The Opening Gambit

Even after a good amount of time passing, they were seemingly not done bickering at each other.

Lord Edwin Varnel leaned back in his seat, rolling a gold coin between his fingers as he smirked at Lord Hollunder Vale.

Edwin and Hollunder had long been rivals, so their quarreling wasn't at all surprising.

"Tell me, Hollunder, what's the latest valuation of your little Player Market? Last I heard, your sales of Divinity-imbued trinkets were struggling against imported goods from the Seraphis Coast."

Lord Hollunder sneered. "Spare me, Varnel. At least my business isn't built on sitting atop a mountain of inherited gold while my workers do all the labor."

Lady Julienne Dravencourt chuckled as she leaned forward. "Now, now, gentlemen. Perhaps you should settle this with a duel. First one to break a sweat loses."

Laughter rippled across one half of the table, while the other half watched in thinly veiled irritation.