Whatever he'd expected from Auguste's proposal, this is... not it. Nyx's head jerks up, he'd had his feet propped up on the meeting room table and they hit the ground with a thunk.

"What?!" Auguste may as well have slapped right him upside the head, the expression of utter shock on his face is nearly comical. "No."

Not a particularly good or smart thing to say to one's royal liege, perhaps, but Nyx has never been particularly good at keeping his mouth shut and obediently accepting orders and Auguste has had ten long years to get used to it. "My duty is to you and throne. I'm not a-- fucking noble, I don't have any place owning a castle, let alone a dukedom. Your court will laugh me out of the room. And--"

The last part of Auguste's request leaves his brow furrowed in confusion. What do these two things have to do with one another?

"What's wrong with the guards Laurent has now? Are you dissatisfied with them?"