Air Touched - A Dragon Tribe Origin

Chapter Three - Jae

As he walked through the halls of the palace, Jae still tried to come up with the best way to address his semi-illegal joy ride through the sky. Did he come right out and admit it to get the lecture over and done with, or did he wait for his father to bring it up in the hopes that maybe he could dodge the conversation completely with some well-placed distracting topics. If he could get his father to talk about the interview with his potential bride, and keep him talking about it, then he'd be set. Hyun liked to discuss Jae's future at length. The man had it all planned out perfectly, and he was more than happy to recite it again if he thought Jae was actually going to listen.

It was late afternoon. His father liked to take his breaks in the study between work and dinner. Going to the study meant Jae might get a harsher tongue lashing. It was private from members of the royal council, so there wouldn't be an audience for the show. Maybe waiting until dinner to find him is a better idea.

But against his better judgment, he knocked on the door anyway to announce his presence before entering. "Dad? You busy?"

"With my puzzle. A moment, please." His father lifted a finger, scanned the newspaper in front of him for a moment, and then wrote a few numbers down. "Yes?"

"Sun found me, he said..." Jae paused, unsure of which route he should attempt to take. "He said you were meeting with a potential bride today. I thought I would check in and see how it went."

Closing his eyes, his father took in a slow breath. "This one you will meet."

"Wow, you found someone worthy of your standards?" Jae tried to not lay the sarcasm on too thick. Being nice was hard to do sometimes. He pressed his lips together, trying to find one kind thing to say. "Tell me more. I'm curious."

His father moved a chair toward his son in a silent order to sit. Jae did so, leaning forward with genuine interest. Hyun sighed. "This one time I'll let you look like a bumbling idiot. How often do I have to tell you? Even when it is just us—"

"I must always present myself as someone worthy of your time," Jae mumbled. He sat a little straighter. Not much, but enough to show he cared about his father's feelings. A little bit. A little bit was better than nothing, right? "What's her name? Is she pretty?"

Hyun narrowed his gaze even further. "I suppose I should find some comfort in the fact that you asked for her name first."

"See? I'm making progress."

"Her name is Ijn, and yes, she's a beautiful young woman. Twenty, which I think is a much more appropriate age for you. Having someone with more maturity will create a better balance in your relationship." Hyun leaned back and folded his hands on his lap. Even when he relaxed, he knew how to maintain his regal posture. "She's an artist and a musician. Calm. Her father is a professor, her mother stays at home. They aren't a wealthy family, so they aren't in the spotlight, which will also be good for you. She is respectable, so dating her will not be a scandal. The reporters will have no reason to look for news."

At the mention of the reporters, Jae winced. Given his title of prince, some of his activities outside of the palace were subject to documentation by the media. It was yet another reason his father did not like him going out to fly. All it took was one camera catching him transforming and everything would fall apart. In fact, Hyun made it a point to tell him repeatedly that his behavior was the reason there were so many laws about what types of media were allowed in the Aero nation in the first place—and why all of the companies who owned them needed to be run by the government.

Jae scrunched up his nose. "I flirt with one actress and the world explodes."

"She poured her drink over your head at a charity event."

"It's not my fault she can't handle a little competition!" He rolled his eyes.

Hyun pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "Your carelessness started a slew of rumors on how you dated both of those women, at the same time, and it almost slandered you to the point where I would need to find an heir amongst one of your cousins. Who are all incompetent and worthless."

"Even more so than me?"

"As aggravating as you are, there's a reason you're my heir and not one of your brothers, and definitely not one of your cousins. When you want to use your brain, you're very good with it. The key is finding the motivation to get you to use your brain."

He shrugged. "I don't know if a girl is going to do all that, but it's worth a try."

"A wife is going to show you how to think and care about something beyond yourself," his father said, glaring. "The other hope is that you'll expend a lot of your energy attending to her needs, and perhaps indulging in your hormonal urges might calm you down."

Jae sat up straight, blinking. "Gee, Dad, when you word it like that I feel a lot like a dog or a horse."

"With the way you behave, I feel like I need to put you on a leash of some kind."

Nope, not gonna take the bait. "So when do I get to meet this awesome girl?"

"At the upcoming mixer being held at the Aero City University of Science."

"I don't go there."

"Neither does she. That doesn't mean you can't go. It's a public event."

No matter how hard he tried, Jae couldn't hold back his groan. He at least succeeded in not rolling his eyes. "You want me to go to a dance targeting a bunch of prospective second eds? Do I look like I'm fourteen? Who is going to believe that?"

"Last I checked, there was no age limit on who can attend the event. Besides, you act like you're fourteen. You'll blend in perfectly. However, if it makes a difference, those attending must be at least sixteen." His father smirked. Jae hated when he smirked, because he only did it if he knew he was right—one of the few characteristics they had in common.

Jae threw up his hands. "Fine, I'll go to the stupid mixer, party, whatever it is, and pretend to have a good time."

"Don't frighten her away, Jae. You can't afford to have another disaster. I'm not sure I'll be able to find another you could potentially like," Hyun said icily.

"Are you even thinking about what will make me happy when you conduct these interviews?" Jae challenged. "Or are you only thinking about the future of your fragile kingdom?"

His father scoffed. "Of course I am thinking of your happiness, Jae. She has all of the things you will need to be satisfied. There are a few things that will need polishing in terms of her presentation, but I'm confident you will be encouragement enough for her to want to make those changes."

"Wow, so she's not perfect?" He gasped with mock surprise. Then he frowned as he thought about what his father had just said. "You're hoping I'll make a nice prize. That's what you're actually saying here."

"I feel like you're looking for things to fight with me about." Hyun picked up the newspaper again. "Perhaps I'll give the throne to one of your cousins after all. I doubt Ki will object so much to getting married."

Jae stomped his foot, and instantly regretted it. All he did was prove his father right; that he wasn't ever going to mature. "I have no objections to getting married!"

"Then what is the problem!" His father finally snapped.

"I don't know!" Jae took in a slow breath, and chuckled as his father did the same. "What if she doesn't like me? Like all the other girls I tried to date?" He recalled Sun's words from before. They like me until they get to know me.

"The good thing about an arranged marriage is she will learn how to." He said it so nonchalantly, Jae cringed.

What if she couldn't? What if he couldn't? Jae stood from his chair. "I'm going to go see Mom before dinner. That gonna be okay?"

"Yes, of course. Try not to disturb her too much. She's had a rough day." Hyun opened up the paper to resume his puzzle.

Jae went to the door and lingered there for a moment, waiting for one final jab from his father about being caught flying—again. When it didn't come, Jae chuckled, shaking his head. He doesn't know. There's no way he'd let it slide. Sun lied to save his butt.