital, she would be buried in work. As such, these few days were deliberately spent in relaxation.
The whole time General Hadrik was with her, it wouldn't be a lie to say that it felt strange—almost too peaceful—returning to their empire as if nothing had happened.
The princess especially took her sweet time, as she even visited not-so-popular bathhouses while making sure that the truth that she had returned was kept secret for a few days.
At this point Hadrik's feeling changed from weird to bizarre. He didn't know how to feel, as he basically just went everywhere she did. He was more like a butler than a general, but he didn't mind.
The fact that Solara had been captured by the enemy forces was a great mistake that shouldn't happen again.
