“Well, look at that, he seems to like you!” Nela congratulated as she patted Braydon on the back. Their meeting with Geir had ended and he would stay a few more days whilst he deliberated his decision.

“What part of that looked like him liking me?” Braydon had to ask. The whole time that they had been speaking, Geir had been making snide remarks or was being contrarian for the sake of it. To Braydon that looked like a man that was doing his very best to make sure that Braydon hated him.

“I did say that he had a reputation for being a bit of a character didn’t I? Well you just saw his reputation and didn’t blow up at him. He is probably seriously considering taking on the job now.” Nela said that but Braydon still could not see the connection between the past hour and what she was telling him.

“And you figure that because?” Braydon still felt like blowing up at the man now.

“There is a reason why he is still an accepted scribe in Fiveria. Geir doesn’t act like that all of the time. Only to those that he either doesn’t like or wants to test. I doubt that he has any reason not to like you, so it is my guess that this was just a test.” Nela said with confidence but Braydon wasn’t so sure.

“You forget that my brother has many friends amongst Fiverian scholars, to me it seems just as likely that he did this because of some tale my brother has spun.” Braydon had already been told that someone was spreading rumours amongst the Fiverian intelligentsia that he was a kin-slayer. It did not take much for him to put two and two together.

“Well there is one way to find out.” She would not be dissuaded from her point of view.

“You mean to ask him? If I am right there is no way that he will admit as much to my face. Even if he is confrontational, I doubt that he would call him a kin-slayer to my face.” That sounded like a way to ensure that the number of possible tutors they had was cut in half to him.

“You know that I don’t mean that.” Nela just rolled her eyes. There was no way that after so long that Braydon still thought that being so direct was a good thing, or the way that she thought about doing things.

“I certainly don’t feel like rubbing his back to get an answer even if he was testing me.” Braydon had more self respect than that.

“You don’t have to. I will do it, it is you that he was testing, not me.” Nela had never intended for Braydon to enquire about it anyway. There was always the chance that Geir was not testing him and she did not want to see the result of that. She knew that she at least had a decent relationship with the man so there was no reason not to use that.

*knock knock*

“Come in.” Braydon said as the study door opened to reveal one of the castle guards.

“Sire. A message has just flown in from the palace.” The guard reported.

“Oh? The King wants to talk about something? Maybe his wife has finally shown up.” Braydon said in jest. He was personally betting on Duke Burn making him wait the whole year before he sends his daughter.

“That would certainly be one way of putting things.” Nela shook her head in amusement. Only someone like Braydon could phrase Duke Burn trying to subtly humiliate the King as he had phrased it.

“Let’s see… Oh. Oh…” Braydon did not like what he read.

“He found out.” Nela could already tell what that meant.

“He found out.” Braydon confirmed.

“So what are you going to do about it?” Nela asked. She doubted that Braydon would call off his operation when it was mere days from starting. He would likely not get another chance to do what he was about to do if he called it off now.

“It seems that I will need to get to the attacking part. As soon as possible.” Braydon was going to pretend that he had not seen the King’s letter until after he had started attacking. Nothing that could be done after the fact. He just had to make sure it was after the fact.

“Is the pigeon still here?” Nela looked to the guard that had just come in. Since it was a guard that had given the letter and not a messenger, it meant that it could only have come by pigeon.

“It should be, my lady.” The guard nodded.

“Make sure it stays here until tomorrow after I have left the castle to send it back with a note saying that I am away from the castle but will respond as soon as I have returned. But it should be sent tomorrow.” Braydon stressed. He was going to send his own pigeon to the mercenary company in Wathamalin to have them come to Cliforge as soon as possible. He could not have the King’s pigeon returning so early that it was obvious that he had run away whilst pretending to not have read the letter.

“As you say, Sire.” The guard left the study with his new instructions.

“So things will have to be drawn forwards by a week.” Nela commented.

“It is what it is. I am sure that Aled will have some choice things to say to me when we next meet.” Braydon knew the King would likely not buy that he was not in Cliforge when the letter arrived but that didn’t matter. All he needed was plausible deniability.

“Just choice words?” Nela looked at him. She would have said some kind of official reprimand.

“Depends if he is still dealing with Duke Burn’s intransigence.” Braydon shrugged his shoulders. He could deal with an official reprimand. Though if it did happen, he would likely not be seen as a part of the King’s close allies anymore. Regardless of how friendly he was with the King’s other allies at court.