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“Me too,” both Kevin and Julie said.

At first, I was a little surprised Kevin wanted to go with the ladies, but then I caught a hint of his blush as he joined Regina, and they headed off down the street.

“Could be a romance in the air,” Gina mused with a fond smile. “There are a couple of other tailors we can try if Ikaros doesn’t work out. Winston sent me the name of his British tailor as well.”

Rik let out a low grunt. “I love Winston’s suits—for him. That’s a little too formal for me. Unless you’d like us to be more formal, my queen.”

I snorted. “Like I said, I want you to be comfortable. Otherwise, I don’t care what you wear.” We walked for a few minutes, Gina on my left. Rik on my right, following Lew with everyone else in a loose oval around me. “Speaking of romance, when are you and Frank getting married?”

“Pish posh,” Gina retorted in a breezy tone. “Neither of us want or need the hassle. We’re perfectly happy just the way we are.”

“As long as you’re happy. Though of course I would love to see you walking down the aisle in a beautiful dress.”

“That ship sailed long ago. Besides, our duty is to you, my queen. I’ve dedicated my life to House Isador. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Well, if you did want to make it official, you have my full support and excitement. You’re both a vital part of House Isador and I need you. I want you to be deliriously happy.”

She tucked her arm through mine. “We are, I assure you.”

The song Frank and Regina sang last night echoed through my head, making me smile. I glanced over at Leonie, walking beside Jenrade. “Tell us about yourself, Jenrade. We haven’t really had time to get to know each other yet.”

“Oh. Well.” He stammered. “Your Majesty, I’m sorry, there’s not much to tell.”

Leonie tucked her arm through his. “That’s not true and you know it.”

“House Ijesha is very small,” he said, shaking his head. “Nothing like this. We lived a very simple, quiet life.”

“Near one of the most holy and sacred waterfalls in all of Africa,” Leonie added. “Not to mention how beautiful it is.”

“Olumirin is beautiful,” Jenrade said. “But not as beautiful as you, my queen.”

Her cheeks glowed and she tipped her head against his shoulder briefly. He glanced at me and his eyes flared wide. “And you, of course, Your Majesty.”

I laughed lightly. “Keep your compliments for our very beautiful queen, Jenrade.”

His head tipped slightly and Leonie blushed even more. Oops. Maybe she hadn’t told him exactly how much we enjoyed each other…?

:I told him,: she said quickly. :I just… Let’s just say I’m grateful you made it clear that you had no expectation that we should also share our Blood. No one will ever completely fill the holes left by Albin and Cyrile, but Jenrade has already taken up residence in my heart.:

:I’m glad you found someone who’s wholly yours,: I told her.

We rounded the corner and down the side of a large building to a smaller street. The buildings on either side were still just as grand and ornate as the larger chain stores on Champs-Élysées but with more individual, smaller shops I’d never heard of. At the end of the block, we found Ikaros, marked by a skull with butterfly wings on the storefront with words around the logo. “Sur les ailes de la mort.”

:On Death’s Wings,: Guillaume translated.

The windows displayed dramatic men’s suits and coats under eerie ultraviolet lighting. “Ooh, I think I’m going to like this place.”

Inside, the lighting was still mostly dark with blueish lights highlighting a mannequin in the center of a small front room wearing a long flaring trench-like coat. Under the blue lighting, it seemed to glow with indigo highlights. Underneath the coat, the mannequin wore a frilly old-fashioned shirt with long lace dripping out of the coat’s sleeves.

“No way could any of us fight in something like that,” Rik said.

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” a man said as he stepped out from the back of the shop. His silvered, full hair swept across his forehead. Fine lines creased the corners of his eyes and mouth as if he laughed and smiled a lot. He was only a few inches taller than me and wore a seemingly simple black suit. However, it was exquisitely cut and formed to his shoulders and body. Clearly very well made. “Welcome to Ikaros. We specialize in high-quality men’s wear that’s formal enough to meet royalty and yet durable enough to survive a duel. I like to say⁠—”

“If superheroes were real, Ikaros would be their costumer,” Lew said.

The man’s eyes lit up. “A returning customer! Splendid. What did we craft for you, sir?”

“A gryphon coat about forty years ago, and it still looks as good as it did on day one. And yes, I’ve fought a few duels in my day.”