Kalars writes back; she has his utmost sympathy, but if she doesn't want a visit he doesn't need to be there for his own sake.
Raney doesn't write back; she just turns up the next day, dwarf caiman familiar tucked under her arm.
She wants to meet her son-in-law.
"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?"
"There are," provides Zevros brightly, "alternate methods, anyway. I mean, I am surrounded by spellbinders - there are solutions."
"At some point it will need to be a topic of conversation. It has not yet been, it does not need to be any time very soon, and that's all that needs to be said about it over lunch, thank you Mom."
"The question isn't whether you made it that way, it's whether you can predict it before poking it with a stick."