Chapter 5: Dividing Dividends
3 Days Later...
The dining hall was quiet as servants brought in the first course of the Renaldis' meals. The soup was served, and the brothers ate in silence, with Sephiroth sitting at the head of the rectangular table.
"I've been meaning to talk to you three," Sephiroth suddenly spoke up, bringing the soup spoon to his lips.
"About?" Kadaj remarked nonchalantly, staring ahead at the coats of arms displayed on the opposite wall.
Sephiroth was feeling merciful enough to ignore the blatant interjection. "About business matters when I leave tomorrow morning." He curtly brought the table napkin and dabbed his chops free of moisture from the soup.
"Then, pray speak, brother," Loz urged him.
"One of you will have to ascend to the throne as overseer to the happenings in this kingdom. A daily report should be e-mailed to me every evening. Another will have to oversee the business of the noblemen in my court. And one has to act as a personal ambassador to the Domain of Ceres to ensure that the king wouldn't do anything foolish. I intend to keep my future engagement intact, and he'll have to tell me all that's happened in my return," Sephiroth explained, glancing at each young man in turn. "I couldn't enlist a more trustworthy help than that of my own brothers.'"
"We'll manage," Yazoo replied with a determined nod.
"And as to the division of work?" Kadaj asked with a raised eyebrow.
"That decision should be made among you. I trust that you're all fully capable of doing all the tasks mentioned. We are of the same lineage after all," Sephiroth remarked with a crafty smile, selfish intents of his plan bombarding his mind.
"So who will act as king whilst Sephiroth is gone?" Yazoo spoke up, looking at Kadaj and Loz.
"You?" Kadaj suggested, smirking evilly.
"Why, I can't be possibly be a candidate. My intellect doesn't serve that well for the kingdom," Yazoo reasoned, hoping with all his might that Sephiroth might agree and Kadaj would take that position instead. He was a much better speaker and leader after all.
But much to Yazoo's dismay, his eldest brother just continued eating, listening quietly to the banters of his three younger brothers.
"Well, that cannot be possibly me since I am going to be of no use. I don't put into memory all the constitutions for ruling the kingdom as much as you do, Yazoo." Loz reasoned with a grin.
"Kadaj knows all that as well as I do," Yazoo reasoned some more.
"I'm awfully too young, you three agree with that notion, don't you?" The youngest shot back, and the room was silent for a full five seconds.
"Unfortunately so," Sephiroth grumbled, annoyed at the three. Why couldn't they make up their minds?
"Then I say Loz should take over," Yazoo remarked, looking at Loz with a stoned face.
"I say you discuss these matters with a full stomach. You're rambling is a result of hunger, and I propose no more talk of this whilst we sup." Sephiroth commanded in a calm voice.
The dining hall was filled with silence as the silver-haired men continuously kept their mouth shut. Loz was a little uneasy because he really wanted an outgoing conversation or a live debate between Kadaj and Sephiroth or between Yazoo and Kadaj, Yazoo didn't give a damn if they were all quiet because he really preferred it that way and there really wasn't much fun in talking unless the topic was of importance, and Kadaj was too preoccupied with his thoughts to even discuss things. Sephiroth on the other hand, was very comfortable with silence as the main course was served.
After dinner, the three princes found themselves in the library discussing the inevitable as Sephiroth had already retired to his quarters for a good night's sleep because he had an early flight tomorrow morning, and a long day ahead of him. Yazoo had his fingers intertwined as he rested them on the round oak table littered with various volumes of books that their private librarian hadn't managed to finish putting away yet. They sent her out to 'relax' because they were going to have a private meeting.
"Seriously Kadaj. You're better fitted for the role of the first task. I thought you wanted to be king when you were little," Yazoo chided.
"Yazoo, I was five. What did you expect? As I grow older, I realize that I'm not a Crown Prince. I stopped dreaming for a throne," Kadaj scoffed.
"Well, we can't put Loz in charge now, can we? Or else the entire Estate of Nyx would be candy coated. Literally." Yazoo placated his younger brother.
"I resent that," Loz piped up from an encyclopedia he was currently engrossed in.
"Well, it's true." Yazoo remarked calmly.
