"Look, isn't that His Grace?"
"Who is he with? Is that a man?"
"Oh my… how gentle the Duke looks."
"Wow, I can't imagine His Grace acting like that. Who is that person with him?"
Whispers spread quickly through the plaza, growing louder the longer Draen and Lewis remained in view. People slowed their steps, some are openly staring while others tried to pretend they weren't watching at all.
Nobles lowered their voices behind fans, merchants paused in the middle of their conversation and even the knights stationed nearby remained perfectly still, though the attention around them was impossible to ignore.
And Draen heard every word.
His exceptional hearing caught each fragment of gossip with perfect clarity, even the ones spoken under breath yet his expression did not change in the slightest. He simply continued kneeling in front of Lewis with his hands still steady and unhurried as he massaged Lewis' tired feet as though the world around them did not exist.
