The Humbled (The Lost Words: Volume 4) Read Free

“We haven’t really ruled Roalas for the past forty.”
    “Lord Orson tells me the king hasn’t accepted his claim for compensation,” Vareck said, waving his hand. “It does not bode well for any future negotiation. We should expect no leeway from the Parusites.”
    “They should be thankful we didn’t declare war after the Oth Danesh invasion!” Helmut shouted.
    “Well, most of Empress Amalia’s soldiers are Caytoreans, so as far as King Sergei is concerned, we probably did declare war.” This was Uwe again. Next to him, the head of the glaziers guild was writing something, not really interested.
    “What if the Parusites declare war against
us
?” Lamprecht suggested, knowing he was annoying his colleagues. But then, that was his style: cool, dismissive arrogance.
    “They cannot,” Desmond explained, almost sounding like a teacher. “The nobles have all returned home, and it will be months before the king may summon them again. King Sergei is heavily engaged with the Athesians, and he must not expose his western flank either. I heard he declined a peace offer by the Kataji, so
they
might decide to invade the Safe Territories, or worse.”
    “I would not worry about Eracians and the nomads right now,” Vareck said.
    “And I heard,” Desmond plowed on, “the king’s got rebellion in Pain Mave.”
    Councillor Evert snorted. “That place was ever a hotbed.”
    Stephan raised a hand. Too many people were talking, not listening to the others. A typical meeting, except they were discussing the fate of the realm.
    “If we go to war,” he spoke bluntly, grabbing their attention, “we need armies.”
    “More losses,” Lamprecht teased, clamping his teeth round the bitten end of his pipe.
    “If we do not go to war,” Doris hissed, “we remain the laughingstock of this nation, of the whole of the realms. There isn’t a single brave thing this council has done in the last forty years, ever since the Feoran uprising. We let them take over the countryside. Then Emperor Adam came, and we let him steal our land and people. We let his
son
do the same. No, we invited him! King Sergei unleashed his barbarians into our cities, and we still did nothing. Now, Empress Amalia has detained one of our own,
again
, and we fear displeasing her.”
    “I am worried about the fate of Lady Rheanna,” Stephan agreed.
    “She made her choice,” Lamprecht said. At that moment, Stephan so much wanted to plow a fist into those yellowing teeth.
    “Technically, she is entitled to Athesian lands. Once she married the emperor, the ownership of Athesian lands became hers, too. Now, rightfully, the throne belongs to her, not Amalia.” Evert poured himself sherry from a crystal carafe.
    Stephan rolled his eyes. This could become a dangerous discussion. He did not want anyone trying to championRheanna’s claim for the Athesian throne. That would be political suicide. The very fact the High Council had tried to use Adam’s bastard against his legitimate daughter as leverage over future negotiations and demands was justification enough for Amalia to decide she was better off just sending Rheanna’s pickled head to Eybalen.
    “So we are in agreement then,” Lamprecht said, annoying fucker, spanking the table with his hand.
    “Please,” Stephan said, trying to sound polite. “You’re not helping.”
    Evert pointed at the few ladies in the crowd. “Any businessman must ask himself, or herself, how they can make the best from a situation.
Any
situation. Like during a ball or a large party, toward the end of the evening, when you see a beautiful woman puking excess food and drink quietly in a corner, do you help her, or do you cup a teat when she’s defenseless?”
    There was a sigh of indignation among the ladies. Doris narrowed her eyes. If looks could kill, she would be skinning the pig now.
    “Thank you for that lovely metaphor,” Stephan said dryly. “Ever a charmer.”
    Evert nodded, ignoring the women around him. Some