Braydon did not find himself unaccompanied for long. Whilst he had returned to his seat and Marquess Downs was preoccupied that meant that other lords saw the opportunity to talk to him. And since he had been to give his gift to the royal couple there were more than a few reasons to do so.

“If you ever need my help, be sure to send word.” Said new southern lord no. 3. Whilst many of the new lords that the King had ennobled were nominally connected to the royal family, sometimes it was a tenuous link. If there was a way they could integrate themselves into the noble circles more, they were going to take it.

He was an up and coming lord but held the pedigree of the traditional nobility. Even if Braydon was not one to play too much in the politics of the capital, he was a decent choice to make friends with. Not to mention his perceived closeness to the King.

“I am sure that I will.” Braydon was lying. He was pretty sure that if he were ever in so much trouble to look for someone he had met one time, he would have problems bigger than a new noble could solve.

“If I were to guess by the number of people coming to talk to you, I would say it is your wedding.” This time it was a face Braydon recognised.

“And I presume that I would be marrying you?” Braydon shot back.

“And what would we become? Ethan Fiton or Braydon Fornton?” Ethan said.

“I would prefer that neither ever become the case.” He decided to end that line of thought before it began.

“So what did you get an ear lashing for?” Ethan was just as curious as everyone else, but he knew Aled and Braydon well enough to tell that the King had been annoyed by something Braydon did.

“I put my fingers in someone else’s pie. And the King only found out after I did it.” Braydon smiled slightly.

“Well that depends on which pie you chose.” Ethan could only imagine what Braydon could have done.

“Shuluk.” Braydon lowered his voice. There was no need for everyone else to find out before everything had settled down.

“Are you sure you will not get indigestion?” As the pieces came together in his mind, Ethan’s eyes widened slightly.

“From your expression you will before I do.” Braydon laughed.

“No wonder you were buttering him up, but even so? A tiara?” Ethan had to ask.

Whilst it may have been too far to hear what was being said, everybody in the room had seen what the gifts were. Especially since the Queen had decided to wear them on the spot. It was hard not to notice.

“If they did not get alone, it would only have been a necklace.” Braydon added.

“I had already guessed that they got along but to think you had planned that in advance. You have more money than sense.” Ethan shook his head. He had put all of his resources into repairing his territory and improving it afterwards. Even with the King’s aid he had only accrued a modest personal wealth.

“Iron prices are sky high. When a rebel faction controls half of the continent’s iron supply that happens.” He shrugged.

Though Braydon failed to mention that that supply of iron was now in his hands. It would likely not be long before people found that out. His guess would be that the Serheshi merchants would find out soon. The first people to notice movements were always the traders. Especially when it was something as significant and close to home as the Shuluk iron mines.

“What should we toast to then, your wealth or the King’s health?” Ethan asked, handing Braydon a goblet.

“To both.” Braydon said as he raised his newly acquired drink.

“To both.” Ethan did the same.

“I assume that you could do with talking to these new guys more than I could.” Braydon changed the topic back to the start of their conversation.

“You could say that.”

Ethan’s fief was, like most in the west, rich due to it being on one of the main routes to the capital. His father had made sure to ruin that and it took a while to build up new relations with merchants. And as it so happened a number of the newly ennobled were merchants and traders before their elevation.

“Then I will make sure to send some your way.” He was more than happy to. Most of these lords had nothing of interest to Braydon either way, he might as well help out a friend.

“I would thank you if I did not know you just cannot be bothered to deal with them all.”

“You could thank me regardless.” Braydon chuckled.

“That would be giving you too much credit. You might be more popular than me right now but we have a week. They will quickly realise that you are not interested.” Ethan was right. Even newly ennobled merchants had some self respect. They would give up eventually.

“I hope that is sooner than later.”

“You could always run over to your beloved. I am sure that all would be understanding then.” Ethan nodded in the direction of Nela. She had since separated from her father and joined up with Lani who had come to the banquet with her illusive husband.

“Maybe after I have spoken with her father.”

“Asking for her hand already?” Ethan laughed.

“I can ask her personally. No need to ask Cinar before her.” Braydon shook his head at his friend who seemed to think himself a jester.

“How romantic of you.”