At the mention of his eldest son, Godfrey's brow furrowed deeply, a complex mixture of pride and worry.
"Godwyn... he's too well suited. So well suited that he shines, so well suited that certain beings cannot ignore him." His voice was almost inaudible.
"Too much state business, and Serosh will feel he needs help; too little, and he'll suspect we're deliberately hiding things. That balance is getting harder and harder to strike."
"Then why not find a pretext and send him over to Asei too, like Messmer and Melina?" Marika suggested, a barely perceptible trace of hope in her tone.
"Caria is far from the Erdtree's heart, and under Horace's control. Perhaps..."
Godfrey slowly shook his head, cutting his wife off. "Messmer has a serpent within him, and Melina... her traits are even more unusual. They were already on the fringes of certain 'lists.' Sending them away drew attention, but it wasn't entirely impossible to explain. Godwyn is different. He is our eldest son, the first child of 'Golden' Godfrey and Eternal Queen Marika, born bathed in the greatest blessings and attention. He is too 'normal,' too 'perfect'-so perfect that his sudden departure would cause far greater ripples than Messmer and the others."
He raised his head and looked toward the Erdtree's towering crown, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"If we send too many away, too often, then however sound our reasons, the 'Two Fingers' and the gaze behind them will grow suspicious. We cannot gamble, especially now."
Marika fell silent. A trace of weariness and deeper worry crossed her beautiful face.
"Actually... I don't think Serosh would... he was drawn to you, came because of your kingly stature and strength. He doesn't seem to be a beast of the Two Fingers."
"I would like to believe that too."