Author: Alessandra Hazard
Category: LGBT
Go to read content：https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/alessandra-hazard/page,3,561046-princes_master.html
“So that’s why there are all sorts of crazy rumors about him,” Eridan said, frowning. “I thought they were bullshit.”
“Most of them probably are,” Ferev said. “But at this point, no one can know for sure.”
He finally stopped in front of the tall gates of a picturesque mansion.
“Please state your name and your business,” said a pleasant female voice, no doubt an AI.
“Master Acolyte Ferev. I am here to discuss Master Idhron’s claimed initiate.”
“Master Castien is at High Hronthar,” the AI said.
Ferev’s lips thinned. Eridan felt a spike of frustration and reluctance coming off him.
“We should just go back to class, then,” Eridan offered, perking up. He didn’t understand why Master Ferev had been so set on delivering him to Idhron anyway.
Ferev gave him a flat look. “Don’t look so pleased, Eridan. If he isn’t home, it just means we’ll just have to go to High Hronthar. An incident like that should be reported either to your Master—”
“He isn’t my Master.”
“—or to the Chapter.”
Eridan’s mouth fell open. “The Chapter?” he whispered, blinking. “Eh. On the other thought, let’s go look for Master Idhron.”
Ferev snorted, heading back to the t-chamber. “Don’t worry, you will see your Master anyway. He is part of the Chapter, after all.”
Eridan scowled and reluctantly followed his instructor. “Yeah, and that’s so weird. Who becomes part of the Chapter at thirty? It’s ridiculous!”
“It is not my place to discuss my superiors,” Ferev said evenly, but Eridan could still feel a surge of jealousy mixed with admiration coming off him.
Poor man. It must have been hard for him to bow to his former classmate. Idhron being a full-rank Master must have stung enough, but him also being a member of the Chapter must have been incredibly hard to swallow.
The Chapter was the ruling body of the Order. It consisted of twenty-two senior Masters, with the twenty-third member being the Grandmaster. There were rumors that members of the Chapter had a different degree of influence, but obviously lowly initiates were not privy to details. All everyone knew was that the Chapter consisted of the most powerful Masters of the Order, though it wasn’t very clear whether “powerful” meant powerful telepathically or politically. Perhaps both.
Eridan was still mulling it over when the t-chamber arrived at High Hronthar’s public wing. As far as Eridan knew, this wing of High Hronthar was the only section of the ancient castle visitors were allowed to enter. Most of the castle was for the Grandmaster’s personal use.
Their footsteps echoed in the large, empty halls.
Eridan could feel Ferev’s nervousness. Strange, but he seemed more nervous than Eridan was.
“Why is it so quiet here?” Eridan said, breaking the silence. It felt like a tomb here. A huge, luxurious tomb, but a tomb, nonetheless. “Where is everyone?”
“There is likely a session of the Chapter,” Ferev said. “And the current Grandmaster uses only robots and AI for the upkeep of the castle.”
“We can still leave,” Eridan said hopefully.
Ferev shot him a sour look. “If I don’t report what happened to the Chapter, someone else will, sooner or later. And then they will wonder why I didn’t report it. Wait for me here.” And with that, Ferev disappeared behind the huge double doors.
Sighing, Eridan sat down in one of the incredibly uncomfortable chairs and prepared to wait.
He didn’t have to wait long.
“Initiate Eridan, they are waiting for you,” an AI’s voice said.
Right.
Eridan stood, wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, and went inside.
Behind the double doors, there was a grand circular room decorated in chrome and black. Twenty-two identical seats were spread out evenly around the room, with one larger seat placed higher, one level above the others. There was an old man seated there, his kind, wrinkled face instantly recognizable: Grandmaster Kato.
Eridan hastily dropped his gaze. Strictly speaking, he wasn’t allowed to look at any member of the Chapter unless directly addressed. He walked to the middle of the circle and bowed deeply, his gaze downcast, as he had been taught—though he had never expected to stand before the Chapter anytime soon.
“Masters,” he murmured, wondering where Ferev was. It seemed he’d given his report and left through the other door.
“At ease, Initiate Eridan.”
Eridan straightened but kept his gaze downcast.
