Lorenz had been fully prepared to take up the mantle of governing the County of Gloucester after his father retired, and it flourished impressively under his rule. Luckily, he did not have to carry the full weight of governance himself, as his husband had been raised to someday inherit a noble house as well and knew the ins and outs of politics. Sylvain had been the best life partner that Lorenz could have ever asked for, both as a joint ruler of Gloucester territory and as a parent to their many adopted children.
Roundtable meetings were currently taking place at the Gloucester-Gautier estate, and Sylvain was off in talks with the former Kingdom lords. Lorenz, meanwhile, was discussing the various issues in southern Fódlan with the heads of the noble families of the former Alliance. It was turning out to be rather uneventful, and Lorenz couldn't help but wish that these meetings would be a little less...dull at times.
"Well, I for one do not see how this will benefit my territory at all."
Lorenz bit his tongue to stifle a groan as the most aggravating man he had ever met spoke up from across the table. Acheron was causing discourse...surprise, surprise. Lorenz stole a glance to his left, where Holst was not hiding his displeasure at all, judging from the glower that he was sending Acheron's way. Next to him sat Marianne, who had a pleasant smile on her face, but Lorenz noticed that she was biting her lower lip slightly, telling him that she also was also getting tired of Acheron's shit.
"Please, do say your piece, Acheron...quickly," Holst said, muttering the last word under his breath, and Lorenz cleared his throat to prevent himself from chuckling. Acheron let out an arrogant huff as he stood from his chair, and made to move behind it.
"Well, I must say that-ack!" Acheron yelped as he suddenly fell face-first to the floor, and Lorenz's eyes widened with shock.
"W-What is the meaning of this?" Acheron said from his spot on the floor, but from his seated position, Lorenz couldn't see what he meant by that. Holst burst out laughing beside him and shook his head.
"What's wrong, Acheron? Your poor arguments have you stumbling before you can even vocalize them?" Lorenz would have chuckled at Holst's jab, but the high-pitched shriek that suddenly came from under the table made his blood run cold with panic, and he made a desperate effort to get to the other side of the table as quickly as possible.
Acheron growled as he reached under the table and pulled out a familiar face at the Roundtable meetings: Iris, the troublemaker of the Gloucester-Gautier children. He had a vice-grip on her arm, and she struggled violently against his hold.
"Let go!" she yelled, and promptly bit down on his hand, causing Acheron to let out another yelp as he jerked his arm away. Iris was knocked to the floor in the process, and Acheron loomed over her as he seethed with anger.
"You little brat! How dare you humiliate me! Someone ought to teach you some manners," Acheron hissed, and he brought a hand up over the wide-eyed child, prompting Holst and Marianne to shoot up from their seats.
However, they missed their chance to intervene, because before Acheron could bring his hand down, Lorenz had moved in front of Iris, pulling her behind him as he intercepted Acheron's wrist. Acheron scowled at the girl before turning his gaze to Lorenz, and the absolutely venomous glare that he was met with caused the lesser noble's face to go deathly pale.
Lorenz continued to stare icily at Acheron, his vehement anger threatening to boil over as he started shaking slightly. "If you lay even one finger on her, or any of my other children," Lorenz finally managed to say, his voice dropping low as he tightened his grip on Acheron's wrist, "I will send you out of this estate in so many pieces that no one will be able to identify who they belong to."
"Are you threatening me, Lorenz?" Acheron sneered. His eyes widened with shock when Lorenz let go of his wrist and grabbed his collar instead, yanking Acheron close so that Lorenz's piercing, enraged gaze bore deep into his eyes.
"Yes, you degenerate, contemptible bastard."
"How dare you-"
"Hey, cool it!" Holst suddenly appeared behind Acheron and dragged him back by his arms. Marianne had moved to stand in front of Lorenz, and she had to place her hands on his shoulders to keep him from pursuing the target of his unbridled rage.
"Lorenz," she said, her eyes flicking from his down to Iris, who was clinging to her father's leg and sticking her tongue out at Acheron, "Let it go, please." Lorenz closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
"Very well," he said, glaring at Acheron one last time before bending over to gather Iris into his arms.
"Er, why don't we take a break? We can resume in an hour or two, yeah?" Holst suggested. A murmur of agreement passed through the room, and everyone slowly emptied out, with a still-seething Acheron storming out the door first.
Lorenz sighed as he looked at Iris, who was blowing raspberries at Acheron's back as he left the room. "Iris...stop that."
"But Father, he-"
"Thank you Marianne, Holst." Lorenz interrupted Iris, who huffed in annoyance, but kept quiet. Marianne smiled and Holst barked out a laugh.
"Oh, it was nothing! It's about time something exciting actually happened in these boring-ass meetings," Holst said, as he headed for the door, ruffling Iris' hair as he passed, "See you later. We'll go keep an eye on Acheron for you."
