"...I see..." Marcus muttered as he read the letter from Lady Ainara; "This will be interesting." He said as he put the letter down on his desk, before raising his voice. "Tell them to come here." He commanded to one of the guards he knew were outside. He didn't have to wait long before the people that he asked for arrived.<br/><br/>"My lord." Folke said as he entered the room and bowed his head, immediately followed by his chamerlain and a hooded figure, both of which emulated the captain of the guards as they stood in line in front of Marcus.<br/><br/>"Folke, you know what to do, pick one of your guards, someone you trust, and have him follow Bellport, just as the other ones." He commanded. Having the new leaders of noble houses under his 'protection' gave him a good political edge, even if they didn't have the same amount of influence of their predecesors. The guards that Folke chose to escort the other lords, eventually became the captain of their guards, as they slowly started to get influence, but the guards and the lords still held allegiance to Marcus.<br/><br/>"As you say, my lord. I already have one in mind." The captain said, making a slight bow before departing.<br/><br/>"Roderik, you too know your task. Explain the Bellports their current place and what's expected from them... Also, get Lord Bellport ready for his introduction. The court will assemble soon." Marcus continued, his mind still focused on the letters that he just read.<br/><br/>The chamberlain just nodded and left the room after picking up a couple of books that Marcus left on a nearby table. The young nobleman couldn't really control all of the business he had acquired recenly as part of his takeover of the other families' businesses, so he 'lent' the non-essential ones to the family he just removed from that post. The Bellports would be free to operate those business as they please provided that part of the income would go to Marcus. That way he kept them loyal and happy as he gave them back the opportunity to return to their previous lifestyle. That measure, in combination to the guards that he issued, kept his machine under control, and so far it had worked nicely for him.<br/><br/>"I'm sure you already have people keeping an eye on our new guests, Erik, so I need some information. What can you tell me about Lady Ainara Stoikos?" Marcus asked after he made sure the door was closed.<br/><br/>"The Stoikos are an odd household, my lord. Even more so after being hit by so much misfortune recently." Erik said before telling Marcus about the various incidents that involved the death of a member of the Stoikos family, always keeping his cold and monotone voice. It actually bored Marcus a bit by how unremarkable it was, but that was also a strength by itself; "... In any case, it's difficult to get concrete information about them, but I can tell you that Lady Ainara is Lord Stoikos' only heir, so she was groomed for succession of her father since she was young, but I think you knew that, my lord."<br/><br/>"Yes, I think I managed to see her once or twice when I was younger as she was with her father in a royal event... But you know I'm asking for more details, given this." Marcus said as he passed the hooded man the letter that contained the information of Lord Stoikos' death and the details of his last will.<br/><br/>"I see..." Erik said as he read the paper, although Marcus could see that he was visibly shocked under his hood, but didn't know why; "So you want to keep her from marrying? Or marry her yourself, my lord?"<br/><br/>"I want to know what I'll have to deal with if I stick to that will, the last thing I want is to end up with a dagger on my back after getting involved in all this." Marcus said honestly. His takeovers and deals with other lords managed to make him an unpopular figure at court, which was the reason for the 'excesive' level of protection he had. "You'll tell me on the road though, meanwhile preparations for it and tell Folke to prepare an escort, we should receive summons soon by our liege."