The day after the wedding, most of the guests left. There was little reason for them to stay there now that the ceremony was over. And almost all of them were very busy people.

These guests included the Count and Countess Hapsburg, who had their own lands to oversee. That and despite the marriage, neither set of parents trusted the others. Armand and Eris were the glue holding things together, not them, after all.

As for the newlyweds...under normal circumstances, they would stay with House Concord until the time came for them to rule over the combined family. That is the family Eris joined through the wedding after all.

However, these were unusual conditions. Both the bride and groom held lands in their own names. And, while they weren't officially titled, Armand and Eris were counts in all but name. That meant there was a new set of logistical work needed.

"I apologize that I can't stay longer, Mother, Father," Armand said. "And you too, my beloved siblings."

He turned from his parents to his beloved siblings. The boy was at the entrance to a carriage. Eris sat right behind him. A screening force of cavalry was in front of the two.

"But Eris and I have business to attend to in our territories," Armand continued.

"Yes, yes, I understand how important logistics are. But you will be missed," Count Concord replied.

Then, his son gave him a slight grin.

"Of course, I could stay if you were to abdicate your position," Armand suggested.

His father scoffed.

"Not yet. You have not fully proven yourself," Count Concord said.

"Then, I will make sure to soon," the boy stated.

With that, Armand slipped into the carriage. As he waved goodbye to the rest of his family, the vehicle took off. Armand's oldest sister exchanged a hidden yet knowing look with him as they glanced at one another.

The boy turned his attention to Eris. She had her arms folded over her lap in a pose that was meant to be cute.

"It just looks menacing, knowing what Eris is capable of," Armand thought before speaking. "Enough of our lands border each other that we shouldn't have many issues merging them logistically."

"I agree," Eris nodded. "But there is something else we'll have to decide: where will our seat of power be? Not just now, but when we inherit from our parents."

Armand scratched his chin.

"A difficult question. Or at least, on the outside. Both Castle Concord and Castle Hapsburg have strategic advantages to them. Our families wouldn't have lasted so long if they didn't," he said.

"But we will need to pick one or the other. Symbolically, we should pick Castle Concord. But from a logistical perspective, things are not so clear. And then, there are our new holdings. Any of these could be an option," Eris stated.

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Armand shook his head.

"Only if you're thinking from a purely practical standpoint. If you are, there are places that might be a better option than either of our ancestral homes. But we must consider optics and tradition," he pointed out.

"Ah, yes, tradition," Eris sighed. "For some reason, it's the only thing almost as important as power in the minds of most nobles."

"I wouldn't go that far," Armand said.

He then shrugged.

"After all, we spent most of our later years before I turned back time in the capital. Our lands are nowhere near there, yet as long as I managed them well, no one objected," the Concord noted.

"Yes, I suppose so," Eris stated.

She turned her head and looked out the window.

"But that still doesn't help us figure out where our seat of power should be," she pointed out.

For a moment, the two sat in silence, contemplating their situation. An idea formed in Armand's mind.

"Perhaps we could create a new seat of power?" he suggested. "It could have important symbolism. A new home, created by two families who made peace. And we could build our new fortress with the best technology the modern era has to offer. Our old castles would still be important, but they could stay Medieval for the sake of history?"

A wide smile crossed Eris' face.

"An excellent idea, Armand. I'm sure we can have some scholars pay us to inhabit the old castles. Then, we can afford to keep more mercenaries hired," she said.

"Yes," her husband replied.

Then, his expression turned dead serious.

"And now that we're agreed on that, probably a fortress on what used to be the border of our lands to protect that pass..." Armand narrowed his eyes. "...Eris, I am certain you know that I am going to hunt down and kill every last bandit you hired."

Eris shrugged.

"Go ahead. I won't stop you," she said.

Armand narrowed his eyes.

"If you tried to stop me, it would just cause both of us more trouble. I'm not sparing bandits," he stated.

"I know that. So, I'm not going to try," Eris responded. "These bandits are just tools to me. I don't care about any of them."

"And I know you would never suffer their sort of evil. Since we'll be living together, getting away with certain acts will be more difficult. But if it makes Armand happy, I could engage in them less often," the newly-dubbed Concord girl contemplated.

Armand's gaze was filled with skepticism.

"Does Eris think I'm an idiot, that I'd suspect she would give in so easily? Those bandits are valuable assets, especially since tracing them back to her isn't as easy as if she sent mercenaries to do her dirty work. Or maybe this is part of some long-term plan of hers? Or perhaps the bandits outlived their usefulness, and Eris wants me to get rid of them so it won't look like she betrayed them? I have to get to the bottom of this," he thought before speaking with suspicion not hidden. "And do you have a substitute for the bandits? Your schemes could do with someone like them."

Eris blinked. Then, she held in a sigh.

"I can't blame Armand for being skeptical. Even if we're married, he still doesn't have reason to fully trust me. Especially given our past. But I don't want to hurt him. And harboring criminals from him would destroy what little trust he has. I need some way to assuage his worries," Eris thought.

A revelation poured into her mind and body. With a warm smile, Eris addressed her husband.

"Do not worry, Armand. Money talks, and there are people who aren't bandits willing to do dirty work," she explained.

"But those could more easily be traced to you," Armand pointed out.

"But it still won't be easy," Eris countered. "And I care nothing for common bandits."

Armand grimaced. But he nodded.

"If Eris is lying, I'll find out sooner or later. I'll need to keep a close eye on her in any case. Now, I should bring us to other matters," he thought before speaking. "We should have a provisional seat of power until we inherit our parents' lands. I don't think the city I've been using will be sufficient for our combined lands. If it were just mine, it would be. But no longer."

Eris pondered things for a moment before speaking.

"I agree. We should find a new location..." she pondered.

The two of them would continue to discuss logistics for the rest of the trip.

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