Kire shrugged at Ruli’s comment, agreeing with Envy. “Consider it back pay for all the other times I leeched off of you and your cooking,” she said, grinning. “But in all seriousness, this should be fair. Like Envy said, it’ll help with whatever else you would need to thrive in Úvano.”
Gavin’s brow creased at Ruli’s question. He’d seen the nobles of Cordon and their preoccupation with honorifcs. Ikegai had been much the same, in a way. Coveting what he couldn’t have in Amria. Kire shook her head. “No titles—yet. That’s for every commission. Titles only come in if you want a contract written up and you’ll officially be employed by the crown. If that ever happens, though, it would only be for another couple of years, anyway.” 

“…What?” 
Ed had made his way towards them—newly bathed, after returning from his romp with Ysaryn—but now he had stopped short of the table. Gavin, Narda, and Daryll, likewise, all looked at Kire then. Daryll seemed the least surprised, while Ed crossed his arms. Kire sighed, waving her hand. “A discussion for some other time,” she said to her cousin, who looked about to start it, anyway. “Besides, I’m surprised that you [i]are[/i] surprised.”
“That’s because we hadn’t had an actual serious discussion about it yet.” Ed said, frowning. Kire gestured at the table.
“Another time,” she repeated, firmly this time. “I promise. And with Jan, too. Speaking of which, the wedding preparations are going well,” she said, moving on to the question Envy had raised, away from the topic of her abdication. “She and Lord Ulrich are very practical about it, so while the preparations are meticulous, they’re efficient. It is rather like a business transaction, as are most important marriages here.” She dug into her plate. 
“Don’t look at me,” Narda pointed out, seeing Ed stare. “I didn’t know about her plans, either.” 

Daryll looked about, then cleared his throat. “Have we heard back from Myka about the townsfolk who saw the visions? Anything else happened in the forest?”
Narda paused. “Hm. So far, it seems the forest hasn’t gone away, nor is it growing larger. No further visions, though some of the townsfolk had developed fevers. For now, the healers attributed this to the sudden unusual hot weather, but they’re keeping a close watch. The rest of the [i[Wenches[/i] are still keeping one ear to the ground for any other unusual occurrences.”