Fool’s Gold was a Middle City inn and board house where many Remeh’s Lesser Academy of the Arts students stayed. It had been an initiative by an ancestor of the Eluneh royal family to create a university where those unable to afford the Royal Academy’s tuition could attend. As such, there were several Lesser Academies within the capital, each with a specialization to the Royal Academy’s broad offerings.
When Nie entered, there was a trio on the small stage in the back – the cellist was offbeat, and the singer was slightly off-key, but the flutist kept them both from straying too far. Between the practicing musicians and regular tenants, the prices at the inn were cheap enough to make it a regular haunt of tradesfolk like Nie and his colleagues.
“Nie!” Weshal called out, raising a mug.
Nie waved and stopped at the bar to get a drink of his own before joining them.
“Here to celebrate your engagement, Nie?” Shoin, the son of the innkeep, asked, “The others were talking about it.”
Nie chuckled, “No, no – I just heard they were coming and decided to join in.”
“Well, congratulations – though I wouldn’t have expected nobility to be down here,” Shoin added, “Especially one from the family that sells the only wine we can afford…”
“I didn’t mean to conceal it,” Nie sighed, “I just didn’t see a reason to announce it.”
“Dad and I always thought you were at least gentry with your pretty manners,” the young man laughed, producing a bottle of Wahnera peach wine, “And your preference for wine over beer.”
“A fair assumption,” Nie sighed, accepting the glass, “Thank you, Shoin.”
Shoin made a noise of acknowledgment before turning to help another customer. Nie nimbly wove through the thickening crowd, slipping into a free seat at the round table his colleagues occupied.
“You weren’t too busy with wedding preparations to come out?” Wahlem, his seatmate on the right, chuckled.
“I came out not to think about them, honestly,” Nie replied, taking a drink – ah, this was the lavender variant. Most of the nobles had picked up the jasmine variant; the flowers were native to Forkhan, though the country estate maintained a greenhouse with several non-native species for use in making peach wine variants. Still, the jasmine and hibiscus variants were the most expensive for only being small batches.
“It’s still weird you’re engaged,” Weshal, on his left, sighed, “And to someone none of us have met…”
“I met him,” Wahlem said, “He was in earlier today – though his valet did most of the talking for him…”
“He is a man of few words,” Nie agreed, now seeing the flaw in his plans to spend time not thinking about the wedding with his curious peers.
“So why did you agree?” Yehl asked, flicking some hair over her shoulder, “It cannot simply be because he’s rich and powerful, can it?”
Nie sighed and scratched at his temple, “Would you think less of me?”
Weshal shook his head, “Rumors are already spreading that the pair of you fell madly in love at first sight – marrying for money at least makes sense.”
“I’m mostly surprised you would do so,” Yehl sighed, “Though perhaps that’s because I’m not a noble and forget you are, even if you don’t behave like many of them.”
“It’s not just for my sake,” Nie shrugged, “It’ll improve Gahne’s prospects, which may help raise the Wahnera family’s status.”
“Oh, right,” Wahlem said, “As a barony, you’re at risk of losing your estate if you lose status, aren’t you?”
“We certainly are,” Nie confirmed.
“That does put a new perspective to the situation,” Yehl nodded, then asked, “So why does his grace want to marry you, then?”
Nie blamed the wine for the increasingly familiar warmth in his face as he said, “Abuin finds me attractive.”
“How attractive can he find you to propose…?” Weshal arched a brow.
“Enough to get into a state,” Rahle answered, pulling out the open seat across from Nie for their wife to sit with a grin.
“He’s gone into a state?” Weshal asked, eyes wide, “Over you?”
“Thank you,” Nie replied with a roll of his eyes, though he knew Weshal’s surprise was more about his and Abuin’s lack of substantial relationship. After all, his wife was human – he hardly shared the view that humans, in general, were unattractive. Nie added, “Good evening, Semlah.”
“Good evening,” she replied, helping her spouse into her lap, “And congratulations on a good match, Nie.”
