He stopped before Soren and Eris, bowing with exactly the appropriate depth for an Emperor and his future Empress. When he straightened, his weathered face showed approval mixed with calculation.
"Your Majesties," he said, his voice carrying the practiced smoothness of someone who'd negotiated everything from fishing rights to territorial disputes. "May this union bring prosperity to both our shores. New trade routes. New possibilities. New understanding between fire and ice."
The words were diplomatic, appropriate, and transparently self-interested. He wasn't congratulating them out of sentiment. He was positioning himself for whatever economic benefits would follow.
Soren inclined his head in acknowledgment. "Duke Konstantin. Your support is noted and appreciated."
The emphasis on 'noted' was deliberate. A reminder that allegiances declared now would be remembered later, that standing with them in this moment would carry rewards when the dust settled.
