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Luca couldn’t focus on work, so he retreated with Noe to a pub because he could use a drink. No one else followed them, but Luca didn’t think for one second it was because they were intent on giving the couple privacy to talk through it. More that both Hamish and Devaughn were spreading the word of what had happened.

Which meant he had maybe half an hour, if that, to talk with Noe privately before the horde descended.

He poured a shot of hot sake before tossing it back, then poured another. At this hour, no one was about, as it was early yet for lunch, even. He appreciated the quietness of the place.

“I can’t believe you signed without hesitating.” Noe rubbed his temples. “Dearest. You promised you wouldn’t make major decisions without conferring with me first.”

Oops. He had, hadn’t he? “Sorry. It’s just, when I read through their letter and realized what they demanded of me, the choice was so clear-cut. I signed without second-guessing myself.”

Noe blew out a noisy breath, still rubbing his temples as if a headache threatened, all while looking Luca dead in the eye. “Are you absolutely, positively sure it wasn’t just a scare tactic?”

“Positive.”

“Devaughn thought it might be.”

“That’s wishful thinking on his part. He doesn’t want me to leave, you see. But my parents have given me such ultimatums before in my life, and they always, always followed through. They’re too bad-tempered and selfish to compromise, y’see.”

“Fuck.” Noe blew out a noisy breath and commandeered the shot in Luca’s hand, then refilled it before handing it back. “Right. So we need a new plan.”

“Basically the case.” The way his fiancé so comfortably took a drink out of his hand amused the hell out of Luca. They had gotten far too comfortable with each other. “The first thing I have to do is notify my king of my disinheritance and why. There’s a very good chance King Balfour will step in and do something about it.”

“Really? You did tell me you are on very good terms with him.”

“I am. We’ve gone out drinking numerous times together. He’s an easygoing man, very likable, and it’s honestly why I’m even here in Shiirei. I was able to talk him into stationing me here when everyone was making noises I shouldn’t go.”

“Ah-ha. So you think, what, if you tell him what happened, he might station you elsewhere?”

“It’s very possible. There’s a few places in my country that don’t have a laird—either the line died out or there was some disaster the family never recovered from. He might choose to give me one of those. Hell, there’s a hole in the northern defenses we’ve been talking about the past five years, trying to figure out who to send there. It would mean building a fortress from the ground up, which means whoever is sent has to do the hard work, and it’s why he hasn’t given an order yet. He’s not sure who has the right skill set to send. But you? If I tell him my spouse is a structural engineer who helped build this fortress, I can make a very good argument to send us there.”

Noe pursed his lips, his eyes on the ceiling for a moment. “I think there’s something wrong with my brain.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because you say ‘hard work’ and ‘move to a patch of dirt’ and all I hear is ‘I can build a fortress to my own specifications.’ Most people would think twice before volunteering for that, right?”

Luca chuckled. “Well, yes. It’s why it never tempted me, bad as my parents had been. But to sweeten the pot, the spot is only about a day’s ride from Brahms Fortress.”

“Shit. You would say that. Being close enough to see friends on the regular does sweeten the pot quite a bit. All right, I guess let’s start with seeing if your king will even entertain the idea of having two lords.”

“Sounds best. We can go from there. If not Bhodhsa, then…Scovia?”

“Princess Alexandria might very well latch on to you and never give you back, if given the chance. Most of her generals are retired right now, and she’s hesitant to promote most of the men offered to her as options.”

“Trust me, I’m aware.”

The pub’s door opened and Luca initially paid it little heed until he realized it was Sho making his way toward them. The Shiirein looked windblown, and he quickly opened his jacket and pulled off his gloves. The second he sat down next to Luca, Sho turned sideways so he could give him an intense study.

“You really signed that notice?”

“I really did.”

Compassion filled Sho’s face. But then, he got it, as few others in Luca’s company could. He’d also been disinherited by his parents and most of his extended family because he married Brahms.

“How are you feeling?”

“Not at all conflicted.” Luca blew out a breath and offered Sho a drink, which the man promptly took. “I made the right decision. I’m a little worried about where Noe and I will go from here.”

“If no one else takes you, Aart will,” Sho said with complete confidence. “We’ve got more than one territory that needs a lord, so it’s problem solved, if you come to us.”

“That does make me feel better, thank you.”

Sho tossed back the drink before handing the cup over for a refill. His expression was shrewd as he thought. “All that said, first off, I’ve met your king and I know you’re a favorite of his. I do not think for a second he’s going to be all right with you harrying off to another country. How about you craft a letter to him first and see how he responds. Could be he throws your parents out before he’s willing to lose you.”

“Ha! Wouldn’t that be a turn of events?”

Noe muttered, “Would serve them right, too.”

Luca chuckled some more at the vision of his parents being forced to pack up and retire somewhere else. Oh, the irony of it would have him laughing for decades. He wasn’t sure if his king would go that far, though. It might set a bad precedent, as his father had served in the position his entire life. Served badly, these last ten years especially, but he had served.

“Princess Alexandria would also take you in a heartbeat,” Sho mused. A single finger tapped idly on the surface of the table, an erratic tempo as he thought. “I’m almost afraid to ask the question before you can get an answer from your king. She might just kidnap you.”

Luca felt very supported. After all, Sho knew the woman well. He’d know better than anyone else how she would respond. It seemed Luca had more options than he’d actually expected, and that was heartening in the extreme.

“I know it’s more personal business, but can I borrow some pigeons? I want to send a letter to King Balfour and explain the situation. I don’t think I can cram it all into a single note.”

