“What about you, Ryu?” he asked, in a direct challenge. “You’re all too familiar with the need to honour the role you were born for, regardless of the difficulties that come with it. Perhaps Cael will listen to one of his peers, if he’s so insistent on the idea that his father doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
Crap. So that’s why he’d been called in. Ryu floundered for a moment, easily able to see both sides of the argument. Having his every waking moment dictated by his lineage was no picnic, but at the same time, in the last couple of years he’d developed a sound respect for the need to maintain order and tradition in their small but prosperous country.
But before Ryu could come up with anything even remotely helpful to say, Kentario cleared his throat, raising his hand slightly to get his father’s attention. “If I may?” he asked, and Danag threw his hands in the air.
“Fine! If you can talk some sense into him, all the better. Or maybe you can get him to apologise to Their Majesties for insulting the Royal Guard!”
Kentario offered the king and queen a tight smile and a brief nod of deference. So far, neither monarch had had anything to say, aside from a brief introduction at the beginning of the meeting. “This might not be what you want to hear, sir,” Kentario addressed his father, “but I think we need to ask the very realistic question as to whether an omega is actually capable of becoming a member of the Royal Guard.” He gestured helplessly to his brother, who rolled his eyes at him. “Cael’s tiny. He’s short, he has nothing like the strength required to complete the guard exercise regimes, and even with dedicated training, he’s never going to put on the amount of muscle he needs to pass the exams. Emica?” he asked, turning to his sister. “Would you disagree?”
“I’m going to have to go with Kentario on this one,” Emica told her father, a frown creasing her forehead. She’d cut her hair short when she’d joined the Guard, dark locks piled haphazardly atop a pixie-ish face. But her delicate looks belied her true prowess as a fighter; there was every indication she was going to turn out just as fierce in battle as her older brother.
“Cael’s the first omega to be born to the Amagarda line in nearly three hundred years,” Emica pointed out. “Every other male in our family has been an alpha, for as long as we can remember. I don’t think it’s realistic to expect the same physical capabilities from Cael as you do from Kentario or me. And aside from that, when he finds his soulmate, he’s most likely going to be matched with an alpha. That would only cause more problems; what alpha wants to know that his omega mate is capable of besting him in the training ring? As much as it breaks family tradition, I think trying to force Cael through Guard training would only end up making our family look bad. Maybe letting him move to Palarn isn’t the worst idea after all?”
Listening to the siblings’ patronising denouncement of their own brother, Ryu was forced to grit his teeth, lest he blurt out something entirely inappropriate. As the king’s bodyguard, Danag was respected more than almost anyone else in the palace – aside from perhaps Captain Landis. Openly contradicting his two eldest children, and likely calling the lot of them bigoted assholes in the process, would do nothing to help Cael’s cause – not to mention landing himself in a whole heap of trouble.
Kentario and Emica’s opinions were clearly not the answer Danag had been hoping for. In desperation, he turned to the only other person in the room who might have a serious idea as to how to turn the tide. “Maro? Isuppose it’s up to you then. Do you consider that an omega would be capable of serving in the Guard?”
Maro was something of an enigma to Ryu. Now in his fifties, he’d begun his service to the Crown back when Ryu’s grandfather, King Arata had been on the throne. When Arata had suffered a heart attack at the age of fifty, Maro had swiftly transferred his loyalty to King Sou. He’d been a fixture of the palace since before Ryu had been born, and Ryu had never known a man to be more reasonable or rational than Maro. Surely the Captain couldn’t denounce an entire gender on the basis of nothing more than stereotypical bias?
Despite the waiting audience of both the king’s bodyguard, and the king himself, Maro was in no hurry to answer the question. He was a patient man, as well as a thoughtful one, and it was no surprise to anyone in the room that he wanted to thoroughly consider all sides of the argument before giving his answer. He let his gaze rest on Cael for a long moment, before running his eyes over both Kentario and Emica.