"Shut up, you two." Kadaj ordered in that authoritative tone that always seemed to work on anybody even on his brothers—except Sephiroth of course. "I say Yazoo should take that." He droned on, and looked at Yazoo as he spoke his next words. "Aside from the fact that you're a nerd in every angle imaginable, you seem to be calm enough to tackle reform groups than I do. I'm quite popular for a short temper," he smirked.
"I am not a nerd," Yazoo protested.
"If you say so," Kadaj shrugged. "But I still think you should take task number one."
"That is absurd. You know as well as I do that you're more of the leading type than I am, and...you're a better speech-giver," Yazoo argued with the same stoic face.
Kadaj rolled his eyes. "All in favor of Yazoo being the overseer of the kingdom, say I."
"I!" Kadaj and Loz both cried out in unison. The two grinned at each other and to Yazoo whose mood had darkened even more than usual.
"The I's have it," Kadaj crooned, smirking at the dark look Yazoo directed his way. "Oh lighten up Yazoo, it's a useful experience."
"Fine. I'll take the responsibility," Yazoo sulked, arms folded across his chest. "And as for the second task," he spoke up, changing the subject and glad when his brothers complied.
"I'll take that one," Loz grinned happily, wanting to take charge of the noblemen.
"Are you sure about that?" Yazoo asked, tilting his head to the side.
"Very. Wanted that kind of job for so long," Loz grinned.
"And I guess that leaves me with the job of the ambassador," Kadaj smirked slyly, thinking of his future trip to his princess' domain.
"Behave yourself, little brother," Yazoo warned already knowing Kadaj's train of thought.
"Please Yazoo. Don't trifle yourself with such thoughts," Kadaj shook his head, amused. "I'll do my job well."
"Your job which is?" Yazoo raised an eyebrow, suspicious of Kadaj's intentions, remembering how he was so fond of Natalie when he first saw her at the party.
"To keep an eye on the king, and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," Kadaj droned.
Yazoo was silent after that, and so were the two other brothers. Loz was the first to stand up and bid them a good night. Once he had gone, Yazoo turned his unwavering stare at Kadaj's direction.
"You'd better get some sleep. You're leaving after lunch tomorrow after we've sent an announcement to the king of Ceres with the royal seal so he'll know the edict was from Seph himself." Yazoo remarked.
"First time I heard you call his Excellency by that name he so despises," Kadaj chuckled, clearly amused as he got to his feet. "'Night, brother."
"There's always a first for everything," Yazoo agreed. "Sleep well, Kadaj."
vVvVv
"Will that be all, your Excellency?"
"Yes that would be it. Take the necessary measures needed to carry out my orders in discreet fashion. I should not like a public scandal to issue forth from this. Just keep a close eye on him. I don't trust the child very well."
Sephiroth hung up, and leaned back against his most comfortable chair in his study, and reached for the glass of whisky set upon the furnished desk. He had called for Yazoo several hours ago to ask how the division of their work had been planned out, and the third born informed him that he was to be overseer of the kingdom, Loz to take charge of the noblemen, and Kadaj as the private ambassador to Ceres.
2 Hours Earlier...
Sephiroth was quietly reading a couple of letters sent to him by concerned citizens. All of these, he would leave to one of his brothers once he would leave to attend a world summit meeting and have a pleasant vacation in his friends' place tomorrow. His vacation was sure to be a relaxing and tranquil one and very promising that he held the highest hopes of appearing fresh and ready on the day of his engagement, wedding, and thoroughly prepared to rule a united kingdom.
He had sent for Yazoo, who according to one of the maids was still in the library and awake despite how late it was, and meant to inquire about the division of the tasks he had given to his brothers. And if he wasn't mistaken, that was the very person knocking on the door to his study right now.
"Come in," he called out in a sultry and low voice.
The door opened slowly and quietly, revealing Yazoo's ever pale face. He crossed the room in a few strides and sat down on the chair opposite Sephiroth's desk when his eldest brother motioned for him to take a seat. Normally, Sephiroth would have sent for Kadaj, but seeing as he and Loz were already dreaming under the covers, he sent for Yazoo.
"If you won't mind my asking, how did the division of the tasks go?" Sephiroth asked, picking up another envelope and tearing the seal. He glanced at Yazoo who went about to answer his question.
