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Luca looked about the restaurant with a smile that might seem a tad besotted, perhaps a little deranged, but he couldn’t help it. He was officially married to Noe, which was cause enough for besotted smiles. Then there was all of this —a room full of his nearest and dearest friends, all gathered to celebrate his marriage.

Life couldn’t get better than this moment.

It was a tad early for a party, but they’d started with a luncheon, which had included increasingly inappropriate toasts to the new couple until Luca stared everyone down. Noe had been red up to his ears as it was.

Then the alcohol really started flowing, and well, here they were.

Appetizers kept appearing on the table, snagged by the partygoers, and while no one had drunk themselves under the table yet, it was bound to happen. Apparently, the Scovians actually could hold their liquor, and the Bhodhsans had taken this on as a challenge.

Noe leaned against his side and murmured, “Good thing everyone’s off tomorrow. I see many a hangover incoming.”

“Ha! You’re not wrong on that. You Scovians drink like fish.”

“Comes with being a seafaring country.” Noe winked at him.

They’d taken a week to plan a reception after they had eloped. Which really only meant finding a restaurant willing to cater to them for half a day and telling everyone when to show up. It was a good thing they’d chosen today, though, as Noe was right. This lot would be useless tomorrow.

Sho swooped in from somewhere to top off their drinks, grinning from ear to ear. “I have to say, you two were smart to do your reception this way. Arman and I got sucked into doing a traditional reception, with his mother doing whatever she wanted, and my gods, that was a lot of work. Both in decorating and taking it all back down again. You can eat, drink, and run.”

Having attended said reception, Luca knew precisely what Sho meant and grinned up at his friend. “Yes, I learn through observation.”

“Smart man. Oh, and also, I got a message from Princess Alexandria this morning. I don’t know how, but she somehow learned about what happened. She’s basically giving gimme gimme hands at you two. If you can’t find a new home in Bhodhsa, then she’ll happily take you.”

To do what…? Or was it safer not to ask right now? Luca chose to not think much of it and just be grateful for the offer. “Tell her thank you and I’ll let her know the second I hear from my king.”

“Will do. I think she’s got some project along her coastline that she wants Noe for especially. You’re there for beauty, I guess.”

Luca snickered, not bothered by this. He was proud of Noe and had no problem with his husband upstaging him. “Fine by me.”

“Now I’m worried,” Noe muttered. “Because I can think of two different projects off the top of my head that people have been debating for years, and they are both a lot of work.”

Oh dear. Maybe Luca should be asking questions after all.

Still, it meant a great deal that other people had offered him a home after he’d lost his own. As upset as he still was with his parents—and he was plenty mad at them for forcing his hand—he still had those who respected and liked him enough to open their doors to him. Him and Noe, really. It meant a lot, and Luca promised he’d always repay that favor.

Although, personally, he truly hoped his king would have the sense to take his offer. He knew the man was coming around to the idea of same-sex marriages, just because of Aart’s and Scovia’s stance on it, but would it be enough? Or would he at least be willing to overlook it enough to give Luca what he asked for? If Luca had to guess, he’d say yes. His king wasn’t a fool and didn’t let his personal feelings interfere with what should be done.

But Luca also knew his king wasn’t always free to do what he wanted. He had a council he had to answer to, after all.

The only thing Luca could do at this point was fervently pray. Hopefully he’d get an answer soon, too, so he’d know which direction to go. Feeling anchorless and without a direction was discomfiting. He’d sleep better if he knew what the hell he would be doing after he and Noe finished here in Mizuno.

The restaurant door opened and Luca only glanced that way out of curiosity. He didn’t expect anyone to join at this point, as everyone he’d invited was already here. Then he did a double take when he realized Hamish was once again here. The retainer had already gone to Bhodhsa and returned? Had he even spent a day in the country before doubling back?

“Hamish!” Luca lifted a hand to call him over. “Gods, man, you look exhausted.”

“Aye, and what be ye even celebrating?”

“My marriage.”

Hamish just stared at him, then Noe, and shook his head. “Well, this be well timed, then. I have a marriage gift for ye, courtesy of our king.”

Oh, well, that sounded positive, at least?

Hamish fished a package out from his satchel and promptly passed it over. It was wrapped in oilcloth, no doubt to protect it on the long journey, a single bit of twine holding it together—but with a wax seal and the king’s personal coat of arms pressed into the red wax.

Oh shit, this looked serious.

Luca felt more than a little nervous as he undid the seal and opened up the oilcloth. Noe hastily cleared his plate and glass off to the side, giving him room to set the cloth down so he could read the letter, then poked him in rebuke. “I can’t read that yet, read it aloud.”

