Arthur, on the other hand, remained an enigma to Iodel. His loyalty to Sied was evident, yet there was a sense of detachment, a shrewd awareness that kept Iodel intrigued. He found himself being drawn to the man as he sensed that there was something important he could gain from conversing with him.
The two often found themselves engaged in conversations that danced around the edges of the unfolding conspiracy. Many times did Iodel notice that during their talk, Arthur seemingly knew a bit more than he let on.
One evening, within the confines of the Song mansion, Iodel and Arthur shared a private conversation. The dimly lit room provided an air of secrecy to their discussions.
"I must admit, Arthur, you are a fascinating character," Iodel remarked, swirling the contents of his goblet. "Loyal to the prince, yet there's an air of detachment about you. Care to share your thoughts on the current situation?"
Guys, I know this seems to be prolonged a bit too much, that the entire event is taking a ton of time where things are standing still, but I have to do it this way.
Worry not, the end of the volume will be a climactic one, and the events that will transpire after this slow burn of a couple of chapters will be interesting and will move the story forward.