"Mr. Davos, it's an absolute pleasure to finally meet the omega our son speaks of so highly," Lord Rydel stated, once they were seated in one of the manor's lounge rooms.
A more simply decorated room than the one Eric remembered having been hosted in when he had arrived previously with his family for engagement discussions, but still holding on to tasteful opulence that matched the rest of the manor.
Yuliang's reply was blunt, completely lacking the courtesy and deference expected of commoners interacting with nobility. "I'm just here to sort out the mess. Let's save the pointless talk for another day."
Eric wanted to smack him.
Undeniably, Yuliang was one of the most brilliant Healers of their generation, but unfortunately, when it came to everything else, his friend was an actual idiot.
Whatever many flaws Eric had, and let it be said that Eric had many, at least he didn't have the manners of a drunken elephant.
"I see you don't have much interest for pleasantries, Mr. Davos," Second Lord Rydel said softly, cutting through the tension with a polite smile on his peerless face.
Reginald Rydel née Lancaster was a beauty among beauties.
The envy of omegas all over Fiore.
The man that charmed the notoriously indifferent aristocrat, Lord Killian Rydel.
A man who'd sworn off any romance after his first husband had run off with a visiting Ebrenian dignitary who he'd been having an affair with for years.
Eric remembered watching their extravagant wedding on television.
It had been broadcasted on all major channels and the build-up to it had been massive. Any major event associated with members of Founding Families was a big deal in Fiore among all people, not just the upper-class. It had come with its controversies too, of course, such as the large 33 year age difference between the couple, but to an Energy Manipulator of Lord Rydel's level, age would truly have been a mere number.
Now 66 and appearing just as ageless as he did decades ago, Lord Rydel was handsome, with his strong features and powerful physique, but in the country of Fiore where exotic beauty came in abundance with its diversity, Lord Rydel's standard dark hair and dark eyes make him appear comparatively plain.
Though, when paired with the blond and green-eyed beauty of his husband, the Rydel Lords made a striking pair.
Eric vividly remembered watching their wedding ceremony as a 11 year old in the living room floor of their old two-bedroom apartment. He had been ejected from the couch by his older and stronger siblings and cousins who took up all the couch space. Many extended family members had come to Linos from Estin and Norden in hopes of being closer to the official event, so his apartment had been packed that day. Lively and boisterous as food and drink flowed freely and his relatives caught up with everything they had missed out on in each other's lives.
He remembered how dreamlike and magical it had been just to see the wedding through a screen, and how he'd wished with all his heart that since he couldn't be Richard, he'd at least look as beautiful as Lord Lancaster on his wedding day and marry a man as impressive as Lord Rydel in the future.
Now here he was, at 24, practically engaged to Second Lord Rydel's step son and heir to the Rydel dynasty, belatedly realizing his new Pack leader's social incompetence and the potential risk it held for his future.