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The smile that spread across Rayne’s lips warmed and squeezed Eno’s heart. Shadows still lingered in Rayne’s eyes even after they left the Isle of Stone and briefly returned to normal life in Stormbreak. It was going to be a long time before Rayne shed the worst of the weight of what happened at Clan Omari, but Eno vowed to remain at Rayne’s side every step of the way. He wanted to better understand this complicated man and keep putting that smile on his lips.
Drayce groaned loudly behind them, a painful reminder that they weren’t alone. This wasn’t a pleasant date or an impromptu trip out of town where they could let the world slip away. They were on a mission to save the world.
“I miss him,” Drayce whined. “I wish I’d gone with the other team.”
“So do we,” Rayne grumbled.
There were a couple of fast steps, and then hands landed on his and Rayne’s shoulders. Drayce had to be walking on the tips of his toes to be able to poke his face between them, an evil grin spreading across his face. “Are you saying that you don’t need a chaperone?” he taunted.
“Only that you’d probably make the world’s worst chaperone,” Eno returned.
“Ooooh…” Drayce said with an exaggerated wince. “That feels like a challenge, and I’m pretty sure we need just one hotel room tonight, right?”
The look Rayne gave could have flash-frozen boiling water. Eno had definitely fucked up. When Drayce was feeling evil, he naturally excelled at making their lives difficult. And tonight, Eno was not getting any sweet private time with his lover.
Drayce released them and dropped back a step. “I’ve got a question, though,” he announced, his tone changing from playful to more thoughtful. “Have you noticed that you don’t see a lot of couples in Brightspire? I mean, since we’ve been walking around, there are a lot of people shopping alone or in big groups, but where are the couples?” Drayce made a noise and Eno glanced over his shoulder to see Drayce slowing up his pace as he scanned the somewhat busy street. “In fact, where are the moms dragging kids along on errands?”
“Ilon culture is significantly different from what you’ll find in Erya or Caspagir. Possibly even on the Isle of Stone.” Rayne stopped walking and turned to stare at Drayce, his head cocked to the side. “Let me ask you a question, and I’ll answer yours.”
“Sure,” Drayce agreed with a quick nod.
“On the Isle of Stone, your name order was different than what we’ve encountered in the past. Omari Nori rather than Nori Omari. Takahashi Souta rather than—”
“Yeah, yeah,” Drayce cut him off, waving a hand at Rayne to halt his words rather than hear his birth name again. “It’s always been like that, for as far back as anyone can remember. It’s because clan comes first in all things. Clan precedes self. Clan before blood. Clan ahead of everything.”
“And if you have no clan?” Eno inquired.
“You’re no one. A ghost. A Phantom who prays for a good death so that they can be reborn into a clan.”
Rayne grunted, sounding as if Drayce’s explanation was exactly as he’d expected, and turned to resume walking. His fingers tightened in Eno’s, and Eno smiled at the reminder that his lover held him close.
“As for your first question, you will see fewer couples of any gender mix because Ilon does not believe in or recognize the state of marriage,” Rayne announced.
“Say what?” Drayce shouted and Eno couldn’t find the words to chastise him, because his brain was repeating Drayce’s demand.
Rayne looked over at Eno and then Drayce, his expression seeming a bit confused as if he couldn’t fathom why they’d reacted in such a manner. “It’s actually quite logical on their part.”
“Rayne’s speaking gibberish,” Drayce declared. He took a few hurried steps around them so that he was now in front instead of behind, giving the advisor what Eno could only call an evil eye. “Did you have a stroke? Do you smell burnt toast?”
With his free hand, Rayne took a swipe at Drayce, but the smaller man darted away. “I’m serious. The country of Ilon has dedicated itself to the principles set forth by the God of Wisdom, believing that it is most important to seek knowledge, gain insight, and to develop a strong common sense. They study history, sciences, and the arts to better understand themselves and the world.”
“Okay, but how does marriage interfere with that?” Eno asked.
Rayne smirked at him. “How doesn’t it? Have you ever been in a relationship that helped your studies or advanced your skills to make you better at your job?”
Eno opened his mouth, but no words came out. No, maybe he’d never dated anyone that made him a better bodyguard per se, but he’d never seen them necessarily as a hindrance. Of course, Rayne was his first true, serious relationship.
It also didn’t help that members of the Royal Guard weren’t permitted to marry while they were active in the guard. It was seen that having a spouse would potentially distract them from their duty to the country, crown, and Godstone.
His lover’s smirk grew even wider, and Eno’s heart lurched painfully in his chest. Was this how Rayne really felt about their relationship? Did he see it as a hindrance to being the best possible advisor to Caelan? Eno would be the first to admit that he’d never given much thought to the idea of marriage. His life was dedicated to the protection of the king. But then, such thoughts were easy to shove aside when his heart wasn’t engaged.
Now he had Rayne and part of him was longing for it all.
“That’s fucked up,” Drayce stated, drawing their attention to him.
“It’s just different,” Rayne countered. “The government isn’t against relationships or dating, but it is largely frowned upon, particularly before a person has left college or university and entered the workforce. As for children, they are also seen as a hindrance to a person’s growth and path to enlightenment. The government doesn’t see a person’s job as being a raiser of children. After about the age of three, all children enter boarding schools where they will spend most of their younger years. Few ever know the family unit like we have in Erya.”
“Drayce said it right. It’s fucked up,” Eno announced. He didn’t like to pass judgment on other cultures. The gods knew they’d worked hard to keep an open mind in Zastrad and their devotion to death, but this felt like an even bigger struggle.
