[color=A0A0A0][h2]Fleuri Jodeau[/h2][/color]

Even as he walked away, Fleuri could hear Renar and his half-brother going at it.  It was clear from the exchange that he could perceive they had a considerable sibling rivalry going on.  It wasn't too surprising considering what he knew of Renar's upbringing.  A bastard son of a noble, refused a noble title by his father, but still raised to serve.

[i][color=A0A0A0]All of the obligations of nobility with none of the privileges.  The exact opposite of the problem that many nobles have.[/color][/i]

Fleuri wondered how Lord Brias felt about Renar being inducted into the Iron Roses.  Was he proud to see his sons entering into the crown's most prestigious knightly orders?  Was he proud to see Renar gain the status of nobility through valor and strength of arms?  Or was Lord Brias the type of aristocrat to scoff at the notion of a commoner being raised to a knight?  After all, he [i]did[/i] refuse to grant his own son noble status.

[color=A0A0A0][i]I hope they don't forget that they both serve the hosts of the party.  The last thing we need is for relations between the Iron Roses and Crown Knights to become strained because of those two,[/i][/color] he thought as he grabbed a plate and looked over the foods at the nearest table, trying to move his focus on what to eat for this evening.  If things started to sound heated, he may feel obliged intervene.