“Thank you,” the present human replied.
Semlah had dark brown skin and lighter brown, straight fur that was darker at the ends of her arms and tall triangular ears behind her small horns. As a guard, she was broad with muscle and sat with a slightly stiff posture – though it relaxed as her spouse’s weight pushed her back.
“You know I didn’t mean it like that,” Weshal scoffed, “But honestly, this must be the shallowest wedding I’ve ever heard of.”
“That’s fair,” Nie chuckled.
“Why was he at the Hall today, though?” Yehl asked, “Oh – don’t tell me Rahle talked you into Intimacy Courses.”
“You’re just jealous I’m a better salesperson,” Rahle laughed.
Nie shrugged, “They’re very persuasive.”
“I always wondered how many people would really need those courses,” Weshal snorted, “But if this sort of thing is common amongst nobility, well…”
“This specific situation, I would wager not,” Nie sighed, “But other situations where a pair might not know each other well, if at all, are common enough.”
“Some couples who are familiar with each other take them just for the knotting aspect,” Rahle added.
Yehl choked on her beer, “Rahle!”
“Careful, my love,” Semlah chuckled, “Some of your coworkers are delicate.”
That earned a laugh from the table – including Yehl, who added, “Yeah, I suppose that is important…”
“What are we laughing about?” Tohna, Weshal’s human wife, asked as she slid into her husband’s lap.
Tohna’s family hailed from Katai, merchants that traded between there and the Northern Principality. Tohna had come to Remeh to help run their store in the city with her aunt’s family. While it had only been meant as a trip to help her gain experience as a merchant, she and Weshal had hit it off and been wed within a year.
“Oh, Nie,” Tohna asked, not waiting for an answer to her first question, “How did the meeting go? Did they like your bonsai tree pot?”
It had been Tohna’s shop where he had seen one – a gift given by her parents for her and Weshal’s wedding. Apparently, her father had told Weshal he should cultivate it with as much care as he cultivated his love of Tohna – that it was now five years grown, Tohna considered it a physical display of her husband’s adoration for her.
Nie chuckled, “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to share it.”
“Oh dear, why not?” Tohna asked.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” Weshal chuckled himself, “Nie’s gotten engaged.”
“Eh!?” Tohna scoffed, “To who? When? Nie!?”
“The day after the debut ball, to grand Duke Abuin Nehma,” Nie sighed, wondering how many times this conversation would occur.
“Apparently, the Grand Duke finds Nie very attractive and proposed,” Wahlem snorted, “And Nie said yes for his money and power.”
Tohna muttered something in Katai Nie didn’t catch before saying, “Well, at least it’s a good family.”
“Ah, yes, your family does business with the Nehmas,” Nie said.
“We do,” Tohna said, arching a brow, “But I am surprised you know that, Nie.”
“Abuin has every merchant that carries Nehma goods in the city memorized,” Nie sighed in reply, “Yours was one of the few names I recognized when he was listing them at midday tea yesterday.”
“You use his name?” Wahlem mused.
“He insists,” Nie shrugged.
“Why was he listing the names…?” Yehl asked, “Wait, how many names is that? It has to be hundreds.”
“A little over three,” Nie confirmed, “He was listing them because I asked him to – I was in as much disbelief as you that he actually knew them.”
“I’ve never met him in person,” Tohna said, “But the Nehmas do fair business with him at the helm – my father always said the way a person does business tells you more about them than anything else. So, congratulations, Nie! I’m sure he’ll be a fine husband!”
“Thank you, Tohna,” Nie chuckled.
“So when’s your Engagement Announcement?” Wahlem asked, “We’re invited, aren’t we?”
“Still working out the details,” Nie said, “But yes, of course you’re all welcome.”
“Anyway,” Rahle said, waving their mug in the air, “We came here to drink, didn’t we?”
There was a hearty agreement around the table before everyone took a chance to down their current drinks.
