diff --git a/src/gfx/pal_spec.cpp b/src/gfx/pal_spec.cpp
index 40a777d0..5251b4af 100644
--- a/src/gfx/pal_spec.cpp
+++ b/src/gfx/pal_spec.cpp
@@ -708,6 +708,7 @@ void parseBackgroundPalSpec(char const *arg) {
 		break;
 	default:
 		error("Unknown background color specification \"%s\"", arg);
+		return;
 	}
 
 	if (arg[size + 1] != '\0') {