The matter of the ring having been relatively simple to sort out (Candice left the matter in his hands entirely and he's never had much difficulty knowing exactly what he wants, when he wants it), Martel's moving through his mental checklist of things that should get taken care of sooner rather than later. If they're going to have this long engagement--and it's for the best that they do--then it makes sense (to his mind) to take care of what he'd otherwise be scolded for leaving late in advance.

For example: meet the family. In this case, being as Martel's family mostly consists of people who want to kill him and Candice has already met Sephrenia, it mainly means contacting and Aphrael and extending an invitation to the castle. (He's been considering naming it, but gods only know what yet.)

From the outside, set against the Arum mountains, it still looks...mainly wild, if far from ruin. The renovations that have already taken place on the interior are more advanced (at least in the parts he's deemed most necessary); Martel fails to grasp how it looks to Candice, seeing mostly things that still have to be done, but it's an impressive property. For now he's settled in the library (such as it is; he's filling the shelves again at a sedate pace, trying to rebuild what must have been before he lived here), if settled is the word for 'bothering Candice about the shape of the letter 'F'', and waiting on the imminent arrival of incoming deity. With any luck.