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"Heh, perhaps not," said David. "But as a result, they have begun calling me the Mouth of Atreya. And while a part of me finds that moniker to be actually quite funny, I cannot say that I appreciate the overall impression that it gives people of my character."

Hector blinked. "The Mouth of Atreya...? That's, uh..."

"Not very flattering. You can say it."

"Oh, ah, I mean--it's kinda flattering, though, isn't it? In its own way? They're saying you have a way with words."

"A generous interpretation if ever there was one."

They arrived at the room, and Hector showed him in, after which Matteo and Vito followed. Garovel and Kerikos just phased through the wall without waiting for anyone, of course.

The Prince plopped down on the couch with an impressive thud and sighed.

In truth, there was one question that Hector most wanted to ask, and he'd been waiting until they had some privacy in order to do so. "Has there been any... developments on the matter of Atreya's annexation?"

For a moment, Prince David just stared at him. "Funny you should mention that."

Hector cocked an eyebrow, uncertain if he would like whatever he was about to hear. "Why?"

"My little venture to Intar was only supposed to be for a week or two, at most. But then this annexation offer arrived, which complicated my job greatly. And now, of course, there is the war as well, complicating it further. In fact, for a while, it seemed like the business of annexation had almost been entirely forgotten, as the war tended to overwhelm all other discussions. At that point, only a bit of progress had been made--minor haggling here and there as, in truth, I was simply buying more time for my sister to come to a final decision.

"Oh, and how could I forget? A certain bank opened up at some point in the middle of all that as well. I honestly cannot remember the proper sequence of events now, because to me, it has all been a series of monkey wrenches being thrown continually into the machinery which I, alone, have been attempting to operate."

Hector just pressed his lips together flatly.