The banquet tables were laden with decadent foodstuffs and decorations made in the most intricate designs. Tablecloths practically glittered under the chandelier's steady light. The clothes of the guests too were resplendent. The amount of work put into each dress and each suit was probably enough to keep half the city's tailors employed for just this small handful of people. The change in scenery was enough to give me whiplash even without considering how quickly it had all come together. It was as if the nobility's real occupation was to be on standby for the next social gathering with how quickly the responses to invitations had flooded back. Inquisitor Risch's visit had felt almost like a slight in how quickly it had come and went, but now it was hard to tell whether it was just me who felt that way. The one and only thing this place had in common with the safe house in the wharfs was the underlying stench of alcohol.
Some of the lords and ladies greeted me as they shuffled by, on to join in on conversations which were being had by the most important people. Others took the fact that I wasn't part of such a circle or moving toward one as a sign that I was not worth noticing. It didn't much matter to them why the party had been held or who had held it, it was just the fact that a party was being held at all that mattered. How else could they climb the stairs to the hierarchy among the nobility?
It was hard to tell that I had even hired musicians since they could barely be heard above voices raised to project authority, the clinking of glasses in toasts, and the unending clicking of shoes on the marble floor. It wasn't as if I had expected to create some sort of imagined high class ambience, but it was still a clear step below what I had imagined.
While the king did not lower himself to matters of governance, he had still managed to find it in himself to attend. He was surrounded by one of the few lasting throngs of people, making a small sort of imitation court to attend him. Noblemen vociferously agreed with every word that the king uttered and noblewomen did their level best to make each coo and each sigh sound more taken with his ideas than the last. Few of those ideas made it to the end of even a sentence before they were covered up by agreement, but those that did were safely in the realm of the apolitical. Some musician had outdone themselves with a composition or some sculptor's rendition of the king's likeness had been particularly flattering. It was all a careful dance around anything that could be construed as a real opinion as could be.
One part of me dreaded trying to convince all these people that I would protect their interests and do it better than anyone else, but the rest of me relished the challenge. It wasn't as if I would have the responsibility of following through either since I would just be passing off the work anyway. Maybe this was how politicians felt when they ran on promises that they would never fulfill and assurances that they would work hard which only lasted as long as new years resolutions.
For my first target, Mary had picked out one of the already council members, Duke Seffith. He was apparently known for wearing his emotions on his sleeve, but even so it was said that he wasn't easily manipulated. Mary's coaching had amounted to 'come off strongly' and 'don't back down.'
Even from far enough away that I could've yelled his name and he wouldn't have heard it over the noise, Duke Seffith stood out. He was balding and half a head shorter than the other old men that he surrounded himself with, but he made up for it with broadness. If they ever struck up the nerve, it wouldn't have been surprising if the waiters could fit one of their trays on his shoulder without it hanging out into the open air. I kept my observations to myself as I approached, and I glued a smile onto my face.
"Lord Duke, it seems our host has come to greet you. Should we take this up some other time then?" asked one military-looking man. Either they had developed some way to communicate telepathically, or he didn't wait for an answer, because he and the rest of them peeled off to find other places to be. The evidence of my unpopularity didn't give me any new confidence for what I needed to do.
"I hope you're enjoying this small gathering tonight, Lord Seffith?"
"How could I not when the company is such as it is? You have outdone yourself Baron Masler." Duke Seffith said politely, "This old man senses that you aren't bothering yourself with me just for my sake. Humor me and don't wait until I've passed away, will you?"
"Of course I wouldn't want to put things off for such a long, long time. Luckily your health seems to be good enough that I have some time to be sure of my words." I laughed. "It's just that when I had to choose who first to consult with, your experience made you the only choice. The truth is, it feels almost disrespectful to try to put myself on a level comparable to your own, but seeing the other possibilities, they only presented the worse of affronts. Rather than see the council muddied, I came to ask for your endorsement. After all, I'm sure our king is looking for stability in such troubled times and what else but the most tested bloodlines can give that with surety?"
