Letter 28: To our honored friends at the court of the Lombard king,

To our honored friends at the court of the Lombard king, The proposal regarding a marriage alliance between our royal houses has been considered with the seriousness it deserves. Marriages between ruling families are not merely personal arrangements; they create bonds of obligation and interest that shape the relationship between kingdoms for generations, and they must therefore be approached thoughtfully. We are not opposed to a closer relationship with the Lombard kingdom. The situation in Italy, however, complicates the picture: we have existing agreements with the Empire that impose certain constraints on how close we can become with powers that the Emperor regards as adversaries. We do not raise this as an obstacle but as a reality that any arrangement must account for. We propose that our ambassadors and yours meet to discuss the terms more specifically. The question of the bride's dowry and the guarantees that would be provided on both sides, the question of the children's status and succession rights, and the question of how the alliance would be understood in relation to our existing agreements with the Empire — all of these require detailed discussion. We send this as an indication of serious interest. We await your response. From the court of Austrasia