Nie smiled as he looked around the table – sitting in the lap of one’s spouse or partner was perfectly acceptable outside of noble society, as evidenced by those gathered. He thought, in a less busy environment, his betrothed might enjoy himself amongst Nie’s colleagues and their families. Then he frowned.
He couldn’t exactly bring Abuin to Fool’s Gold – well, he didn’t think Abuin would be opposed to going, but a Grand Duke in a common inn would draw too much attention. Unless he disguised himself in some way… though his unusual fur color would make such a disguise difficult… and there was the crowd and music to consider, and if it would overstimulate him…
“You alright there, Nie?” Wahlem asked.
“Yes,” Nie said, realizing he had been absent from the table conversation for some time, “I was considering… what my married life may look like. It would be difficult for my betrothed to join me in situations like this, for example.”
“Oh, yeah, I suppose so,” Yehl huffed, then laughed, “I was thinking it would be strange to dine with nobility, but you’re already here – so I suppose we’d get accustomed to it!”
“Nie doesn’t act like nobility, though,” Weshal scoffed, “More like gentry.”
“I take that as a compliment,” Nie replied.
“You should,” Weshal said.
“Well, it’s not as though the two of you will need to be together every waking hour,” Yehl sighed, “Gehmre doesn’t like crowded inns; that’s why she doesn’t come with me when we come out here.”
“That’s true,” Nie shrugged, “I just thought from our past interactions he might enjoy meeting all of you. I suppose that will happen at the Engagement Announcement and the wedding itself…”
“I’m more surprised you were thinking about that kind of thing at all,” Rahle said, “Since you’re not marrying for love.”
“Ah,” Nie sighed, “I suppose I simply forgot, given how… affectionate my betrothed is.”
“Affectionate?” Wahlem prompted, “In what way?”
“He already uses the mahlem,” Nie started, “He freely compliments my appearance, enjoyed seeing me in his house colors, and prefers to seat me in his lap.”
“I knew about the lap sitting,” Rahle chuckled, “But are you sure the attraction is only physical? The only common sign you’re missing is him feeding you.”
“Well,” Nie scratched at his temple, “Regardless that he has-”
“Oh my,” Tohna giggled.
“I’ve learned more about Abuin in the past three days than in the entire year I worked for him,” Nie went on, “And considering he was unaware I was another noble until four days ago, I would say it’s the same for him. He doesn’t know enough about me as a person to have a genuine romantic interest.”
“If you say so,” Rahle laughed.
“But you know,” Semlah said thoughtfully, “Not everyone needs to know someone to have a romantic interest in them, aside from a physical one.”
“I had a romantic interest in Tohna at first sight,” Weshal agreed, happily nuzzling his wife’s cheek, “It wasn’t love, but it’s possible to have an interest.”
Tohna laughed, pressing her cheek against his, “Yes, that’s true!”
“I… suppose,” Nie said, drinking his wine.
“You poor thing,” Rahle snorted, “You have no idea how to deal with someone having that kind of interest in you, do you?”
“It’s not like you can ignore him like the clients that try to flirt with you,” Yehl also snorted.
“Oh, he doesn’t ignore them,” Wahlem laughed, “He’d have to notice they’re flirting in the first place to ignore it!”
“Got me there,” Yehl laughed.
Conversation after that finally moved on from Nie to his colleagues. Tohna and Weshal were looking for a third so they could have a child together and had decided to use a Katai matchmaker to do so. After all, the population of humans in Remeh was small, and it was a resource available to them through Tohna’s family. While there had been the choice to find a savbahn third, Tohna wanted to bear children herself, and Weshal did not feel as strongly about being the one to father them.
Wahlem lamented now being the only un-partnered member of their party and his general lack of success in altering the situation. Yehl regaled them with a story about her and her wife’s daughters getting into the pantry – now that the girls were walking, they were getting into everything, it seemed. Semlah and Rahle offered to watch them – joking they could use the practice before trying to have their own.
Nie enjoyed the mundane and familiar atmosphere of it all, grateful for the reprieve from the chaos of his life at late.
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