“You’re probably right,” Ryu said. “And yes, I’m being unfair to them. Some of them, at least. And for what it’s worth, an interest in fashion in and of itself is not a bad thing. The thing that pisses me off is that they, andtheir parents, and the media, all assume that wearing a pretty dress and strutting about with swaying hips is the best way to get my attention. They would do far better if they set out to raise money for charity, or if they can actually play an instrument, hold a recital or something. Why aren’t I allowed to be interested in actual people, instead of how much they can afford to spend on a custom-made dress and an overpriced hairdresser?”
“I don’t mean to play devil’s advocate, but have you tried actually talking to them, to find out what else they’ve got going for them?”
“Have you tried meeting your soulmate, to find out if he’s actually not a pompous git who wants to knock you up straight away?”
“Touché,” Jasmine said, a wry smile showing that she hadn’t taken offence to the sarcastic suggestion. “Some mysteries are better left unexplored. But just out of curiosity, what sort of person would you be interested in marrying? That’s not a come-on, by the way,” she added quickly, with a laugh. “I didn’t come to Galandeen to go shopping for a husband.”
Knowing that Jasmine was firmly off the market was a relief. Even if the media wanted to set them up together, at least now Ryu didn’t have to worry about her taking any of his attention the wrong way. But the question posed an enormous problem nonetheless. There was exactly one person in the world he was interested in marrying, and that came with two problems: number one, said person was most definitelynothis soulmate, and number two, he had no way of knowing if Kentario would be interested, even if it was a realistic option.
Mercifully, a voice interrupted them before he was forced to come up with an answer to the question.
“Your Highness?” Well, speak of the devil. “Your parents are making a move towards the gardens,” Kentario informed them, sticking to Ryu’s formal title, given the copious audience. “Would you like to follow?”
It was deliberately phrased as a question, lest he be seen to be giving orders to the crown prince, but at the same time, the implications of the question were clear:get your ass in gear and move.
“Shall we?” Ryu asked Jasmine, standing up and offering her his arm.
“It would be apleasure,” she said, just loud enough for the loitering women to hear. She stood up, making a show of tossing her long braid over her shoulder, then slipped her arm through his.
But for all Jasmine’s enjoyment of the afternoon, Kentario was apparently still in a bad mood. His scowl deepened as Ryu and Jasmine made their way off the platform… but then Ryu spotted the probable reason why. Captain Landis had arrived as well and had fallen into line beside Danag. No doubt Kentario was still holding a grudge against the man for his actions earlier in the week.
Thankfully, with Jasmine on his arm, Ryu got a few minutes peace, as none of the noble ladies would dare try and interrupt them. But as they followed the royal party towards the gardens, he overheard the conversation between the two men.
“There are two omegas on the list of new guard trainees for next season,” Danag was saying, his tone far from pleased, though he kept his voice low. “I thought you said omegas weren’t capable of completing the training?” It was no secret that Maro and Danag had never seen eye to eye, but at the same time, both had managed to maintain a professional respect for the other throughout their years of service. But now that Danag’s son was involved, it seemed that the veneer of civility was being pushed to the limit – a point that was made all the more clear by the competing scents drifting off the two men. Both were thick with spice, as they sent aggressive ‘stay back’ messages in olfactory form.
"It turns out that Queen Elise’s suggestion held a lot of wisdom,” Maro said. “There were actually three omegas who signed up, but in light of her request regarding Cael, I thought I’d put each of them through a preliminary trial before dismissing them out of hand. One of them was a complete failure, but the other two showed surprising promise. I thought it wouldn’t do any harm to at least let them complete the first six months. After that, if they prove they can’t keep up, then I’ll reassess the situation.”
“You do realise you’re risking wasting precious time and energy training people who will only drop out when they find out how difficult the training is?”
“It is a risk,” Maro agreed, and Ryu felt himself bristle at the casual disregard for the gender. “But since the queen was the one to suggest it, I would be rather concerned about offending her if I didn’t at least give them a chance. Or are you suggesting I simply disregard Her Majesty’s wishes?”
“Not at all,” Danag said, after a telling pause. “I’m merely concerned that the Guard remain strong and capable.”
“Oh?” Maro said, the slightest hint of amusement in his voice. “If you have any concerns about any particular member of the Guard, I’d be most interested to hear about it.”
He was answering Danag’s challenge with a challenge of his own; either name names and tell him who exactly wasn’t up to scratch, or shut the hell up. Since Maro was in charge of maintaining the Royal Guard and organising all of their training, the intended slight against his soldiers was no doubt quite insulting. Though he held a high position in the palace, Danag knew that the Guard was outside his direct authority.
“They seem to be performing well enough,” he conceded in the end. “But if I notice anything amiss, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
CHAPTER TEN
“Oh, doesn’t Princess Jasmine look stunning on the dance floor?” Queen Elise gushed, nudging Ryu to make him look. Thankfully, now that he knew that Jasmine already had a matching soulmate, he could be certain that she wasn’thissoulmate. Which made it easier to agree with his mother’s copious praise.
“She’s very graceful,” he said. But he also knew what else was coming, in light of that mild compliment.
“Wouldn’t you like to be out there, too? Wooing a partner equally as graceful? I’m sure you could findsomeonejust sitting around who was light on their feet.” She beamed at him, while Ryu bit back a groan.
“I have no desire to get my feet stepped on by anyone wearing those deadly high-heels. One wrong move and I’d end up with the heel stabbed straight through my foot.”
“Nonsense. Besides, you’re the prince. If you don’t go and dance, the musicians will think their music isn’t up to scratch. And I’m sure you’d agree that they’re playing beautifully tonight. So go on. Go and see if there’s anyone interesting to dance with.”
“Perhaps I should ask Duke Kirian’s son to dance,” he suggested. The man in question was the omega male who’d been forbidden from taking part in the wedding ceremony. It was still unclear whether Lord Gee was going to allow his alpha son to marry the man, but perhaps he might be more willing if he saw the Duke’s son dancing with the prince – a royal validation of the man’s gender, right out in public. Beside which, if the omega already had a soulmate, he couldn’t be Ryu’s match, which reduced the risk of the action being misinterpreted by the watching throng of journalists. He waited for his mother to protest, no doubt aghast at the idea of the crown prince making such a public display with such anunsuitablepartner…
“Oh, that’s a splendid idea!” she crowed, and Ryu nearly fell off his chair in surprise. “The poor man would no doubt love to dance, but he’s having a hard time finding a partner. Off you go, then. Have fun!”
Well, that had backfired spectacularly. Ryu got up, shooting a desperate look Kentario’s way as he made his way down to the tables where the nobles were watching the ball. Dinner had finished half an hour ago, and a small orchestra had wasted no time in starting up a festive performance, the dance floor now overflowing with happy couples. Kentario merely shrugged. The man hated dancing, and Ryu knew there was absolutely nothing that would tempt Kentario out onto the dance floor.
Actually, that was probably a good thing. If he’d had the courage to ask his bodyguard to dance, he’d most certainly have got the disapproving lecture from his mother he’d been expecting in selecting his current choice of partner.