The Duke mulled my proposal over in silence. Or as silent as it could be while the musicians and guests fought a war to be heard over the other. There was always the possibility that I was shot down immediately and our plan came apart at the seams, but here at least, Mary had decided it was the least likely. Compared to other candidates being floated, I truly was the one with the oldest bloodline, my spirit's origins notwithstanding. That alone was already a huge point in my favor.
"I don't suppose that you have thought much about what you want to do with such a responsibility at your age?" Duke Seffith inquired.
"I do have certain priorities of my own, but mostly I assumed that the other members of the council would get me used to how things are done." I lied, blatantly leaving out the fact that I wouldn't even be the one they would be dealing with. "I'm sure you remember my role in bringing my father to justice. Such cases would be my foremost interest. I simply can't stand the thought of the nobility perpetrating lowly acts of villainy as he did."
"If that's the case, then it would be a misstep for me to stand in your way. Rather than rely on the council at large however, I know that some of our fellows do not feel nearly as strongly about seeing justice meted out to their peers. I am certain that I can get you used to the necessary procedures without bothering them."
We continued with our exchange of pleasantries for a couple minutes longer, but eventually the conversation wound down and I excused myself, ostensibly for refreshments. My next stop was far from refreshing, but it couldn't be helped. Count Hakshaku was in the typical shape of a scheming noble who whispered honeyed words into the king's ear. Whether it was because there was too much sugar in his diet or that he just ate in proportion to his wealth, his robes of office draped in front of him like a tablecloth over a rickety old table that nobody wanted to see.
He hadn't been as much a character in the game as he had been scenery. One of many nobles who stood in backgrounds and looked powerful. Here though, it was clear that either his weight or his influence created for him a sort of gravitational pull. I only needed to let myself join one of the orbits which gradually circled toward him. Here, the people were very different from the very serious pair that had been talking with Duke Seffith. Flamboyance was used as a way to signal attention to trends and closeness to trendsetters. References to the latest artistic marvels were forced into nearly every sentence uttered as if they fancied themselves artists of yet another kind. The ones who seemed to be better at it, more fully incorporating it all, were nearly incomprehensible both in how they talked and how they appeared distinctly inhuman.
It was something of a relief that, despite the fact that he seemed perfectly capable of joining in, Count Hakshaku greeted me normally. "It is a wonderful party that you have conjured up on such short notice. Especially the wine! The occasions where I get to indulge in such well-aged vintages are too rare, too rare! Makes you wonder, what's the point if you're so busy that you can't sometimes have a glass? But I'm blathering. It's something that comes with getting older."
"Not at all, Count Hakshaku. It is my duty as a host to listen to my guests' blathering and yours barely qualifies in comparison." I sidestepped a woman dressed in orange with blue feathers sticking out from odd angles as she stumbled past. "On top of soliciting compliments, I wanted to get some advice from you. I've decided that I should strive to make up for my father's failings by dedicating myself to the kingdom's betterment and filling the newest opening on the council seemed the best way for me to do that. Unlike some of the other members who were able to rely on their names and family to secure their positions, you have clearly done the most through your own efforts out of any on the council. Since I don't have much of a house to support me anymore, I hoped that you would know the best path for me."
Just as there was no break from the little dance I had been doing to not run into anyone while they stumbled in every which way, Count Hakshaku was quick to respond. "You make it sound like I have the council in the palm of my hand. I regret to inform you that my successes have not been so grand, but I do sympathize with your plight. Indeed, it was my own path to rely on the connections of my seniors to pave the way for me. I would be an ungrateful sort of old bastard if I didn't do the same. It's just that there are a couple of places where there is no choice but to bend for the sake of overcoming our circumstances."
Look at our little Baron playing the political game. It seems the Count are implying to our Baron to make some concession.
Thank you for the chapter.