Chapter Text
The clink of delicate cups and vicious gossip filled the air. In the heart of Magenta, the palace tea garden bulged with well-flounced nobles of the kingdom, and servants tended to them quietly. Sardonic laughter and angry grumbles normally mixed with the quiet strings of live music, but in an unusual circumstance, the air was nearly boisterous this day instead.
A group in one secluded nook cheered as one more person arrived to the table. One noble in particular waved the new arrival to sit faster.
“You’re late! I am magnanimous enough that I will clue you into the news - it’s only just reached the capital.”
“Who hasn’t heard the news about Her Majesty and the necromancers?” Another at the table interjected, nose high in the air.
The first noble harrumphed. “Bah, not all of us have family in the Order of Thornbush to give us advance news."
A third noble leaned against the table.
“Her Majesty finally cracked open that nasty necromancer from… where was it, Namaran?”
“Yes, yes, the whole terrible affair last winter, with that Hell’s Knight.”
“Ha, and Lloyd Frontera.”
“Gracious, I thought he helped with the recent Peace Treaty with the Sultan Kingdom?”
“Bah, fool, he did both!”
“He is quite the rising star. Helping cement historical peace treaties, and providing Her Majesty with the key to the necromancer’s lair, all in one year.”
“With Her Majesty ripping the throats out of the last scourge of dark arts users, I’d say his reputation is at an all-time high!”
“A morbid way to put it, but indeed.”
“Goodness, maybe he’ll finally join with another noble house soon.”
A teacup clattered to the table.
The trio of nobles turned to glance at the startled newcomer, each looking pleased.
“Ha! Told you it was good news!”
“You said no such thing. But it is indeed a relief to know that Her Majesty herself has raised her blade to rid us of such a terrible organization.”
“So brave! I’m glad they can’t harm her or our kingdom ever again.”
“They couldn’t possibly! But perhaps the most interesting news for our friend here is that the Frontera lad can’t possibly keep turning down proposals, eh?”
“How crass. But given the situation…”
“Goodness, yes, that man has already denied my lovely cousin. You remember her, yes? Listen here, last time…”
The gossip continued to flow, as it always had. But the newcomer’s hand had a vice-like grip on their seat arm, and the taste of copper filled their mouth. When the group finally left together, a servant hesitantly cleared the warped and destroyed silverware hidden in the cracks of the seat cushions.
***
Lloyd would never admit that he got a little misty-eyed as he watched Julian and Sheherazade’s carriage drive away from their wedding celebrations. And even if anyone claimed they saw such a thing, he was fully prepared to blame the raucous post-wedding festivities for whipping up any pollen on the abundantly beflowered tents. And even if maybe, perhaps, he could concede that his satisfied grin was possibly a little wobbly, it wasn’t like he could say, “that rascal, who’s now my little brother, was supposed to have died alone and desperate, and instead he’s graduated, married, and happy.” And speaking of marriage, Sheherazade was a surprising bonus too. Also originally destined for an unhappy end, Lloyd could only grin when the tough woman blushed during the ceremony – first when she got her necklace with the Frontera seal, officially making her a part of the family, and then even more when the newlyweds sealed the deal with a kiss.
Sue him. It was a good day.
And most importantly of all, I just got confirmation that their union has already made my life easier!
Lloyd hummed to himself, practically skipping out of his meeting with Count Ventura and back to the garden. Not even his uncomfortable formal suit, ordered in a rush when the countess realized his previous one was lost ages ago to the Gigatitan, could sour his mood. The guests of honor had left for their honeymoon, but the festivities were still going strong. The tents covered in flowers dotted the manor grounds, with gaggles of nobles mingling under them.
Lloyd poked his head inside the nearest one and glanced around. When he didn’t find what he was looking for, he changed course towards the food table. Before he could take a few steps however, a young woman stepped forward.
“Young lord Lloyd Frontera, it’s a pleasure,” she greeted. “I am Emelia Montego.”
Ah, the daughter of a Count. A big fish too.
Lloyd whipped up a business-like grin. “Wonderful to meet you, Lady Montego. I hope you’re enjoying the celebrations?”
“Oh, it’s been lovely. The atmosphere is so romantic, don’t you agree?” She batted her eyelashes at him awkwardly, before glancing over his shoulder.
Ah.
Lloyd saw some movement from the corner of his eye, and saw an older, mustached man reflected in a silver water jug giving a thumbs up from behind him. He felt himself start to sweat a little.
These are starting up again?
