Javier gazed up at the stars and smiled again—but this time, it was a different kind of smile. A bit crooked. A bit mischievous.
"I really respect you, Father," he muttered sincerely.
"But..."
He sat up slightly, staring into the fire.
"I don't want to inherit your title!!"
"No, no, no... the paperwork! The meetings! The reports!!"
He clutched his head dramatically.
"There's no way I'm spending my life buried under ten mountain-loads of documents and tax reforms!!"
Buddy gave him a slow side glance.
Javier flopped back against Buddy's side in despair.
"And yet... Marcellus, Cedric, Aelius, Athine, Heres—" He ticked their names off one finger at a time.
"ALL of them refused to inherit Armand too!!"
He slapped the ground lightly.
"Those selfish siblings!! Guh!!"
He buried his face in his hands, groaning dramatically into the dirt.
Then, after a long pause, his fingers spread and a grin curled across his face, a mischievous, plotting, diabolical grin.
