In the grand hall of a medieval castle, three distinguished figures gathered around a polished oak table. Each bore the regal air of nobility, their attire reflecting their esteemed status.

The first aristocrat was tall and lean, with piercing blue eyes that seemed to penetrate the depths of one's soul. His jet-black hair cascaded in waves down his back, adorned with a simple silver circlet. He wore a deep crimson tunic, trimmed with gold thread that shimmered in the flickering candlelight. Around his waist, a belt of finely tooled leather held a jeweled dagger, a symbol of his authority.

The second aristocrat was of shorter stature but exuded an undeniable presence. His thick, chestnut hair was neatly trimmed, framing a square-jawed face marked by a well-groomed beard. He donned a luxurious cloak of emerald green, lined with ermine fur, which draped elegantly over his broad shoulders. Beneath it, a tunic of rich velvet in a shade of royal blue hinted at his wealth and power.

The third aristocrat possessed an air of refinement, his features softened by age and wisdom. His silver hair was neatly combed, and his beard meticulously trimmed. He wore a robe of deep purple, embroidered with intricate patterns that spoke of his impeccable taste and attention to detail. A golden brooch adorned his chest, holding a cloak of fine silk that billowed gracefully around him.

As they settled into their seats, the table before them was adorned with the tools of their trade. Scrolls of parchment lay unrolled, inkwells and quills at the ready for note-taking and correspondence. Maps depicting the lands were spread out, detailing the borders and territories within the kingdom they belonged to. At the center of the table sat a magnificent tapestry, depicting scenes of valor and conquest, a reminder of their shared history and aspirations.

"Marquis Orsini. It had been almost two years, since, the three great nobles had conference. Could you enlighten us the purpose of your summon?" The tall aristocrat spoke rudely and threw a quill to the paper before the oldest man in the room.

"Lord Orsini. You'd better have an acceptable reason for wasting our time." The bearded middle aged man further bombarded the oldest Marquis, Aguado Orsini.  

"Marquis Ezpeleta Alventos. I never expected you to be this rude to elderly." Aguado Orsini calmly picked up the quill and put it before the tall man, Ezpeleta Alventos. 

Aguado Orsini then turned to the bearded middle aged man and replied, "Don't be mean, Lord Osorio Astorga. We have never met for almost two years. I believe it should be about time now."

The bearded middle aged man, Marquis Osorio Astorga seemed annoyed at Marquis Aguado Orsini 's sangfroid.

The tall middle aged man, Ezpeleta Alventos pointed at the emblem on the wall of this Orsini's conference chamber and said, "Each of us leads different faction within Taragona kingdom. Each of us even meets the King and Duke separately."

Osorio Astorga retorted at Ezpeleta Alventos, "Lord Alventos, stop speaking about His Majesty the King and His Excellency the Duke. They are impartial after all."

Without appearing remorseful, Ezpeleta Alventos made a sharp remark, "Over half of the lower nobles; keep changing sides. Crossing the floor to survive. How pathetic!" 

"Are you accusing me of something, Alventos?" Osorio Astorga raised his voice but was met with Ezpeleta Alventos with sarcastic words,

"Hahaha, Lord Osorio, it is lame for feigning innocence after buying allegiance of the lords who followed me for years."

"You!" 

"Enough!" The calm Aguado Orsini finally interjected with an angry tone and the other two turned away from each other.

Silence enveloped the three proud men for several minutes.

"I believe it's not too late to congratulate our victory against the Moldavia kingdom in the 1 Year border war."

Orsini broke the silence.

"It was 6 months ago." Ezpeleta Alventos retorted but ceased his words when Osorio Astorga gave the slightly younger man a sharp stare. 

"It's not long considering we haven't met for almost two years." Marquis Astorga said after turning away from Marquis Alventos.

"We suffered a lot of casualties. Even 10 heads of noble houses were killed." Ezpeleta Alventos didn't capitulate but this time spoke unprovocative words.

"Since you mentioned the losses, I wanted to speak about a Baronet family who lost his former head, Maestro Sraffa."

Osorio's expression changed. He muttered, "That man was the third best swordsman in Taragona." 

"I heard his prodigal sons inherited his land and Baronet title. I don't remember his name but he was a hopeless womanizer who was average in sword."

Now Ezpeleta Alventos and Osorio Astorga exchanged words on the fate of the Sraffa family.

