After spending several days in Marcel's carriages, navigating the backroads of the Verdant Hills and traveling through the night, the last thing Maela wanted to do was spend more time in a carriage. When Ashlynn escorted her out of the Gilded Horns, however, she realized that this would be a very different trip from how they'd arrived.
Ashlynn had kept her presence at the Gilded Horns hidden so she and Jocelynn could cook in peace and enjoy a quiet meal with family before they had to don their public faces again. Now that they were making their way to the evening's event, however, the need for concealment had been replaced by all the needs of a traveling empress.
