Atticus was inconsolable for the rest of the day.
He hadn't been present when Nereus and Jonah prepared to leave Vramid. Of course, Daphne did not expect Atticus to show up while sending Nereus off, but she was surprised to see that he wasn't even present when Jonah was about to leave as well.
Nereus left in the afternoon — Daphne and Zephyr had sent him off, along with Sirona, who left him a list of instructions on how to care for his new eye during this recovery period — but once night fell and dinner was done and over with, Jonah had his bags prepared and ready to go.
Sirona said her goodbyes separately. By the time Daphne reached the front gates, Sirona had already exchanged her words with Jonah and was headed back for the palace. Seeing that Daphne had shown up alone, Jonah couldn't help but shake his head with a sad, disappointed laugh.
"He is like an overgrown child," Jonah commented, sighing in defeat.
Check out the prequel: The Hidden King's Stolen Wife