"Yes. Maestro's two eldest sons were killed months earlier in the same war."

Orsini only spectated the two men's discussion as if waiting for something to happen.

Ezpeleta Alventos seemed to purposely lead the conversation somewhere, "Despite being the lowest level of noble family, the house of Sraffa was granted a very big land decades ago."

"That's irrelevant. The present king's grandfather awarded them the border territory no one wanted. And the Sraffa family for decades had produced the best knights to protect our border against the barbarians. In the two wars for the last 5 years, Sraffa had conscripted their entire peasants until their land is now left with two small villages. They sacrificed a lot for the country."

Ezpeleta Alventos smiled as the conversation was going in the direction he wanted. He invoked, "That's the reason we should be very worried. Sraffa is now numerically inferior. The land's agricultural yield scarcely meets the demands of its inhabitants, thus rendering it susceptible to food scarcity. They couldn't even protect their two villages against weak bandits. Their present head, Piero Sraffa is a prodigal son who cannot defeat an average swordsman."

As if his bait was taken, Orsini interfered, 

"Lord Ezpeleta, you appear to know plenty of knowledge about Sraffa's plight." 

Meanwhile, Osorio Astorga furrowed his eyebrows, his thoughts adrift amidst a tempest of perplexity.

Ignoring the old Marquis' interrogation, Ezpeleta Alventos continued,

"I am wondering if we should remove the young lord from nobility and give away his land to a more qualified man."

Osorio entertained the idea without deep thought, "That's reasonable. It's very rare to remove one from nobility. Oh...about a year ago, it happened once on this continent. What's her name? Oh.. Baroness Malida, she was removed from her land and lordship by Moldavia. The reason was due to her gender."

Marquis Orsini sighed as Ezpeleta Alventos ignored his question and interjected again,

"All land in the kingdom was vested in the King. The power of land alienation is now delegated to the Council of Marquis. The council is empowered if the majority of the Marquis voted for it, in our case, if two among us vote, the decision is upheld. We could remove a noble family from its land, confer a noble rank up to Viscount level and alienate the land to that new noble family."

Ezpeleta clapped his hands twice and happily suggested, "As the three of us are here, we should discuss and vote for that."

Sensing another chance, Marquis Orsini spoke again, "I called you here as many noble sent me letters to remove the house of Sraffa from their land. They even used exactly the same words as if they are working in cahoots."

Osorio's eyes widened as he came to realization. He stood and barked at the smirking Ezpeleta Alventos,

"You..you conspired with them!" 

The old man, Marquis Aguado Orsini nodded as Osorio guessed correctly.

The tension in the grand chamber escalated as Osorio Astorga's accusation echoed off the stone walls. His gaze bore into Ezpeleta Alventos, who met it with an unflinching stare.

"It's preposterous to accuse me of such treachery," Ezpeleta Alventos declared, his voice laced with indignation. "I have always acted in the best interests of Taragona Kingdom, as have you, Marquis Astorga."

But Osorio remained unconvinced, his fists clenched at his sides. "You've always been cunning, Alventos. Always plotting and scheming behind our backs."

"How about you? You bought some of my retainers."

Marquis Orsini, ever the voice of reason, interjected once more. "Let us not jump to conclusions. Accusations without evidence serve no purpose."

Despite Orsini's attempt to diffuse the tension, the atmosphere remained charged with suspicion and distrust. The three nobles found themselves at an impasse, each grappling with their own thoughts and suspicions.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, Osorio Astorga spoke again, his tone softer but no less resolute. "If what Marquis Orsini says is true, and there is indeed a coordinated effort to remove the Sraffa family from their land, then we must uncover the truth behind this conspiracy."

Ezpeleta Alventos scoffed, his disdain evident. "Conspiracy or not, the fact remains that the Sraffa family is no longer fit to hold their title. We cannot allow sentimentality to cloud our judgment."

Orsini raised a hand, calling for calm. "Let us not make hasty decisions. We will investigate this matter thoroughly before taking any action. In the meantime, let us adjourn this meeting and reconvene once we have gathered more information."

Reluctantly, the three nobles agreed to table the discussion for the time being. As they rose from their seats and made their way out of the grand hall, the weight of uncertainty hung heavy in the air.

Little did they know, this meeting would set into motion a chain of events that would reshape the political landscape of Taragona Kingdom forever.