I don't get the whole friction idea. Nobles decide what's best for the peasants and the realm. Not the other way around.
The following is the text given when treaties reach high friction:
Treaty Criticised (5 hours, 56 minutes ago)
The treaty xxx is under intense criticism from the minor nobility and the bureaucrats tasked with overseeing its administration. You should send some diplomats to talk to your partners, because if this keeps up, it could spell trouble for the maintenance of the treaty.No peasants involved apparently.
I kinda agree with Chenier that the true point is the numbers involved. Perhaps the ruler could be allowed to exert maintenance, but anyway spending an entire turn of an ambassador to lower the friction a handful of percentage points when the treaty receives 1 or 2% friction every turn is a bit too much. One could compare treaty maintenance to courtier work in regions far from the capital: something that ought to be done every now and then, but a single courtier spending there some turns will fix the problem for a while. The problem is that 2-3 troublesome regions are what one realm will find to have at most, while treaties are way more numerous.
