Despite the fact that Gwenaëlle is a reliable enough correspondent and he pays people in Kirkwall to keep him supplementarily informed, it has been some time since Romain has had the opportunity to see any of his grandchildren in person. His hands have been full with keeping his estate and his son in one piece long enough for Thomas to have something to inherit one day, and while he still contributes financially to the fight against Corypheus where appropriate, there has been plenty to occupy him in Orlais itself.

He's already in the capital on business of his own, which makes Gwenaëlle's arrival a pleasant surprise. (Whether the rest of Riftwatch is equally pleasant is a matter on which he expresses no opinion.) It's enough to make him accept an invitation he'd been on the edge of declining, much as his preference might have been for her (and her guest) to stay in. She has work to do, which is certainly something he can understand. So he arrives at the ball , as ever, fully correct in a fashionably conservative but impeccably made outfit. It appears black at a glance, but is in fact a deep midnight blue upon closer inspection. While mostly monochrome, a few silver accents on his clothing match those inlaid into his ebony mask. He does not make an especially inviting figure to most, though his presence will be a small coup for their hostess even if he speaks to no one at all.