The World Dragon's Heir

Chapter 650: The Right Technique

Fortunately for Jack, Julio had contract application templates ready to go, and he just had to copy one out with the name and job title added.

No need to think up formalities while drinking.

Dominic would have to read it over and sign it anyhow, so he probably could have let one of the maids do the writing. But Jack knew that it would take a bit extra to steal a good knight, and he had the experience to know how to phrase it.

That was the most important part

Even if it was something that they might want, if you didn’t phrase the offer correctly, a proud knight like Sir Charles would easily reject the offer and look elsewhere for the same thing.

He wasn’t a desperate man looking for work, or even a tradesman in need of a good place to grow his reputation.

Rather than the refugees that they had grown used to dealing with, they needed someone with his skills as much or more than he needed Wistover.

However, Jack knew just how to appeal to a Knight who had spent too long struggling to make a name for himself without ever truly distinguishing himself enough that he got a Noble promotion or even enough money that he changed his lifestyle.

What he needed was open recognition.

So, that was how Jack phrased the closing portion of the invitation.

[Sir Charles Whitbury of Cygnia,

You are formally invited to the Ducal Manor for a celebration of victory this evening at dusk. Attire is Royal Casual, five courses will be served finishing with wine.

PS,

If you should be interested, Duke Dominic requests to speak with you about your willingness to accept a Formally Recognized Advisor’s position as the head of entertainment within the Duchy, with exact details to be negotiated.}

That should be enough to keep the knight intrigued through dinner.

Formally Recognized meant that it was a bureaucratic title that the Duchy was bestowing, something more than a simple job, which would elevate his status within society.

Much like Castellan Julio held power within the Manor.

It wasn’t quite as good as becoming a Baronet, but a Duke’s Advisors were given immense respect and freedom to make decisions within their fields of specialty.

Especially for a young Duke without family guidance, but with Royal connections.

The rest of the invitations to dinner were sent out by the maids, and while they were not a mandatory event, nor did they request an RSVP to formalize the numbers, Jack didn’t think that any of the final twelve Knights would turn them down.

Not with the King of Cygnia in attendance.

Now all that was left to do was to wait for everyone to show up.

There wasn’t much time between the end of the jousts for the day and dusk, only a few hours. But it was enough time for everyone to change and get ready for dinner, which they were going to do anyhow, just in less fancy clothing.

It was also a short walk to the Manor, and they all had mechanical horses.

The only question was how long it would take them to get away from the crowds who had come to congratulate them.

That was definitely going to take some time, as they had just won two rounds of the joust today and that made them practically celebrities, even without considering that they were Noblemen in their own right, and far wealthier than most of the locals were ever likely to be.

Knighthood might be the lowest of the Nobility, but it was also the most relatable to the common citizens, as they often served beside them, and not indirectly the way that they usually did with Noble Officers.

And that made them more like a folk hero than the leadership caste.

It was also the only Noble Rank that nearly any Commoner could be elevated to. In theory, you needed some level of Noble or Royal blood to be granted a Noble Title, but the Knighthoods were an exception to that, as they could be granted to commoners for military valour.

Realistically, with the dubious behaviour of many Noblemen, you only had to go back a few generations in most families to find an ancestor who was most likely born to a Noble employer.

Sending the pregnant servant away with a severance package and then sending the child to a decent school to keep them silent was pretty standard practice for Noblemen who wanted to keep their reputation, or wanted to keep their indiscretion from reaching the ears of their wife.

It didn’t usually work. But they tried anyhow.

Half an hour before the sun reached the horizon, Dave informed Dominic that there were riders coming for the Manor.

The Knights had decided to make a spectacle of the invitation, and they were in their best outfits, with clean cloth barding on the mechanical horses, and their pennants flying, to remind everyone who was in the final twelve.

And perhaps encourage them to purchase a few banners to show support.

Every bit of merchandise helped.

They had one more day of tournament here in Wisotver, then they were on to the next spot in the circuit. Where that was depended on the Knight. Not everyone went to every location, and some would prefer their home nation’s jousts over others.

Though, for some of the Knights from smaller nations, the opposite was true.

It was better to bring another nation’s money home with them.

The procession of Knights was an impressive showing, each of them precisely five metres apart, just enough room for the fans of each to push forward in the few seconds before the next passed.

"You know, we really do need to work on our public events department. Because inviting a bunch of Knights for dinner is probably the best show we’ve put on in months." Dominic joked.

"You know that’s part of your job, right?" Alexis asked.

"Is it? I was going to hire someone for that."

"Definitely hire someone for that."

The Princes laughed quietly as the pair bickered, knowing that they were not serious. But also, that their own vacation time was nearly up.