Lord Swiftheart smiled as he raised his glass. "Let's make a toast. One to family and to the health of the king." he said. "Here here!" I cheered out loud. We all had our toast with raised spirits. It was very good news. Everything had worked out well. The research had been accurate. The king had only vaugely remembered that the resort is something his father had wanted. He had no interest in hunting as it would be counterproductive to travel up north just to ride around while infirm. Watching others hunt was moot when he had the big tournament arena right here in the capitol duchy. However, it seemed that he did have a fondness for his father who had put the crown on his head instead of his brother, Sir Killroy's father. Some of his attendants and councilors had urged him not to do so as he was seen as weak. However, the former king was steadfast. His firstborn son would be the next king come hell or high water. In order to honor his father, he promised to give Lord Jeffrey the title deed to land that he proposed to develop their land for the king. It was 10 year lease. It all had to be done by then.
I had only one question. "What will we do about your uncle? Will he be able to interfere as the head of your house!?" I asked. He said "That's already been accounted for now. I know that he is very busy as of late. When I get a deed from the king, nothing can countermand it. By the time word reaches him, I'll be a count on equal standing with him. My eldest son will remain in the barony to rule in my stead." That was good. It was now time for me to go and get some massive capitol infusions. We would have to go through the White family. They might be totally despised for being "colorless" albinos, but they had a lot of money. If we could get them to invest money in our very ambitious project, we could make some good money. I was thinking of a marriage of convenience. I still had a ton of jewels and gold left to spend on this. You had to spend money to make money at times. I understood that fully as a phantom thief. The next day, I made a visit to Bishop Gerald White. He was still living with his father and the brother not ordained. He was very happy to see me. His stoma had closed on its own.
He had already returned to celebrating mass. When I asked if there was something that was keeping him here, he admitted that it was just that living at his family home was simply better. No one discriminated against him in his own home. That was not the case anywhere else in the duchy. The other bishop of the White family was still in the episcopal manor. He was much braver and bolder than his brother. Gerald was able to introduce me to his father. He was also an albino. I shook his hand firmly and introduced myself. It was clear that he was not expecting that. I began to get to the point. It would be good to get them on our side. When I told them about our ground work to get this off the ground, they were very interested. I looked at them and said "I believe this could be a really good way for both of our houses to prosper greatly for generations to come. Let us come to an agreement on a partnership between us." The air around them changed immediately. "I see..." Gerald's father said as he leaned forward and smiled. "Boy, you really don't know how to do these meetings, do you?" he asked.
Smiling I said "No. I am more of the scouting and executing of the goal type of agent. Setting up deals and research were what my friends did. They are no longer here and my ties to Swiftheart house make me one of the only ones with the skillsets to know what to do." He sighed and shook his head. "You really need those agents. I will give you this: you got a fair business meeting that I don't give to just anybody." he said. "Thank you. I understand. I will look elsewhere then." I got up from my seat and extended my arm for a handshake. "Sit down, Sir Rhombus." he said, waving me off. I sat down fast and looked at him. "I value what you have done for my child. Most people in this city would simply watch Gerald die. You prioritized his life over that champion's noble mother. Go back to your lord and actually bring someone with a mind for business here. Then we can make a deal." I smiled and stood up. This time, he happily shook my hand. Gerald gave me a blessing. They were good people, at least to me. I left the home and went back to mine. I reported what had happened to the Swifthearts.
