The Blaze Forward - Part 3

It seemed a silly question to ask ordinarily, and Verdant would never have shamed his master with it if their company had been anything other than what it was. Here, they were close enough friends that Oliver's weakness did not need to be disguised. His lack of knowledge for noble customs was one of his biggest and most obvious downfalls – and so Verdant pointledly, and patiently, sought to find out just what he knew, knowing that if he left the seeds of confusion there, then he would be left cleaning up after some seemingly irrational decision Oliver had made down the line.

"No, I wasn't unaware. Ferdinand – Lord Blackwell's son – was in charge of Solgrim, from what I knew," Oliver said.

"Indeed," Verdant said. "He has agreed to cede that land in place of your claim, I have no doubt."

"…I see," Oliver said, slowly waving the letter in front of his face, as though to attempt to absorb its contents. It didn't help. "So, why now…"