As the two began to roam the church's halls to the meeting room, Justinian couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the rest of the towns, or better yet, Rhyne's domain.
And it was a question that he really wanted answered quickly; it was a huge threat to his dukedom if it wasn't handled.
"Cassia, what happened to Rhyne's territory?"
"I heard that Lord Matthias held a meeting with Count Elberich about the details, something about joint control?"
Cassia answered, looking past her shoulder, continuing to guide and lead Justinian.
"And what about Darius?"
"He has his work cut out for him, apparently; he's putting your new hire to work, and I have to say, he has quite the mind."
She said, a small, confused smile on her face.
"Thought I didn't know what he was talking about most of the time..."
She laughed, scratching the back of her head.
The new hire that Justinian appointed was blessed by himself after all, there was absolutely no way anyone could understand the knowledge he somehow possesses.
"Here we are."
Cassia stopped in front of a well-defended door, dozens of Bjorn's personal guards surrounding the entire perimeter, ensuring none would enter or exit without permission.
It seemed like what they were about to talk about was enough to concern the entirety of the duchy.
Justinian looked around briefly, sensing the tension within the guards; they were clearly trying to keep their composure, trying their best not to show any reaction to Justinian's... unique appearance.
"Don't mind them, they won't tell a soul."
Cassia opened the door to find Bjorn Vesuvian sitting on a couch in a guest room that Justinian hadn't even known existed.
'Why am I not surprised?'
Justinian sat opposite Bjorn, with Cassia just by the side, watching over the two of them as they discussed.
"What is it you want to talk about...?"
"Well... my duke, I didn't have the chance to discuss this with you in detail due to past circumstances, but now that we are at a time of relative peace, it is about time I bring it up."
Justinian narrowed his eyes, leaning forward as he rested his elbows on his thighs. Bjorn's voice was enough to put him into full focus.
"Go on..."
Bjorn took a deep breath and mirrored Justinian's posture.
"When will the wedding be?"
Bjorn said with a straight face, like it was normal, or better yet, even expected.
"I'm... I'm sorry?"
Bjorn raised a brow at Justinian's confused reply.
"Did I misunderstand? I thought you were courting my daughter? And you needed an heir, I thought this was already planned?"
Justinian's expression broke, looking briefly at Cassia for her reaction, but she didn't seem to mind, giving Justinian a guilty smile.
But as Justinian was overwhelmed, it did make sense, something he didn't know about yet.
Sure, he might be safe and young for now, but there was no telling when he would suddenly die; the medieval world had dozens of threats that could end him.
And if he passed on without an heir, it would be a succession crisis; it would either be Bjorn or Elberich to inherit, or the king himself would have to intervene.
And he couldn't risk that; it would be too messy.
But if he married, especially one of Vesuvian blood, it would guarantee that if he dies, Cassia will inherit the throne, with her Father guiding her along the way; it was the best-case scenario.
Better than starting another civil war over who will inherit the Thirell duchy.
AHEM!
Justinian cleared his throat, trying to start over.
"I apologize, I seem to have misheard... yes, the wedding, I have no exact date as of now."
"Why is that?"
"The duchy is still recovering; it would be better if I focus my resources on rebuilding."
Bjorn understood Justinian's explanation, but to him, it was still risky.
"I understand that, but isn't that risky? The faster you're married to my daughter, the more legitimacy you gain not just inside, but throughout the kingdom."
Cassia, on the side, meanwhile, was absolutely flustered and red; she didn't expect Justinian to play along; he would usually just brush this off as a misunderstanding.
"J-Justinian?"
Cassia spoke out.
Justinian looked at Cassia briefly, winking at her, before returning to Bjorn. She had no idea what that wink even meant.
"Let's talk about this in the future, at least once the duchy is stable. For now, the current relationship between me and Cassia is satisfactory."
Justinian stood up, aiming to leave, preferably to take his time checking out his newly purchased abilities, but not before being stopped by Bjorn for one last question.
"Are you an arcanist, my lord?"
"Yes."
Justinian answered, leaving him to his own devices as he and Cassia left the room, with Justinian returning to the quarters he woke up in.
He didn't want to rush leaving the church, while he might seem fine, it's also likely that it was due to the church's influence; he didn't know if he had actually fully recovered yet.
'While I'm still locked inside, I'll use the time to get some bearings on my system, God knows I need it after not using the kingdom-building system for a while.'