Wolfe nervously pushed aside the black and white hair adhered to his forehead by droplets of sweat. The atmosphere surrounding him felt oddly suffocating, filled with animosity and disgust. He looked down at the floor, trying his best to avoid any sharp eye contact.
"Why is he here, father?" An appalled voice sounded from beside Wolfe, who hesitantly looked over at the boy who spoke out, their eyes meeting instantly. Wolfe's eyes immediately fell back upon the ground.
Those sharp eyes; That green hair, seemed to invoke an ancestral reflex in Wolfe which shouted at him to hide. The green, to him, was a symbol to be feared. A stark contrast to what it was meant to represent.
"Enough, Ray. Don't you think I would have an appropriate reason to call him here." Ray sat back in his chair with a disgruntled expression after listening to his father's remark.
"Anyways." Haik said, as he shifted his gaze between Ray and Wolfe. "The person behind you is Wolfe's teacher for the next month. The two of you will be attending Zychs for the next 4 years."
Both Ray and Wolfe sat with shocked looks across their faces. The astonishment, though, was for different reasons for both of them. Ray found it blasphemous that Wolfe would be favored in such a way by his father. Wolfe worried about his family. He was the main source of income since his parents were old and crippling.
In the brief moment after Haik had given the sudden announcement Wolfe had contemplated whether to protest or not. Everyone around him was royalty and he feared they might take drastic actions if he spoke, but at the same time he didn't want to sit still and essentially send his parents to their deaths. He ended up deciding to sacrifice his momentary sanity for his parents' health.
"Well sir-" Wolfe was immediately cut off by Haik's stern gaze. The inescapable fear once again overcame the boy's body
"I know what you're going to say. But you better not speak up before I allow you to. I'll excuse your behaviour this time so you better learn where you stand in the world." Wolfe sunk deeper into his chair as he apologized.
Haik putting Wolfe in his place contended Ray who chuckled as he watched Wolfe fall back in his chair. Haik shot a disgusted look at Ray as he watched the boy laugh. "Did I really raise you to be like this?" Haik questioned with disappointment hidden in his tone.
Ray looked over at Haik with an expression of disbelief.
"The reason he spoke up was a noble one. That's why I left him alone. Unlike you, his actions seem to have weight and valid reasoning behind them."
Ray's disbelief grew larger as Haik raised Wolfe on a pedestal. "Was he just praising that peasant?" Ray thought. He couldn't come to terms with the fact that his father was taking Wolfe's side in this inconsequential issue.
"But I'm his son," Ray thought. "He shouldn't be shouting at me. It should be Wolfe who gets belittled."
Ray wanted to rush out of the room and break down. To him, Haik talking greatly about Wolfe cemented the fact that his father did not take pride in having him as a son. Ray was clearly overreacting to his fathers statement, but the lack of appraisal by his father over many years had damaged the boy's self esteem.
Ignoring Ray's distraught expression, Haik gestured at the man who entered along with Wolfe. "This is Professor Richard Emblaze, a close acquaintance of mine who teaches high level magical control over at Zychs. He was the one who offered to have you attend Zychs." The last part was targeted towards Ray.
"Since another seat opened up, we thought of enrolling Wolfe as well. As much as I hate praising a measly servant, I have to say that he is the brightest one we own. Maybe giving him a better education might help us out in the future."
Wolfe was unsure whether to take any of that as a compliment. The fact that he was called a 'measly servant' hurt him, but what enraged him was that Haik had used the word 'own'. Wolfe would take any insult that came his way, but he would never accept that he was someone else's property. Haik did not 'own' any of the servants. He just took advantage of their financial situation and trapped them in his web like the conniving spider he was.
"Professor Emblaze will look over the two of you while you stay there so if you have any problems make sure to tell him. The three of you can leave and discuss the details of your stay in the Study." Haik continued as he looked over at Wolfe and in a strange turn of events showed a little compassion.
"I know you're worried about your parents. I'll tell Alexa to pay them more. Just know that this is a one time thing and that you will have to pay me back in some way."
The last part got on Wolfe's nerves. Firstly he was being forced to do as Haik said and now he also had to pay him back for something he would never have done if not for Haik's demand. To an outsider, Wolfe's thought process would seem ungrateful. People would say that he's lucky to be offered such an opportunity, but they missed the point. This wasn't an offer, Wolfe had no choice but to go through with what he was told.
Despite how mad he was, Wolfe could appreciate Haik's offer to help his family out. Even if he had to go forcefully, at least he would know that his family was safe.
With that Wolfe, Ray and Emblaze walked out of Haik's office, Emblaze going ahead to the washroom to relieve himself, leaving Wolfe alone with the turbulent Ray.
The pair walked upstairs to the Study and sat at individual seats, Ray being the first to enter the room while Wolfe slowly walked behind him with his head held low.
Ray sat across Wolfe, staring deep into the frail boy's eyes, Wolfe doing his best not to make eye contact. A disgusted expression remained plastered all over Ray's face as the thought of attending Zychs along with his servant invaded his mind.
He couldn't hold it in anymore, his envious nature erupting out as he recalled his father praising Wolfe. He couldn't bear the thought of being below someone who cleans floors for a living. He physically cringed at the sight of Wolfe who, to Ray, seemed like he was unaffected by all of this despite how hard it actually was for him.
"This sucks." Ray thought.
"It's all his fault," he convinced himself as he dug his malicious gaze deeper into Wolfe.