The flash of purple in those granite orbs made Sebastian gasp for air, or maybe it was the sharp poke in the ribs from his father that made him breathless. An unfamiliar feeling hit the back of his mind making him blink in confusion. The small movement was enough to ensure his defeat.
After the crowd acknowledged his victory with a loud roar, it took Ryu a moment to tear his eyes of the boy. 'Nobody had ever dared to challenge him this way'.
"Give that insolent fool twenty lashes and keep him out of my sight", Ryu barked at Eran, before lifting his heels and storming off. He needed to find a secluded spot and take care of some urgent business. He had some heartfelt words to convey to his wayward spirit animal. The little Water Dragon may have saved his life at birth, but there was only so much he was willing to do to repay that debt.
"No", he simply stated.
"He's the one I've told you about", Rin pleaded. "The one we've been waiting for all these years."
"Correction", Ryu shook his head. "He's the one you've been waiting for."
Looking around to see if anyone witnessed this one sided conversation he clenched his fists in anger.
"I refuse to risk my future by breaking my betrothal to Lady Eloise and quite literally forfeit my life to enter into a same sex relationship with a peasant. You do know that despite my father's lenience regarding this matter in recent years these pairings are still illegal for the Royals of Doragon?"
"Minor detail", Rin brushed off the argument. "For now you don't have to worry about a thing. He's still under age and therefore unable to tell what we are to him."
"Then why the drama?" Ryu frowned feeling baited into this strong negative response. "You must have known how I would react to this?"
Rin weighed his words.
"I had no idea that we would encounter each other today. But since it happened I thought it important to introduce you to him so you could get used to the idea before nature takes over and forces you to acknowledge him as your mate."
Ryu shook his head.
"I don't have a mate, therefore I won't waste any time on getting to know him. All I aim for is ruling out whether or not they could be spies."
"How are you going to do that without talking to them?" Rin commented.
"I'll simply give Zayev my full attention on anything he is willing to share about his new love", Ryu responded dryly. "I'm sure that with a little guidance I'll quickly retrieve the information I need. All that remains is to evade him for the next four weeks and then I'll be on my way."
Sebastian laid on his stomach while his mother carefully treated his wounds. The twenty lashes were a painful reminder of his misstep, however it was his pride that took the biggest blow. All his life he'd been treated as an equal to Seamus, the little Master of the Glass household. Nobody ever looked down on him. And what made it even more sour, it had felt personal. As if he was to lowly to breath in the same air as 'His Highness'. Both his parents spoke about growing up on Palace grounds and he always took their words of snooty Royals with a grain of salt. Apparently they had been spot on in their assessment.
"Chin up, eyes down", Kai advised standing next to his cot.
"If you don't provoke him he'll most likely ignore you", Reese added stroking his sweaty hair. "Please keep in mind that we have a task to fulfill. We can't afford to antagonize someone with influence."
"How did the rest of your meeting with the administrator go?" Sebastian asked after silently rolling his eyes.
"She was pleasantly surprised by the recommendation letters and generously allowed me to choose my own position", she smiled. "I asked to work in the Library and Blanche took me on a tour where I was introduced to the Head Librarian. She was preoccupied at that time and will send for me tomorrow."
She turned to Kai. "I discovered a tattoo on her wrist indicating that she's a Royal Concubine."
Kai's face spoke volumes.
"It seems like all of us have to be careful not to draw any unwanted attention."
It took only two dinners with Zayev and his mother for Ryu to collect all the information he needed to clear the new family from immediate suspicion. Along the way he also uncovered an important piece of information for his wayward spirit animal.
"Rumor has it that your werewolf doesn't have a wolf. Now remind me, how this whole mate thing is supposed to work out?"
Rin huffed at the smug words.
"Don't hurt your brain thinking about the details. All I'm asking is to give the boy a chance."
Ryu let out a heartfelt groan. Despite his clear instructions to keep the new recruit away from him, it seemed like his Commanding Officer, General Min, had other plans.
Gold level consisted of three groups of twelve. There were currently no vacancies until Ryu left for the military in a month and had therefor felt secure in his ability to ignore the existence of the dirty blond nuisance. However he could not have foreseen the bomb the General dropped on him by depriving him of his personal page and the intention to replace him with a most unwelcome alternative.
"We normally don't take on recruits without there being an available space. However Eran was so sure of himself that I made some arrangements. Since there is no room in the assigned groups I arranged for Haru to receive his transfer papers early. He will travel ahead and make sure that everything will go smoothly when you take up your station. Sebastian will take his place. Serving as your personal page will provide him with a unique opportunity to learn from your experience and join Gold level when you leave."
Ryu inhaled deeply knowing that arguing with his superior officer would be of no use. The man undoubtedly heard about the confrontation in the Pitt and the punishment that followed. Ryu concluded that the unexpected pairing was a lesson in obedience for both parties, but that was not what concerned him most.
Every year a new page was assigned to Ryu. It provided a lower ranking servant with the opportunity to learn how to serve a Royal, with the added bonus of avoiding deep attachments. Haru had filled his duties well and Ryu was looking forward to seeing him again when he took up his new career. Although Ryu never felt emotionally close to his servants, they physically came very close to him. Despite his own investigation confirming that Sebastian was most likely not a spy he felt apprehensive to have him so nearby. Combined with what Rin told him it made him feel vulnerable. A sensation that came uncomfortably close to helplessness; something he hated with a passion.
"I will survive without Haru for a month, General. No need to involve a newbie", he stated in a last attempt to dodge this bullet.
The man simply waved away his comment effectively ending the meeting.
Sebastian didn't fare much better. He actually felt like had swallowed rocks when he heard his new assignment and the attached obligations. Four weeks never seemed so long. Frankly he had thought it a joke at first. From what he was told he expected to be placed in a Pool group until there was room to move on. It would have allowed him time to adjust to the hierarchy and focus on the goal of finding out more information on the Dragon Blade.
His parents settled in with so much ease that it made him a little jealous. He reminded himself that serving another didn't diminish his own personal worth, but than again he never had to serve someone who sentenced him to twenty lashes. He prayed and prayed hard his mother was right and that the Prince was the kind of man who ignored his staff and treated them like air. Because Royal or not, if the Prince ever crossed his bottem-line all bets were off.