"Twas orderly, dear brother. We discussed it all with a sound mind." Yazoo nodded once.
"Who is to take my place as the overseer?" Sephiroth asked, multitasking quite impressively.
"That would be me, brother. Kadaj and Loz voted me out."
Sephiroth was silent for a while—quietly shocked at the revelation. He expected Kadaj to be the overseer, and not Yazoo. If he were going to assign it to them, he would have chosen Kadaj as the overseer, Loz as the one in charge of the noblemen's court, and Yazoo as his private ambassador to Ceres. He knew what their youngest brother was like to women, and Sephiroth never really appreciated Kadaj's smoldering charms for girls that left him with a reputation of a player. Well, Sephiroth guessed he'd have to resort to other means.
"I trust that you are fully capable, Yazoo..." Sephiroth commented, staring at his brother intensely, perfectly hiding the disappointment.
"I sure hope so," Yazoo nodded once.
"And who is in charge of the noblemen?"
"Loz..."
"The private ambassador would be Kadaj." Sephiroth mused to himself. "Perhaps the boy wouldn't mind spending the summer away from home, would he?"
"I think he is fully capable," Yazoo agreed, having second thoughts about Kadaj's motives yet again.
"No matter. I should be back in time before school starts. I trust that he'll be going away to college in another country?" Sephiroth asked, dragging his fingers along the folders stacked one on top of the other at the corner of his desk.
"That is what he's been telling us," Yazoo nodded in agreement.
"What time would he be departing tomorrow?"
"After lunch..."
Sephiroth nodded once, and dismissed Yazoo and bade him a good night. He sat there, contemplating his next move since his previous ones had undoubtedly been botched by his brothers. Swiftly, he fished the phone in his pocket and dialed a number.
Sephiroth picked up his glass of whisky and took a sip. Maybe it wasn't so bad that Kadaj was ambassador. Any wrong move that the youngest might make could be easily dealt with when he returned. It was much more reasonable to eliminate Kadaj if he committed something gravely wrong, and Sephiroth was confident that no matter what situation, Kadaj would be able to screw it up just as easily. His only problems now were how to get Yazoo and Loz out of the way. Those two were just too obedient for their own good.
He would've appreciated it more if they were rule breakers like that insolent brat. They would be a lot easier to throw away.
vVvVv
Kadaj wasn't asleep as what the others had thought. He was actually pretty wide awake and feigning sleep the whole time. It was well past midnight that Kadaj grunted and sat up, thinking of his journey tomorrow morning. It was a long drive to Ceres and he'd have to pack his things tomorrow, enough clothes to spend the whole summer there. In the meantime, what should he do? He very well couldn't sleep, that's for sure.
Sighing, he reached for his phone on his bedside table and dialed a number. The call had gone straight through voice mail.
"Hey, I...just wanted to say I'm sorry. I'm breaking up with you. You'll find someone else. Bye."
He ended the call after leaving the message and he pretty much did the same to the other four girls. Well, he was labeling himself an insensitive jerk nowadays, but hey, he never really liked either of them after all. He was just infatuated.
'What does that supposed infatuation make it any different from your unsurprising attraction to Princess Natalie?'
'It's different because I'm actually willing to trash those other girls for her.'
'Oh sure. Date her for a little while until you get tired of her and finally start dating someone else behind her back.'
'I wouldn't do that anymore.'
'Maybe you're just afraid,' Kadaj thought to himself as he reclined on his pillows. 'Or behaving because she's of the same status as you.'
'... Am I talking to myself?'
'Pretty much...'
Kadaj groaned, extremely annoyed as he rolled over and buried his face in his pillow until the need for air became necessary. He returned to his old position and this time, folded his arms and using them as a pillow for his head. He let his thoughts wander, to his waiting job at a foreign estate, to his keen eye on the king, and to his time in the palace with Natalie. For some reason, he was more than happy that Sephiroth was going on vacation this summer, and that left him with superiority with himself. He should admit that he wanted to be the overseer of the kingdom, but thought it rather boring.
