"Lord Nozim, I was looking for you."
Theodos walked toward the duke, his hands full with a paper stack. Surprisingly, the councilor wore his monocle this time, giving him a scholarly look.
Valerius looked at the councilor, nodded, and asked, trying to keep the following conversation as short as possible. The journey was going to be long and he didn't want to waste time here.
"May I know why is the King's right-hand man looking for me?"
The councilor placed the stack of paper in an enormous compartment of his attire before turning his attention to the duke. "Something important came up, and I have to travel to Enrilth Keep. I was wondering if your Lordship will allow me to travel alongside you?"
Valerius frowned, his displeasure growing. Acrisios told him he would not be followed by anyone other than the man provided to him by the princess. And now something important comes up?
It was too much of a coincidence to be believable.
Despite having asked the question, Theodos continued, not allowing Valerius to speak. "I will have to stop at different academies on the way there, so I won't be able to travel all the way to Enrilth. I hope you won't reject my request, Your Lordship."
This confused the duke. Why would the king assign a man to follow him around if said man would stop long before the end of their travel. As he was pondering on Acrisios' intention, something caught Valerius' attention.
'Why would the king send his right-hand man to follow me around? In such a daring way, at that? He can't be stupid enough to risk offending me like this. There must be something else.'
Having nothing to lose, the duke decided to ask.
"May I ask what is so important that needs the attention of the king's right-hand man?"
Theodos turned around and walked toward Valerius' chambers. "I won't be able to say much besides it has to do with our war preparations."
"I understand," Valerius answered, but internally, he was surprised by the speed with which Acrisios took action. "Has Lord Acrisios learned something about the Northern Empire? Or has he decided to take my word for it?"
Theodos continued to walk and took his time to answer.
Just when Valerius thought he wouldn't be getting an answer, the councilor replied. "My Liege decided to prepare for the worst. Even if nothing comes out of this, it would have been a good exercise for our armies. In fact," He continued. "Just by preparing for war, we have noticed some... issues I must resolve."
Valerius nodded, finally understanding Acrisios' intentions. This wasn't as much about spying on him as resolving problems in his kingdom. This, however, told the duke some important information about Blackwater's situation. 'Seems like decades of peace made them slow to react to a surprise invasion.'
That said, this knowledge wasn't outside Eredar's expectations. However, it was something that should be addressed during Eredar's and Blackwater's negotiations.
"I have no qualms about traveling with you, Sir Theodos. It would make the travel more bearable, in fact."
The councilor sighed, relieved. "I'm honored to join Eredar's Archduke in his travels."
Valerius' smile turned strained for a short enough moment not to be noticed. "Former Archduke..."
Theodos glanced to the side at Nozim before looking back ahead. "Yes, Lord Valerius, but Nozim's influence remains as strong as ever despite the recent... events."
Although it bothered him to hear anyone mention that attack, it still filled Valerius with pride that his family was seen the same as before. "That is true, but we must adhere to the proper titles. It would offend Eredar's Royal bloodline if their decrees weren't respected."
The councilor laughed. "I understand, Duke Nozim."
After laughing at Eredar's Royal Family and their ludicrous decree, the two nobles walked in silence until the councilor broke the silence again.
"I would lie if I said I wasn't at least a bit surprised when Eredar approached Blackwater with an alliance offer. I honestly doubt an empire as strong as Eredar would fear some barbarians in the north, even if Blackwater were to fall."
"Truth be told," Valerius replied. "It wouldn't be the most difficult effort to get rid of the barbarians, but why wait for things to reach that point? It would be more of a pain in the ass than anything else, excuse my language. As I previously stated, it would be easier to fix the issue before it becomes too irritating."
Theodos raised an eyebrow as he subtly studied the duke's expression for any deceit. "Is that really all there is to it?"
The duke smiled and laughed. "Yes, that's really it. Not everything the empire does has hidden meanings. No offense, but you really are cynical, Sir Theodos."
"Haa, that's alleviating." Theodos brought a hand to his chest before continuing. "I am an old man, Lord Nozim, and I've been through a lot. As time passed, I slowly realized being cynical is the only proper way of leading even a flock of sheep, much less an entire nation.
"That said, it does lighten my heart to know I don't have to piece apart every move toward our kingdom."
Finally, the two reached the chamber areas of the castle, where pairs of guards stood in the hallways' corners to keep an eye out for any eventuality.
"Well then, Lord Nozim, I will leave you to prepare for the journey. I, I'm afraid, need several more minutes to get ready, so I apologize for making taking more of your time."
Although mildly annoyed, Valerius nodded sympathetically. "That is alright, Sir Theodos. But please, make haste. I would like to set off while there is still daylight."
"Fear not, Lord Nozim. I won't take too much time," The councilor said, procuring the stack of papers from his pocket. "I only need enough time to send these papers to their addressee. And we will reach the nearest large city before nightfall."
Nodding, the duke relented. "I will trust your word, councilor."