He needed my stepmom's money, I think. Albrecht's not all that big, and we're not all that rich, but we've got some land named after us and that's not nothing. My stepmom, she's just the opposite. Her family's got money, but no status, so they bankroll a lot of what goes on in Albrecht and, y'know, I guess she wanted her kid to get a title out of it for her trouble.

[He sighs, turning his hand over so that they're more properly holding each others', and so that he can give Ashe's a faint squeeze in return.]

My dad...is a guy being pulled in a lot of directions. Whatever his reasons, he doesn't pull back.