Roderic au Vaelion was halfway through a conversation when the Council attendant reached him. The man opposite came from one of the larger human noble houses under Vaelion influence, old enough to know better than to waste a patriarch's time and important enough that Roderic had given him several minutes of it.
They had been discussing transport rights through the eastern territories, a subject dull enough to sound harmless and valuable enough that neither man treated it that way. Roderic held his glass loosely while the noble explained where the negotiations had stalled.
"The northern route is still functioning, Lord Roderic, but the secondary crossing has become difficult since the new tariffs were introduced. If Vaelion were willing to support a revision—"
The attendant stopped several paces away and did not interrupt, since Council staff were trained better than that. He waited until Roderic looked toward him, then bowed.
"My lord. A private message."
