He leaned a bit closer. “In addition to a loose tongue due to a bit too much wine and an enviable streak of luck at cards, the fellow who won all your silver has a cousin whose brother-in-law is a close advisor to King Balch and Queen Rona on matters of commerce. He informs me that the king is gruff and short-tempered, whereas the queen doesn’t speak much at court. But he takes counsel from her. In fact, they say she’s the real steel in Adanon. So, if you want to win him over, you convince her first, my lady. The trick is you do it while talking to him. He takes it ill if he thinks he’s being
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