Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Reflections on Nela’s Past

Braydon once again found himself in his carriage, on the way to the capital, though, this time he was with Nela. He found it funny that the most frequent thing he did was go to the capital, most other nobles could go years at a time just staying in their local area, but this was his third trip within several months. Though that could be chalked up to him being in the King’s faction, he doubted he would be going to the capital so often otherwise, he did not have the habit of watching his enemies fight each other that Duke Burn did.

“Did you send a letter to your father?” Braydon asked, Nela had not met her father in the several months that she had been staying with him. He had never seen her writing a letter to him either, though there were plenty of occasions that she could have.

“I prefer to talk to my father about things when they are definite. Even if I am sure that something will happen, I do not want to get his hopes up. He has enough to deal with as it is, I do not want to burden him further.” Nela rarely talked about herself, this was almost a first. Braydon recalled the last time she spoke about herself  was when she had first arrived in Cliforge. Even then, it was only the bare minimum that she needed to tell him for him to accept her stay.

“It seems you have a good relationship with your father.” Braydon smiled, he knew that she was a good person but had only really seen her get attached to Mireille, and possibly Mea. Other than that she treated the people around her at an arm's length, if the friendly banter and ‘torment' could be seen as arm’s length. 

“Of course I do. I grew up watching him struggle to keep up his fief after my mother passed away. The rare few times that he did relax were when I dragged him away from his responsibilities.” Nela paused for breath. She had a soft smile, more natural than the one she usually wore, obviously remembering some fond memories of her father.

“Then as Earl Blake started to put more pressure on, I was adamant that I did not want to be a source of worry for my father. It was not him caving to the pressure that led to my engagement, I accepted it myself, he would have rather crumbled than accept. If I ran away, then Earl Blake could not find an excuse to put pressure on my father anymore.” When she said this, her smile had become more neutral. Her composure impressed Braydon. If he was telling his own history, he was sure that there would have been a bit more cursing involved. And comparatively, he thought she had had a much tougher time than he had.

“Well, you won't have to worry about Earl Blake using you against your father anymore.” Braydon did not know what he could say about her past without sounding superficial, so he tried to make a more positive statement.

“I’ll reserve saying anything until it actually happens.” Nela replied, her expression back to the polite smile that she usually kept. Braydon was unsure if he preferred her usual expression or the more emotive ones she held when talking about her past. He was used to dealing with this one but her other expressions felt more alive. Though he was not able to think about it for much longer as the carriage made its way into the gates of Boshil. The rowdy city streets did not offer much chance for quiet reflection, even if they were inside a carriage.

“Does your father have a mansion in the capital?” Braydon asked, Nela had stayed in the capital for some time before she made her way to Cliforge. It was not unusual for Dukes and Marquesses to have residences in the capital, though there were those who didn’t.

“No, instead I was put up in one of the mansions owned by the King. My father had requested that I stay in the capital, Earl Blake had been agitating for me to move into one of his spare residences ahead of the marriage, likely to stop me from making a move like I did. But he could not openly demand that one of the King’s guests be kicked out.” Nela’s revelation surprised Braydon, but it did make sense. It must have been why she did not have an attendant with her when she came to seek his protection. She had been served by the royal servants. They would not be able to leave with her, abandoning your duties to the crown was not a crime to be taken lightly.

“How many things in the capital does the King own?” Braydon was curious, he knew that the royal house had a lot of possessions in Boshil but not quite how many, nobody really knew how much the royal family owned. Probably because the king wanted to keep it that way. 

“I don’t know if he owns any more, but I know of at least four mansions and dozens of businesses that are owned by the king. He has to make his money somehow, it is not as if there are many lords who actually pay their taxes.” Nela replied. She had lived in one of the King’s residences but even she was not sure. While he may not have much influence outside of the walls of Boshil, the king certainly reigned supreme within them. 

As their conversation came to an end, they arrived at the gates of the palace. This time, it was a different set of guards, so Gerald was not recognised immediately, but they were let in without much hassle. Braydon did hear small conversation among the guards as they were being let through. Apparently there were a lot more busybodies among the lords of the realm than he had realised. 

“It seems we will have quite the audience.” Braydon commented. He was curious about what Nela felt about it but got a shiver down his spine when he looked her way.

“I would not have it any other way.” Nela had on her sweet smile again. Apparently she really anticipated humiliating Jett and his father, even if she refused to comment until the dirt settled. 

“That is good then.”