Sigma Epsilon Chi

In his roll as messenger, Nerek had free run of the castle, so it wasn't difficult at all to pay off the bastards. He had to fork out a lot of money to satisfy Lione... but on the other hand, Ren was so excited to have a gold coin of his own that he only needed one piece. Everything was going well... provided that Geoff's son really was the child of Geoff.

The more Nerek found out about the boy, the more he was certain of his hidden draconic heritage. For one thing, he hated to be called Geoff the fourth. Insisting that he have his own identity, the boy demanded that everyone call him Quartus. Who else would change their name to something foreign and dumb sounding than a dragon? And then there were his eyes. There was a sense of a deep, cold pride; nothing at all like the chivalrous kindness of the duke's.

Nerek had no doubt the boy was a bastard, and even less doubt that he was unhappy. Nerek wasn't sure if the potion would actually improve his mood... but it was the only chance he had. It's not like he could tempt Quartus with money.

To make matters worse, it was practically impossible to even see the boy, let alone talk to him one on one. There was no chance to pull them aside during the day- if he wasn't the center of attention at the banquet hall, he was in the middle of his lessons. The only time Quartus had to himself were his evenings, which he spent in his room. He would hole himself up in there, ordering his bodyguards to block any visitors another than his parents.

Nerek was running out of time. He needed a plan, and he needed it fast.