Chapter 18 #2
“That boy is my legacy,” Sij sighed distastefully, “whether I like it or not. But…I can’t escape without accepting some of the blame.
I wasn’t there for him after his mother passed.
Too busy ruling the kingdom and avoiding home.
You’re too young to know what I’m talking about, but when you’re older and you find the right person, you will.
I allowed myself to be haunted by the memories of my lost mate to the point I neglected our child. ”
Nuri didn’t say anything to that, merely held the Emperor’s steady gaze with an unwavering one of his own.
Pain wasn’t exclusive to any one class. The things he’d suffered, others could have as well, and vice versa.
Maybe Sij was right in his assumptions that Nuri couldn’t currently relate to his problem, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t one day.
He would never scoff or cower from someone else’s misfortune. It was another reason he’d been selected for this role.
Sij needed someone he could instruct Silver to mirror.
Nuri was being offered up specifically to teach the Imperial Heir how a normal person operated in a modern society.
If all went well, Silver would learn to mimic his emotional responses and expressions, the same way he’d learned how to fake being charming and interested in others to get what he wanted from his father.
They knew he was capable to don that mask all the time, he simply lacked the motivation to do so. Sij was taking a risk and trying to appeal to Silver’s possessive nature. If his father showed an interest in another boy, one his age, he may be annoyed enough to play along with their plan.
No one thought they could fool him. Silver would know what this was really about. But that was also half the point. The Imperial Heir needed to agree on his own. Needed to believe he was making this choice himself.
It was convoluted and a bit ridiculous in Nuri’s mind, but who was he to disagree with the Imperial family? He also couldn’t argue the fact that he would make for the perfect companion to the unruly prince.
Yes, Nuri was quiet and didn’t have many real friends, but he was well liked by both classmates and teachers, and had never caused any sort of trouble or broken any rules.
He carried top grades in the country, and was in perfect health.
He’d already helped raise two kids, his brother and sister, and knew how to share and compromise.
Really, the only strike against him was his poor background, and that bothered others more than it did him.
He was young, but he’d already learned to cherish and fight for the things that mattered most to him.
And nothing was more important than Nate and Neve.
Than ensuring they were protected and given the same types of opportunities as the rest of their peers, despite the all but empty Narek bank account.
“My son is lonely,” Sij stated, “and if I’m not mistaken, so are you, Nuri.”
“Majesty?” His brow furrowed before he could help it, but he was quick to smooth it out.
“You don’t need to be friends,” he said, “but the aim here is for you to become someone Silver can rely on. Someone he can trust to always have his best interests in mind. You’ll attend classes together, study together, and live together for the foreseeable future. He’s been made aware of your arrival.”
Nuri knew better than to expect a warm welcome. Unlike him, Silver had grown up as an only child and wasn’t used to sharing his space with anyone.
“During the nights of a full moon, it’s wise for you to find other accommodations,” Sij told him. “While what it truly means to be a Swift is kept secret from the general public, I’m sure enough has leaked that you understand what I’m getting at.”
Rumor was that Swifts were actually wilder when in their second form, that the kiss of moonlight stirred the wild energy that lived within them, making their moods turbulent.
But they were also extremely protective of themselves during these times, prone to seclusion, and with Silver’s status, viewing him in his Swift form without permission could even be seen as treason.
Maybe the Emperor was warning Nuri not to put himself in a bad position. If he inadvertently walked in on Silver in Swift form, the prince would have the ammunition needed to remove Nuri, despite his being under Sij’s employ and protection.
Silver would apparently utilize any method to get what he wanted.
Nuri had to be extra careful not to give him anything that could be later used against him.
“The only person who can truly keep you safe is yourself,” Sij said sternly.
“Never forget that. And never forget your place, Nuri Narek. I’m entrusting you near my son for his benefit, and no other reason but.
If I ever discover that you’ve done anything to compromise his reputation, or his future, I’ll have you removed and arrested immediately.
You’re there to get him back on the right track, and to provide assistance with anything he might need to better his future.
This is not a movie wherein the pauper falls for the prince. ”
“With all due respect, majesty,” Nuri bristled, “I have no intentions of ever engaging in…romantic relations with the Imperial Heir. Or any member of the Imperial family, for that matter.”
“I don’t care about the rest,” Sij waved him off, “but see to it you keep your word where Silver is concerned. You’re both at that age where hormones are high and these things can become confusing. You’re duty bound to inform me the second you feel like things are taking a turn in that direction.”
“From either of us, majesty?”
Sij snorted. “There’s no worry from Silver’s side.
My son doesn’t feel the same emotional range that you and I do.
I’m not even sure if he can feel something as complex as love or longing.
” He paused, seemingly reconsidering things, and then added, “If he makes any sort of advances toward you, report it. Arranged marriages and forced engagements are things of the past, but that doesn’t mean I’ll sit back while my son makes a mistake and chooses the wrong partner.
At sixteen, he doesn’t yet know what he wants, and frankly, neither do you. ”
That may well be, but Nuri certainly knew what he didn’t want.
The Imperial Prince was barely passing his classes and had made headlines just last week for nearly running a classmate over in the school parking lot.
He was comfortable riding his daddy’s coattails, relying on his title to keep him out of prison.
A person who showed no respect or remorse for their own actions was not someone Nuri wanted to associate with, much less be romantically entangled by.
“You can count on me, majesty.”
From here on out, Nuri would willingly dedicate his life to the Imperial Heir, but he wouldn’t cross any lines.
Hell, he wouldn’t even allow himself to get within several feet of said lines.
Only a complete and utter fool would fall for someone like Silver Rein, and as the Emperor had just pointed out, Nuri was the smartest one in his grade level.