"I appreciate it." Lorenz watched as Marianne followed Holst out the door, before he set Iris down and turned his disapproving gaze to her.
"Iris…"
"Wow, Father! You were so cool!" Iris giggled and a toothy grin crossed her face. "You really told him off!"
"I am glad that you think I am cool, but," Lorenz's gaze bore into Iris, and she frowned, glancing down at her feet as she smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkles in her dress, "I have told you countless times not to sneak into the Roundtable meetings."
Countless was almost an understatement. Ever since he and Sylvain had adopted Iris off of the streets - after she had been caught trying to pick-pocket Sylvain - Lorenz had caught her snooping in on every single Roundtable meeting that had been held at the Gloucester-Gautier estate. Sometimes she dragged her poor brother Yarrow with her - bless his timid, easily-persuaded soul - but it was mostly a solo operation. Lorenz was still perplexed as to why she did this, as he had never gotten a clear answer out of her.
"But…"
"And," Lorenz raised his voice slightly and Iris' mouth snapped shut. "Why on earth did you tie Acheron's feet together?" She had certainly never done anything like that before, and even though Lorenz held nothing but contempt for the bastard, he would have thought that he had taught his children how to conduct themselves properly.
Lorenz watched as Iris' lips pursed and her eyes narrowed into an angry glare. "Father, he's an awful man!" Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, and to Lorenz's surprise, she started trembling. "You and Daddy always say that lying is bad, and Acheron was lying about you!"
"Me?" Lorenz blinked in confusion, and Iris continued on, her voice rising in volume to almost a yell as her eyes took on a watery sheen.
"Yes! He-He said that you were a bad count, and that you would run Gloucester territory into the ground, and that you are a-a dis...um...disgrace to the nobility!" Iris' ranting halted, as she had started crying and could not talk through her sobs. Lorenz watched her with wide eyes, before a soft smile crossed his face. Ah, so that's what it was. How very like her to jump right in to defend someone else without stopping to think.
"Darling," Lorenz said, kneeling down and wrapping his arms around Iris, who let out a frustrated huff as she rubbed at her tear stained cheeks, "you should not let those kinds of things affect you so much. Such slander from a man like him means nothing to me." Iris sniffled as her anger-induced crying slowed, and she lifted her head from Lorenz's chest.
"How...how can you say that?" Iris said as she grit her teeth, "You and Daddy are so wonderful and nice and amazing. You...you gave so many kids a home...even a bad kid like me, who tried to steal from you…" Lorenz's heart clenched as he watched her start crying again, and he held her, rubbing her back gently.
"Deep breaths, dear. Easy," Lorenz whispered soothingly, cradling the back of her head as she took a few quick breaths. Eventually, her breathing evened out, and after a few more quiet sobs escaped, she managed to compose herself.
Pulling out a handkerchief, Lorenz dabbed Iris' eyes and cheeks dry, and she muttered a quiet thank you. Chuckling softly, he placed his hands on her shoulders, prompting her to turn her gaze to his and look him in the eyes.
"Iris, please do not put yourself down like that, my darling," Lorenz started, and she sniffed, but managed to keep herself from bursting into tears again, "Your dad and I love you very, very much. You are a smart and kind girl, and we are both very proud of you."
"Father…" Iris choked out, rubbing her eyes as a few more tears managed to leak out.
"You and your siblings are our greatest treasures, and I do truly appreciate your attempt at defending me, but please refrain from doing so again. I do not want you getting hurt," Lorenz continued. The wave of terror that had coursed through him when Acheron raised his hand to Iris was something that he hadn't quite felt before, and could go without feeling ever again.
Iris swallowed thickly as she nodded. "O-Okay...I'm sorry…"
"It is quite alright. This would not be a problem if you just stayed out of the Roundtable meetings." Lorenz sighed and shook his head. "Why do you insist on sneaking into them?" He did not expect an actual answer, but to his surprise, Iris looked up at him with a curious glint in her eyes.
"I just...They're interesting," Iris said, "I don't understand too much of what you talk about with the other nobles, but, um, it always seems important and sometimes you all get kinda loud and it gets kinda exciting. I guess I just have fun watching you talk about important noble stuff."
Lorenz blinked at her a few times, stunned. "You...Really? You are interested in what I do?"
"Yeah! I wanna be just like you when I grow up!" Iris exclaimed, and Lorenz laughed as he ruffled her hair.
"Well, when you are older - and if you refrain from sneaking into any more Roundtable meetings - I could let you sit in on some with me."
"Really?!" Iris' eyes went wide as she bounced on her feet excitedly. "Yay! You're the best, Father!"
"Yes, yes. Now, run along and join your siblings outside." Lorenz didn't have to ask twice, and after she hugged him, she rushed to the door.
"And remember, no more sneaking into-" Before Lorenz could finish speaking, Iris had already escaped the room, and he sighed as he shook his head; he would have to make a mental note to check under the table before every Roundtable meeting from now on.
