>>6173089>>6173139>>6173422As always courteous as a frenchman should be you politely answered.
-You are too kind your lordship, I hope to render you your kindness when you shall be invited to my marriage.
The lombard lord answered you in kind.
-I hope so ! It promises to be glorious, let us toast to your future marriage and to the joy that you found in love.
You toasted with his good wine and you almost thought that this lombard dressed in a kind of Rose's bathrobe was not so bad after all, but still, you remained vigilant, and when he continued to ask you about your travels you answered naturally.
-I shall travel first to Tradnod to give our duchess her locket back. I will then go to the capital.
It was a good answer, a good excuse to travel alone, without his guards or something like that. You knew that he was a supporter of the new chancellor at court, who seemed to dislike you a bit even of he did not know you so you choose to answer with prudence. With this reason you were sure that he would not send you men, you remembered that at Tradnod the regent of the Duchess, Behindthetron, was of the Guelph party too, and that he was probably higher ranked than the baron, so it would be him, and not the baron, who would have to choose to send you men or not. Well, at least you seemed satisfied with your answer before the new baron of Someplace raised an eyebrow and looked at you like your hair had turned blue.
-Perhaps I have misheard, you intend to travel to Tradnod first ?
You were a bit unsure of yourself and told.
-Y... Yes... I have to give the Duchess her locket back, I found it during a glorious quest to catch criminals near Pleasantville.
The man sipped some wine, before answering, politely but with a harshness in his tone that made you understand that he was perhaps not agreeing very much with your travelling choices.
-Seeing the duchess before seeing the queen ? A curious understanding of hierarchy...
You remarked then that everybody looked at you at the table.
Bohémond held a goblet in his hand, Brother Louis too, the councilors of the Guelph, each one of them peering at you with their unsettling glowing eyes, their pointy ears sharp. Of course... You had to fall into this trap.
In a normal time you would have answered this man that yes, of course it is the normal choice of hierarchy. The vassal of my vassal is not my vassal. Feudal law was clear : you were loyal to the one whom you paid hommage. You have him counsel and military support and he gave you a fief. In this case it was Baron Endoftutoriel who held the land that you gave him. If he rebelled against count Careless, even if you disliked him profoundly and liked the count very much the lawful conduct would be to follow your liege lord at war. Then of course the baron had to be loyal to the count first, and the count to the duke...
