Me, friends with those old farts at the roundtable...? [When Claude laughs this time, it's actually genuine, like Byleth had said something hilarious. He wipes at the corner of his eye a little and shakes his head.] Oh, no, no. I got along well enough with some of them. Count Ordelia out of the other great lords, for instance. Judith, Holst... but my friends amongst the lords for many years were few and far between.

[Count Gloucester was the most extreme example among them, but they all had friction.]

Remember, these are all people with competing local interests. Gloucester had the Empire hounding his doorstep. House Goneril had Almyra looming on theirs. I was some young upstart with unknown origins or intentions. You can pretend to be friends in those circumstances, but would it really be genuine? Friendship is built on trust. Alliances are built on trust... but also convenience.