Why play king and be all snotty on that throne when you can have fun in a foreign land? Well, maybe not foreign because he'd been there many a time. He spent a whole two weeks there during spring break at his private high school. Ceres actually had pretty good night clubs and malls and had tons of places to wander. Their slums were pretty rampant too, and the people were divided into two classes: aristocrat, and common folk.
He never really understood why people were to be divided that way—not that he cared though. Kadaj sat upright again, annoyed with trying to sleep and taking pills. Instead, he decided to do what any other insomniac guy out there would. Moving swiftly from his four-posted bed, he set to work and began arranging and hooking up the necessary wires of his PS3 to his LCD TV. He waited for the system to boot up and then disappeared from his room to get the popcorn residing in his lounge room.
A few minutes later, the prince was fondly kicking enemy's ass in the game, and occasionally made a grab for popcorn that had been poured into a bowl while he sat at the foot of his bed. He had pulled on a cotton t-shirt since the air conditioner was making the room quite chilly.
And that is how Kadaj spent the rest of his night in his room, playing video games with the curtains drawn—closed and shrouding the large spacious room in darkness.
Four hours later, there was a gentle knock at his door. The room was still so dark and wasn't really surprising since the curtains of the ceiling-to-floor windows were still drawn. Kadaj was still sitting cross-legged at the foot of his bed, game controller in his hands, eyes glued to the screen, and the TV casting an eerie glow on the room.
"Come in," Kadaj called distractedly, shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth.
The maid paused at the door at seeing the state the room was in. Unfortunately for Kadaj, Yazoo had gone with the maid as well, and was extremely appalled at the sight of his brother playing video games.
"Have you been doing this the whole night?" Yazoo inquired, keeping his temper in check as always.
The maid was still frozen at the threshold to the dark room, Kadaj's tray of breakfast in her hands. She really couldn't say much at the prince's state. It was a good thing Yazoo had insisted on checking on Kadaj. Yazoo entered the room briskly, and headed for the curtains. The maid seemed to snap to her senses. She swiftly put Kadaj's tray on the bed side table, and caught up to Yazoo. She couldn't let her prince do that work.
"Kadaj, stop that and come eat breakfast." Yazoo said this as the maid was parting the curtains in one window.
"It's morning already?" Kadaj gasped, blinking at the harsh sun that shone through his bedroom windows after the maid had finished with the curtains.
"Your breakfast is at your bedside table, my lord. Will there be anything else?" She asked politely, hands folded neatly in front of her modest white apron.
"Thank you, Leah." Kadaj nodded once, and motioned for her to go.
The young maid had managed to catch the charming smile the young prince had flashed her way. She bowed and swiftly left the room, blushing, for even she found it hard to deny the gorgeous looks of her young master. Yazoo waited until Kadaj's bedroom door closed, and he turned to his younger brother with a disapproving look.
"You stayed up all night playing that rubbish?" He raised an eyebrow.
Kadaj shrugged, walking to his bedside table, and leisurely picked up a croissant from the plate of luxury food and took a bite. He offered some to Yazoo who denied the offer with a polite shake of his head.
"What time of day is it, anyway?" Kadaj inquired, after swallowing a bite.
"Fifteen minutes after seven in the morning. How long have you been playing those video games?" Yazoo asked, smoothing a hand through his long silver hair.
"A tad four hours I suppose," Kadaj mused nonchalantly, finishing his croissant.
"My, you're obsessed," Yazoo sassed good-naturedly, and the younger brother threw him a glare.
"Where's Loz?" Kadaj asked, picking up the cup of coffee and taking a sip.
"Exercising in the gym," Yazoo frowned slightly as he answered. "I came here to inquire as to plans of your leave this afternoon. Have you packed your luggage yet?"
"Nope," Kadaj answered cheerily, pronouncing the 'p' with a happy pop as he replaced his coffee and took another croissant from the plate.
"Get to work, brother. You have a tiresome journey to undergo. As temporary king, I have already sent a message to Ceres' government and that they should be expecting you at five in the afternoon." Yazoo informed him, heading for the door.
"Sephiroth's gone?" Kadaj exclaimed; Yazoo failing to see the cheeky grin his brother pulled off.
"For now..." He answered, exiting Kadaj's room and leaving the smirking teenager standing in his room, finishing his breakfast.