As he now had some time to kill before his meeting resumed, Lorenz left the room to seek out some tea. Some time later, he was walking down the hall, feeling much better with a cup of warm Bergamot in him.
"Hey, babe! You're done early."
Lorenz smiled as he turned to find Sylvain smirking at him as he leaned against the wall. His own meeting with the nobles from the former Kingdom territories must have adjourned early as well, or they were also on a break.
Pushing away from the wall, Sylvain closed the distance between them, pressing his lips against his husband's. Lorenz sighed as he embraced Sylvain; it was always a comfort, kissing him after a long meeting, especially one as exciting as this one had been. Speaking of that…
"Sylvain, darling," Lorenz said when he pulled away, "My meeting is only half over, because there was a...disruption." Sylvain sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.
"Iris again?"
"Yes, but this time she was not only listening in on the meeting, but she tied Acheron's feet together and caused quite the ruckus." Lorenz barely got through the sentence before Sylvain doubled over laughing.
"Oh my gods, she did not!" Lorenz crossed his arms over his chest as he waited impatiently for Sylvain to compose himself, and the serious look in his eyes caused the smile to fall from Sylvain's face.
"Yes, she did, and Acheron almost hit her for it."
"He what?" Sylvain's demeanor completely changed from amused to absolutely furious in the span of two seconds. He snarled as he pushed up his sleeves and took a step down the hall, "Where's the cowardly fucker? I'll knock his fucking teeth out-"
"Sylvain, please." Lorenz placed a hand on his angry husband's arm, and Sylvain's narrowed eyes moved to lock with his. "I already threatened to dismember the bastard, so I believe he will think twice before trying anything so heinous again." Sylvain stared at Lorenz for a moment, before a huge grin slowly spread across his face.
"You threatened him? Prim and proper Lorenz Hellman Gloucester-Gautier actually threatened someone with bodily harm during a political meeting?" Lorenz felt his face grow hot as he huffed with annoyance and turned away.
"Yes, and?" Lorenz grumbled, and Sylvain chuckled as he took his hands and pulled Lorenz close.
"I dunno, just thinking of you going all angry papa bear on Acheron is...kinda hot," Sylvain said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Lorenz groaned and rolled his eyes so hard that he was shocked that they didn't pop right out of his head.
"You are insufferable."
Sylvain laughed and pulled Lorenz into a tight hug, and Lorenz's annoyance melted away as he smiled and embraced his husband in return.
"Seriously though, thank you Lorenz," Sylvain whispered into his ear, "for protecting our daughter. You're the best husband and father to our children that I could have ever asked for." Lorenz pulled away from Sylvain, and he chuckled as he pressed their foreheads together.
"I couldn't do it without you, darling," Lorenz whispered, giving Sylvain another quick kiss, "I love you."
"Love you too."
They gazed at each other for a moment, before Lorenz remembered something and his eyes widened.
"Ah, that's right." Sylvain raised an eyebrow at Lorenz as the latter crossed his arms over his chest. "Iris finally told me why she is always sneaking into the Roundtable meetings."
"Huh, really?" A look of genuine shock crossed Sylvain's face, and he waited for Lorenz to elaborate.
"Yes. She told me...that they interest her, and that she wants to...be just like me when she grows up," Lorenz said, and the beaming smile that Sylvain shot him caused Lorenz to blush.
"Iris always was a clever and sneaky one, a perfect combination for a politician." Sylvain said, and Lorenz gave him a playful swat on the arm, "But you know what they say: 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.' I think Iris might seriously take after you someday, Lorenz."
"Hmm, perhaps." Lorenz scratched thoughtfully at his chin. "We shall see if she is still interested in a few years."
"Sounds like a plan." A mischievous grin suddenly crossed Sylvain's face, and he bit his lower lip as he snaked his arms around Lorenz's neck.
"Hey, babe," he said, his voice dropping low and causing Lorenz's face to heat up, "When do you have to be back for your meeting?"
"Hmm, in about an hour and a half, I believe."
"Ah, great, same here."
"Why?" Lorenz raised a suspicious eyebrow, and Sylvain chuckled as he moved his lips to Lorenz's ear.
"Because," he whispered, and Lorenz shivered as Sylvain's warm breath hit his ear, "I meant what I said, about you threatening Acheron." Sylvain pressed himself flush against Lorenz, and he immediately felt what Sylvain was talking about.
"Really? In the middle of Roundtable negotiations?"
'Hehe, yep. There's a perfectly good closet right here." Sylvain moved his hand to the small door behind him and turned the knob. "No one will even know."
"Ugh, you really are an insatiable degenerate."
"But I'm your insatiable degenerate!"
Lorenz rolled his eyes, but he could not deny the heat that was building within him, so he smirked as he grabbed Sylvain by his shirt, yanked him into the closet, and slammed the door shut.
"You're godsdamn right."