He thought he had made it pretty clear to all prospective father-in-law’s that he wasn’t interested. In fact, he had just escaped the clutches of the sultan of Asfahan himself.
If I was going to marry for political advantage, it probably wouldn’t get better than a princess!
Lloyd felt his grin turn a little bitter, but stood firm.
“Yes, I am pleased my brother and the princess of Asfahan found each other despite all odds. They’re so sweet, I think I’ve had my fill. Completely. As in I’m uninterested in any more, thank you. Enjoy the festivities!” He said, neatly sidestepping her.
Lloyd heard an offended noise behind him, but kept moving quickly, tugging at his collar as he wove through the crowd. He made sure to greet people properly, the nobles coming from all corners of the kingdom. Lloyd dodged another grimacing young lady who was clearly nudged in his direction by an imperious looking older woman, and got stuck chatting for some time with an old baron who clearly couldn’t hear well. By the time he extracted himself from the battlefield to arrive at the food table, it had already been a half hour.
“Whew. Alright, let’s load up a plate…” He muttered to himself. His good mood wasn’t lost, but it had certainly dimmed.
“Lloyd Frontera?” A young man asked, clearly in the middle of grabbing something for himself.
The business-grin returned to Lloyd’s face.
“That’s me.”
“Ah, excuse me,” The man quickly wiped one of his hands on his pants and reached out for a handshake. “I am Quinten Cordona, son of Count Cordona.”
Lloyd paused mid handshake.
“Cordona…?”
“Ahem, yes, I believe you met my sister Carlotta last year.”
He most certainly had. Hard to forget the first lady he had turned down in that hectic flurry of proposals before Namaran.
“Lady Cordona mentioned previously that she was not interested in an arranged marriage, if that’s what we’re discussing?” Lloyd brought up hesitantly.
“No, no, my father realized that sending my sister was not the right move. He hoped you and I could have a discussion instead?”
Lloyd let out a breath of relief at not having upset a potential future client.
“That’s good to hear!” Lloyd said brightly. “I’m happy to discuss any business plans you both might have about construction. We can go over the general idea today, and meet again if there’s something worth mutually pursuing.”
The young man coughed, and oddly turned a little pink.
“Um, that’s not what I-”
“Quinten Cordona, you snake!” Came a shriek beside them.
A livid looking young woman bee-lined for Quinten, practically dragging him away, berating him with furious whispers that sounded something like “broken promise” and “jumping the line.”
Oooooo-k, not involving myself in this lover’s spat.
Lloyd snatched a plate full of delicious food, and booked it out of the tent. Finally free, he searched the grounds again. He grinned when he spotted what he was looking for.
The music and chatter dimmed as he got to the edge of the festivities. He leaned against an oak decorated with wedding streamers, and craned his neck around the corner.
“You’ll have to work harder than that to hide from me,” Lloyd said.
Silver hair poked out from the other side of the tree, followed by a handsome face.
“I was not hiding,” Javier replied coolly.
“Oh, I see, so just abandoning your duties instead? How bold.”
Lloyd snickered at the eyebrow twitch that comment received. Javier raised his head in the air.
“I felt it was an excellent time for young master Lloyd to meet with the guests, but it is my own failure for having not anticipated this obvious possibility.”
“Possibility?”
“Clearly if you are in need of my protection skills, then you have already incurred the wrath of one of the guests with a poorly timed con.”
“Hey now.”
Instead of responding to the insult, which I could, I definitely could, Lloyd thought, he simply huffed and presented the plate of food to Javier.
“I’m here to celebrate, you rude so-in-so.”
Javier finally walked around to Lloyd’s side of the tree, once again revealing his ridiculous new suit. Lloyd hadn’t been the only one in need of a new formal outfit. While Lloyd was more or less a well-liked noble, the old tailor woman had practically cried at getting the chance to design for a devastatingly handsome man and had gone little overboard. Javier shifted uncomfortably in the ornate clothes, and accepted the plate Lloyd was holding out with a raised eyebrow.
“You say this as if Young Master Julian’s wedding celebrations are not still in progress.”
Lloyd waved him off.
“Not those celebrations. Count Ventura had some excellent news for me from the queen,” Lloyd’s eyes sparkled.
“I assume your plans of having the queen go easy on you have yielded results?” Javier said.
“Bingo!” Lloyd crowed, snatching a morsel from the plate Javier was holding. “I have been ‘requested’ at the palace, not ordered. It’s only a matter of time before my sweet retirement!”
Javier sighed, but didn’t comment. Lloyd smiled at that, before snagging another morsel.