Finally, Maro turned to face Danag. “Ever since Kentario was a young boy, it’s been obvious that he had a talent for both physical combat and strategic planning. I’ve rarely been so impressed with any student in my entire time serving the crown. The Amagardas have a long and glorious history of protecting the reigning monarch and his family, and I’m loath to interrupt such a long line of honourable men and women.
“But what Kentario says is true; Cael lacks the physical strength to be a useful member of the Guard. And in a way, his desire to move to the city of Palarn is a blessing. His continued presence here in Azrahn would only draw attention, and by allowing him to study at university, he’ll be kept away from the sort of trouble that idleness would likely attract. All things considered, Danag, I think his request is far from the worst solution to the situation.”
“Oh, what a shame. Do you really think that’s for the best?” Queen Elise spoke up finally, a look of concern on her face. She was an omega, and was everything that Ryu’s father was not; soft, empathetic, and always hoping to find the ‘happily ever after’ in any given scenario. “Perhaps you could at least test out his fitness or put him through a few trials before you make a decision?” The hopeful pout on her face was no less patronising than Kentario’s scathing criticism had been, and Ryu glowered at the table, furious at his friend and bodyguard. Kentario had always shown the utmost respect for his brother, and for any other omega in the palace. Why was he being such a prick about it all now?
Captain Landis, though, looked quite surprised by the request. “Uh… if that is Your Majesty’s wish, then I’ll have him tested. But my honest opinion is that he won’t have the fitness to pass the introductory trials.”
“Oh, I really do think it’s best,” Elise crooned, the pout never leaving her face. “He might surprise us, after all. And I wouldn’t like him to miss out because we made too hasty a decision.”
The reluctance vanished from Maro’s face, replaced by complacent obedience. “As Your Majesty wishes.”
Okay, enough was enough. Ryu sat up, prepared to defend Cael’s honour with a few scathing words of his own. But a split second before he spoke, a sharp kick under the table connected with his shin.
His gaze snapped up, to collide with Kentario’s in an unexpected jolt. Stern and serious on a normal day, Kentario’s glare was currently intense enough to strip paint off a wall, and by pure reflex, Ryu shut his mouth.
In the few moments that Ryu was distracted, Danag had apparently recovered from the disappointment of Maro’s answer. “Well, I suppose that’s a reasonable solution, all things considered. Very well. Maro will have Cael tested, but if that doesn’t work out, I’ll send him to Palarn. At least he can’t cause trouble that way.”
“Excellent,” King Sou said, the first thing he’d said to contribute to the conversation since they’d sat down. “Well, then. If that’s settled, we should head over to the dining room. I dare say our dinner will be getting cold by now.”
CHAPTER THREE
“Ready for your geography exam?” Kentario greeted Ryu the following morning. They were out the front of the palace, waiting for Ryu’s chauffer to bring the car around to drive him to school.
“Screw you,” Ryu hissed back, keeping his voice low enough that he wouldn’t be overheard by his mother, waiting a short distance away. Good manners were a blessing from the Goddess, she’d told him often enough, and hearing Ryu snap at his bodyguard would earn him a stern lecture, regardless of whether it would make him late for his exam.
For his part, Kentario muttered a curse, a frown settling on his handsome face. “This is about what I said about Cael, right? Look, it wasn’t-”
“How could you throw your own brother under the bus like that?” Ryu shoved his hair out of his eyes and folded his arms, not even wanting to look at Kentario. To his irritation, he couldn’t pick the man’s scent at the moment, the subtle undertones generated by his scent glands effectively disguised by a judicious spray of cologne. It was a tactic often used by nobles and professionals alike, making the person in question far less likely to inadvertently interrupt a formal meeting by displaying inappropriate scent signals, but at the same time, it made it far more difficult for Ryu to figure out Kentario’s mood.
“We’ll talk about it in the car,” Kentario muttered, plastering a mask of respect on his face as Captain Landis appeared out of the guards’ station near the entrance.
“Ah, young Ryu,” Maro greeted him. “All set? This is your last exam, is it?”
“Second last,” Ryu said. “I still have mathematics on Thursday.”
“Well, not long to go now. It’ll be a relief to have it all out of the way, I’m sure.”
