"Zevros, this is my mother, Raney, and her familiar Nimmen. Mom, Zevros."
"I live in town. I only didn't come before because - Iobel had said I shouldn't try it. Actually, she told me it might be a good time to go visit my old school friends in Panhar, which I did, but only for a week, and then I had to be back at work."
".... Pff, okay, I'm sorry, I know that was a serious thing you two were worried about but I'm trying to imagine Edarial having someone assassinated and it's hilariously unlike him."
"The last time I wrote my mother I thought, based on what I will point out was truly excellent evidence, that people close to me were likely to be kidnapped, not necessarily assassinated."
"Yeah, well, that's really not like him either. I mean, you probably should have asked -"
He's interrupted by a hand clamping over his mouth. Edarial's hand, to be specific. "Zev. Not helpful."
"I'm still a little surprised even though Iobel explained how it could have taken so long to get the facts straight."
"We've spent most of our marriage avoiding or ignoring each other," says Edarial delicately.
(Nimmen is now demonstrating her terrible table manners on a chop of roast lamb.)
"There's - factors beyond the standard. Edarial has to be married to somebody, and whoever that is, is the queen, it's not entirely a personal matter. If there were a better somebody lined up I'd make way. There isn't. And we're working on being able to - cooperate."
His majesty fidgets a little, releasing his brother from talking time-out. "Mind you, if she wanted to get a divorce, I wouldn't force her to stay," he assures.
"I understand," says Raney. "...Do you know yet what the situation is going to be with, how do I put this - grandchildren?"
The king is just going to be sinking mysteriously into his chair, don't mind him.
"There are," provides Zevros brightly, "alternate methods, anyway. I mean, I am surrounded by spellbinders - there are solutions."