Right, Noe’s understanding of his native tongue was still at a child’s level. Luca sucked in a breath and started at the beginning.

“ O’ Broín,

I’ll have you know I’m ready to smash your parents’ heads together. How dare they be so stupid! I won’t lose you to someone else because your parents can’t get their heads out of their collective arses.

I admit I’m more than surprised you chose a man as a spouse, but he must be incredible for you to finally commit to someone. I understand he was handpicked by Princess Alexandria of Scovia to build the Mizuno fortress. He’s a good engineer and a good man, if that’s the case, not that I doubt your judgment of character. I’ll welcome him. ”

Noe let out an explosive breath. “Goddess bless. He’s accepting us?!”

“Apparently.” Luca took a second to breathe, as he hadn’t expected it either. Not so candidly and without reservation, at least. “I’ll continue.”

“Do,” Noe encouraged eagerly.

“ Since your parents have chosen ego over their own child, I won’t force a reconciliation. Instead, I’ll take your offer. I do very much want that hole in my defenses plugged, and since you’re marrying the engineer, you get to do the honors. Attached is all the formal paperwork for you to sign, and the deeds, and all of that. The short of it is, I’m giving you Rannoch. Because I’m pissed at your parents, I’ve made it a dukedom. ”

Luca burst out laughing at that last bit, unable to help himself. His father was a count, so having Luca now above him in rank would surely burn the man’s pride. His father would be ranting and raving about this for ages. Probably until the grave, and then he’d be spinning in his grave for the rest of eternity.

“Wait, we now outrank your parents?” Noe stared at the letter in disbelief. “I’m…a duke now?”

“You are indeed.” Luca seized his head and planted a kiss on his mouth. “It couldn’t happen to a nicer person.”

“Your king is crazy.” Noe beamed back at him, his happiness alive in his eyes. “I like him already.”

“Good, ’cause you’re stuck with him now.”

Luca went back to reading.

“ Because you’re an only child, I do want to impress on you that you need to have enough children to not only inherit your original territory, but also the new one. So don’t slack on that, figure it out one way or another. Also, I expect your new husband to give me a budget and plans before you leave for home so I know how much he needs to build a proper fortress .”

—Balfour

Noe nodded firmly. “I can promise that. I’ll need a proper survey of the land to design anything correctly, though.”

“I’ll have it done for you,” Luca promised him. “In fact, that’s the first request we’ll make.”

“Does he say anything else?”

“A postscript.”

“ PS – if you insist on sending me multiple pigeons, at least number the damn messages. They arrived all out of order, and I think one was missing, as it was damn confusing .”

Oops? In hindsight, Luca really should have numbered them.

Hamish did look frowny and put out. “When I arrived, he basically interrogated me. The middle part of yer message never got there. The bird did, the message didn’t, sort of situation. He was beyond upset and I had to talk fast, not to mention explain it all three times before he settled. Then he got mad at yer parents.”

Luca did feel bad about that. He could picture the scene all too well, and Hamish was no doubt due a reward for all this.

“I’ll design you the best house ever to make up for it,” Noe promised. Then pointed to a chair. “Sit, eat, you deserve to party with the rest of us. Now, let’s start this.”

What was Noe doing…? Luca watched as his husband abruptly stood up and clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Did everyone hear what Luca’s king wrote to us?”

“We did!” Ewan assured him from the far end of the table.

“Then let me ask, who’s willing to move with us to the new territory? Show of hands?”

Every single hand shot up—including Elsbet’s and Nathan’s, which rather surprised Luca. Why, he didn’t know, because the second he thought about it, it seemed obvious enough. If she returned home, Elsbet would only be coddled and forced to marry some man she didn’t like. Her parents would certainly never agree to her relationship with Nathan. Nathan, though, seemed intent on coming along with them.

“You too?” Luca asked him.

“Well, I want more experience with building,” Nathan explained. “And I learn a lot just listening to Noe. Plus, Elsbet said if you got the new territory, she wanted to help build it too. Why not go with you?”

Ah. True, Elsbet was one of Noe’s students, so that all made sense as well.

Still, Luca looked around at those who were already set on following him and felt his heart swell with a joy he’d only ever known when he’d married Noe. It was hard to feel anything but loved.

“Thank you all.” Luca stood, sliding an arm around Noe’s shoulders. “It’ll be hard, you know it will, as we’ll have to build from the ground up. I can’t promise you anything but rough cabins to live in the first three years we’re there, not until we get things properly built. But I’ll never forget the loyalty, and the love, you’ve shown us. A toast, if you will!”

Everyone lifted glasses.

“To Rannoch!”

Over one hundred men repeated with a thunderous voice, “To Rannoch!”