“Nor should you try,” Sho agreed promptly. “That’ll just confuse the man and make him mad. Oooh, or you could do that on purpose. Then he’d haul your parents in to get the full explanation of the situation and he could deal with them.”

“Don’t fucking tempt me,” Luca said with a groan.

“I’m quite content to be the devil perched on your shoulder whispering evil temptations in your ear. It’s quite fun.”

Luca poked the man rebukingly in the ribs. “Some friend you are.”

Noe cleared his throat and eyed them both wearily. “Watching you two, I sometimes wonder how we won the war. You’d leave things up to chance like this?”

“Sorry?” Sho didn’t sound remotely apologetic.

“That’s not the best way to go about it. We write out as much as we can cram into three messages, you know, and then leave off with, ‘ask the parents for the full story, I have no more room.’”

Luca cackled. Ahh, he did love his fiancé and his utterly devious mind. “Let’s do that.”

Sho saluted Noe with a drink. “I now understand why he’s marrying you.”

“It’s not just my beauty,” Noe deadpanned. “Wait, I’ll see if the owner has pen and paper we can borrow.”

Noe popped up and tracked the owner down.

Leaning in, Sho bumped shoulders with Luca. “I see your heart, my friend. What was that, before? How you wouldn’t wish for the stars?”

“Well, when starfire lands in your very lap, it’s rather hard to dismiss it.” Luca grinned, not at all bothered by Sho’s teasing. “And wouldn’t you make the same choice in my shoes?”

“I would. Well, I already did. I followed Arman straight to Aart without a backward glance, didn’t I?”

“Ha, true.”

“I’m glad for you. It’s the right decision to make. Probably not an easy one—”

Luca snorted.

“—but the right one to make, regardless. You won’t regret it. Marrying some woman you loathe to keep miserable people happy, that you would have regretted. In spades.”

“I agree with you, which is why we’re sitting here.”

“Well, you always were a smart man.”

“Speaking of going somewhere new. Sho, remember that fiasco when Princess Alexandria traveled to Aart for her engagement ceremony, and she got attacked on the road in?”

Sho winced. “Gods, don’t remind me of that fiasco.”

“Thing is, it embarrassed my king, but it also alarmed him that enemies could get into our borders without anyone the wiser. He’s talked about building a fortress in that dead zone ever since. He and I couldn’t figure out who to trust, who to give the land to. If I offer to build it with Noe, I bet he’d leap at the chance.”

Sho blinked up at him, lips parted, then grinned in delight. “That’s genius! Also, it would mean we’d be neighbors and could see each other often. You’re absolutely putting it into the letter.”

“You think I should? Not just alert him first on what’s gone down?”

“No, put it in there. Tell him if he doesn’t want to give you a new place, that you’ll reach out to Scovia and Aart and see if you can build a home there. A little pressure will go a long ways, trust me. He can’t fault you for looking for a new home for your family, after all. Any man would.”

“Ha, true.”

Noe returned with two sheets of paper and pen, looking pleased. “All right, one page to draft the letter, the other to write it. Luca, can you write tiny?”

“I can certainly try. Sho and I are old hands at that, due to the war. We sent many a message by pigeon.” Luca paused, then mentioned, “Maybe we should have Brahms weigh in. He excels at short messages.”

Sho rolled his eyes expressively. “Sure, if you want it to be so cryptic that no one can make heads or tails of it. I’m his translator for a reason.”

“Ha! True, never mind.”

Luca pulled a sheet to him, and since this one was for the draft, he didn’t try to write tiny, but instead outlined the situation as best he could. Then read it aloud, as no one else at the table could read his native tongue—although Noe was learning—so they could make suggestions. They did find ways to shorten the message and still get the meaning across.

Finally, Luca felt confident enough in it that he tore the other sheet into four neat strips and then rewrote it all from the beginning. He didn’t leave a cryptic ending, as playfully suggested, as that would just aggravate his king. He wanted the man to grant him a favor, so pissing him off at this juncture seemed a poor move.

The letter read:

King Balfour of Bhodhsa,

Your laird and lady of O’ Broín lands have disinherited me. I chose to marry someone they didn’t approve of. They left me no choice. My fiancé is a structural engineer from Scovia, Noe Keller. He’s the lead engineer in Shiirei.

Second strip:

If you can accept our union, I wish to stay in Bhodhsa. If you cannot, I understand, and I will find a new home in either Aart or Scovia. This isn’t a threat, but I refuse to live in a country that won’t accept me and my husband.

Third strip:

If you can accept us, I have an offer. The new fortress you want built on the northern border—Noe and I are willing to do it. Grant us the land, the budget, and we’ll do the work. Ren Brahms has promised his support if you choose this option.

Final strip:

Be aware, the men of O’ Broín lands have promised to follow me, wherever it is I go. My own parents have disappointed their people for too many years. Few are willing to stay. Let me know your decision.

– Argyle Lucas O’ Broín

Luca sat back and looked it over. A bit cramped, but readable. He was proud of his work. “Well, now all I have to do is send it off.”

“I think you worded it well,” Sho promised him. “If the man wants more details, you can always send him a full letter next time.”

“True enough.” He looked to Noe to see his reaction, only to find his fiancé twirling his ring about on his finger as if he were thinking hard. “Dearest?”

“It just occurred to me that if you’re not going to have a fancy wedding at home, and neither of us has family to attend, there’s no real point in us waiting months to get married, right?” Noe blinked up at him, his grin a little naughty but mostly hopeful. “Want to elope?”