I read the letter again, more carefully this time.
Not because I had misunderstood it the first time, but because the wording was deliberate enough to deserve a second look.
The handwriting was controlled, the spacing precise. Nothing about it was careless.
To Duchess Blackwood,
It seems congratulations are in order. News travels quickly, and yours was difficult to miss.
I admit, I had expected a different outcome. You have always struck me as someone who understood the value of position. To see you settle so comfortably into one designed for... different expectations is, at the very least, interesting.
The court will adjust, of course. It always does. But adjustment does not always mean acceptance, and acceptance does not always mean respect.
You may find, in time, that what has been granted to you is less stable than it appears. Titles can be confirmed. They can also be limited, redirected, or quietly diminished by those who understand how to use them properly.
