And Darion was ready to speak.
It wasn't like he had anything to lose by being honest here.
Percvale was not some wealthy, powerful territory whose weaknesses needed to be hidden carefully behind smiles and political wording. Everyone already knew what Percvale was. Or at least what they believed it was.
They knew it as a dying Barony and a ruined territory rotting slowly at the edge of relevance.
So telling King Michul the truth about its condition changed very little.
If anything, hiding it would probably sound more suspicious.
Darion understood enough already about how nobles and rulers thought. Pride was dangerous when it disconnected from reality. A ruler pretending his starving territory was flourishing only made him look foolish.
And besides…
If Percvale had actually been rich and powerful like Thandor, then yes, openly discussing internal weakness might have been dangerous.
Especially if the person listening wasn't trustworthy.
