13 Chapter 13 She's very beautiful.

I scowled at that. "I think of more than just training, Ruval."

Raising an eyebrow at me, Ruval said, "And pray tell, what was the outcome of the most recent Rating Game?"

I rolled my eyes. "You know I only ever pay attention to yours. All the rest are boring once I've seen enough to know how they fight."

Ruval snapped his fingers. "And that, little brother, is why mother and father didn't consult you on this. It isn't about what's 'boring'. It's about looking towards the future. You may not enjoy the more subtle aspects of our culture, but they are far more important than you realize."

Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "Me not watching a Rating Game between two stuck-up assholes is significant?" I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Ruval's gaze was serious as he said, "Yes. The Bael heir doesn't care who watches his fights, but his father, Lord Bael, does. He takes notes of the attendants of each match and who they support. Mother and father grew concerned when Lord Bael asked after you, and decided it was time to throw you to the political wolves as they say."

Now I was just confused. "Why would Lord Bael care if I show up or not? I'm basically an ant next to him."

Ruval shrugged, sitting back up on my bed, illustrating just how much taller than me he was. I was close to six feet tall by this point in my life, but Ruval was closer to seven.

"It's not about you choosing not to show up. It is about our mother and father's inability to make you attend to support his son. At least in Lord Bael's eyes anyway. If they don't care enough to make you attend, then they must not care about their relations with his house."

I blinked, trying to absorb that stupidity. "That is insane."

The corner of Ruval's lip pulled upward as he said, "That is politics, little brother. The marriage contract is your first taste of a very unpleasant cake that everyone must partake of. If you truly do not want to marry Rias, it is up to you to figure out a way to nullify the contract without stepping on anyone's toes. I suggest you at least meet with her first though. If the marriage goes through, you have a Pillar lordship to look forward to. Who knows? You may fall in love at first sight. I've heard she's very beautiful."

I sighed at my brother's waggling eyebrows. "Having nice tits does not mean she would make a good partner. I'd actually say it makes her less desirable. She'll have spent her entire life being showered with praise. I don't want to deal with an ego that large."

Shaking his head fondly, Ruval stood up and reached out to mess up my hair. "That, brother, is why father worries about you. You put far too much thought into everything other than what you should be thinking about."

"Maybe everyone else just has their priorities messed up?"

"I admit, it is a possibility, but my money's on the thousand year old devils who have been doing this for longer than twice both our lives combined." Putting a hand comfortingly on my shoulder, he leaned down to my eye-level and said, "At least meet with her. What harm is there in that?"

I held his gaze for a moment before sighing. "Fine. I'll invite her to lunch or something. Maybe she'll agree to dissolve the contract."

Ruval grinned and ruffled my hair once more. "There ya go, little brother. Try not to let your eyes wander away from hers!" With a parting nod to Yubelluna, who had yet to move from the corner she'd retreated to when Ruval entered, my brother left, closing the door behind him.

"You know you don't have to hide from my brother, right?" I said, looking at Yubelluna as she walked back to my side.

"It would be improper to interrupt your time with your brother, my king."

"I'm the king of this peerage, right?"

Yubelluna's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but she nodded.

"Then that means I make the rules for this peerage, and I say you can act however you want around my brother. Seriously, I need to get Clarissa to spend less time on etiquette lessons and more time on magical explosion lessons." Since Yubelluna had moved into the manor, Clarissa had taken the girl under her wing, and Yubelluna was improving rapidly as a result.

Leaning back in my chair, I couldn't help but sigh. "Would you be willing to go with me when I meet Rias? I really don't want to do the awkward socializing thing alone."

"I go wherever you need me, my king."

Smiling, I grabbed Yubelluna's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Thanks, Yube. I don't say it enough, but I really appreciate you." It was the truth. I'd spent the majority of my life either alone or with adults. While my mental age dwarfed Yube, it was still nice to be around someone who was my physical age. She made for a good sparring partner and conversationalist when we were away from my family. In the manor she maintained her professional demeanor – out of fear of my mother and father's poorly hidden disapproval if my suspicions were right – but when we ventured out on rare occasions she'd open up. It was nice to have a friend again.

Yubelluna blushed and gently pulled her hand away. "Thanks are not necessary, my king. It is I who owes you." She was referring to what I'd done for her parents. Despite what I told her when I took her as my queen, I did actually help her parents. I would have had to be a major asshole to leave them in that rotting house. They weren't living in a mansion by any means. But they were comfortable, and I'd made sure they both got new jobs.

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