“Dude, take a bite before I finish this off by myself.”
“I had assumed you simply grew tired of holding your own plate.”
“Huh? No, man, it’s to share. To share.”
“I was not aware Master Lloyd knew of the concept,” Javier said, delicately selecting one of the sweets available.
Lloyd grumbled, but couldn’t find it in him to be upset. The wedding, the news, good food… It had been a good day. In fact, it had possibly been one of the best days since arriving in Lorasia. And while he still couldn’t rest quite yet, he felt closer to his honey-filled life than ever before.
They ate quietly for the rest of the party, settling down to relax against the tree, watching the antics of tipsy nobility. A portly count flaunted some petty magic tricks he learned recently, and a few women excitedly danced in unison to one of the songs the musicians strummed. At one point Javier nearly stood to break up a drunken fight between two viscounts hollering about having the better fiefdom before their own knights separated them. The sun began to set, and one by one, the party-goers either left in carriages, or retreated to the Frontera guest annex. By silent agreement, the two stood up and walked back to the estate together.
Count and Countess Frontera were waving goodbye to a grumbling noble swaying over to their carriage when Lloyd and Javier arrived. They looked tired, but content. The countess spotted them first, and perked up.
“Good evening you two! Wasn’t today lovely?”
“Plenty of good things today for sure!” Lloyd grinned.
The count and countess gave him confused smiles, while Javier sighed.
“The wedding was beautiful, my lady,” he said.
The countess perked up again.
“Thank you, Sir Asrahan! I wanted to ensure Julian had the best we could offer on his happiest day,” she smiled. The count gazed down at her softly. Lloyd recalled Julian looking similar not even a few hours previously, and couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I don’t think you have to worry about him being happy today,” he said.
The count and countess looked ready to tear up for perhaps the third time that day, quickly reaching out to grasp each other’s hand tightly. Lloyd let loose a helpless lopsided smile at the sight of the couple. After a moment, they seemed to gather their wits.
“With a day such as this, however, we do wonder when it’s your turn, son. We can’t keep denying people forever,” the count raised an eyebrow with a smile.
“Hey, now,” Lloyd said, startled, “This is Julian’s day, we can let that idea rest for a while…”
“We just want you happy, dear,” said the countess, eyes gazing imploringly.
Lloyd started to sweat, and a suspicious sounding puff of air came from Javier by his side which sounded a lot like laughter being restrained. Punk. He rubbed the back of his neck, and frowned.
“I said to wait a few years, and I stick by that. I promise I’m not shutting people down for the fun of it,” he muttered out finally. Despite his embarrassment, Lloyd noticed the count and countess pause and glance at each other worriedly. He suddenly thought about the drunken noble that left earlier, clearly unhappy.
“You were getting hounded today too?” Lloyd realized.
The count brought up a hand to rub the back of his own neck.
“Well… we had many wonderful and kind congratulations from the visitors. We also had people wondering when the next wedding would be… and if they could help set it up,” the count gave a weak smile.
Lloyd grimaced.
“The wedding must have put the fellow nobles in a frenzy,” the countess held her hand to her chest tightly. “You have received quite a few offers lately, not just today. And they seem to be more… assertive as of late.”
“Honey…” The count gently untangled his hand from his wife’s to put his arm around her shoulders.
“I know, dear, but he should not be in the dark about this,” the countess instantly clasped onto the count’s hand instead. “Lloyd, dear, we trust you, and know you must be holding off for a purpose. We simply want what will make you happy. But please keep an open mind, as love comes from unexpected angles. And keep watch for those who may try to take advantage of that fact.”
Lloyd opened and closed his mouth a few times, but couldn’t think of anything to say. Even Javier held still as a statue by his side. It had been some time since the count and countess spoke so seriously about something other than the estate.
Unexpected angles… They really are just trying to make sure I’m happy and safe.
Lloyd ignored the twinge in his heart as he considered the last time he had someone to care for him like that. He let out a slow breath.
“I understand,” he said quietly, “Though let’s just bask in Julian’s lucky love for a while instead. For now, I will still deny any proposals.”
“That is all we could ask for now,” the count smiled. “Now come, it’s getting quite late. You should head to bed. You as well Sir Asrahan.”
The couple shooed the men inside the estate. Lloyd and Javier took the escape route, drooping after the long day. Lloyd absently watched Javier go back to fussing with his suit, clearly eager to be free from it.
Unexpected angles…
He ruffled his hair with force.
Time for bed.