“Your instructor has told us most disturbing things, Eridan,” Master Kato said, not unkindly. “He says you nearly strangled a fellow student to death, with as little as a thought.”
Eridan pursed his lips but forced himself to stay silent. It hadn’t been a question. He couldn’t speak until he was directly asked.
“How long have you been hiding this ability?” said a cold voice Eridan instantly recognized, despite not having heard it in years.
Eridan’s head snapped toward the voice. A part of him, the part that wasn’t busy glaring at Castien Idhron, was surprised by Idhron’s nerve. He had spoken without the Grandmaster’s permission, interrupting Kato’s line of questioning.
And yet, Master Kato didn’t reprimand him.
“I haven’t been hiding anything,” Eridan replied, lifting his chin. “Master,” he added as an afterthought.
Judging by the slight narrowing of Idhron’s eyes, he hadn’t missed the slight.
“Do you mean to say you did not know that you possessed such power?” Kato said.
Eridan dragged his gaze away from Idhron’s and replied, “I wasn’t aware I could do it at all.”
There was a murmur among the Masters.
“That is clearly a lie,” Master Tethru said. “And I’m surprised you were oblivious to your apprentice’s questionable talents, Castien. How remiss of you.”
A strange, tense silence descended upon the room.
Eridan looked between Master Tethru and Master Idhron.
The latter’s eyes were fixed on Master Tethru with a flat expression. “The boy is not my apprentice yet, and may never become one,” he said evenly. “And I have more important matters that require my attention than being interested in little boys.”
Eridan’s hands clenched into fists. But despite his anger, he could sense an underlying meaning in Idhron’s words. They weren’t carelessly spoken.
Tethru’s lips thinned and he gave Idhron a glare, his telepathic aura seething with his hatred.
Eridan blinked. Wait, was Idhron actually hinting at…?
“Castien is indeed not responsible for the boy yet,” Grandmaster Kato cut in, breaking the tension. “Your criticism is unwarranted, Tethru.”
Another Master, a regal elderly woman whose name Eridan had forgotten, spoke up. “Perhaps he should be, Grandmaster,” she said. “It is high time for Castien to take responsibility for the boy, especially if the boy is showing such… interesting talents.”
Eridan suppressed a scowl. Not that he expected the Chapter to ask for his opinion, but he had no desire to be Idhron’s responsibility when the bastard hadn’t spared a thought for him in eleven years—and judging by the spike of irritation he could feel from Idhron, still didn’t.
“We cannot force a Master to take on an apprentice before they feel ready,” Grandmaster Kato said, frowning slightly.
The female Master looked from Eridan to Idhron. “True,” she conceded. “But perhaps Castien should release his preliminary claim on the boy, then. Another Master might choose the boy and give him the guidance he clearly needs.”
Eridan’s heart jumped. Although he didn’t want to be Idhron’s apprentice, if Idhron actually canceled his preliminary claim on him… Eridan could already hear the gleeful, gloating comments other initiates would make. The mere thought turned his stomach.
“Indeed,” Master Tethru said, giving Eridan a long look that made Eridan more than a lit
tle uneasy. Tethru’s shields were impeccable now, so Eridan couldn’t sense his emotions, but Idhron’s earlier insinuations were difficult to forget.
“What do you say, Castien?” the Grandmaster said.
Idhron’s expression was impassive. He didn’t even glance at Eridan, as if he wasn’t worth his attention. “If it is your wish for me to claim the boy, of course I will, Master,” he said, addressing the Grandmaster. The respectfulness of his tone contradicted the coldness of his gaze.
He’s a two-faced snake, Eridan realized, looking at Idhron with a mix of fascination and disgust. A liar, and an excellent one.
Master Kato smiled at Idhron. “Good, Castien. I had no doubt that you would not let me down. You never have.”
Idhron bowed his head in a manner that was probably supposed to be respectful but looked more like a haughty dismissal.
Eridan watched him curiously. Idhron had changed in the years Eridan hadn’t seen him. Gone were the last traces of the young adult Idhron had been; he was an adult now, a man in every sense of the word. His shoulders were clearly broader under his black robes. If he were a shorter man, Idhron would be called stocky, but his impressive height made his muscles less noticeable. His facial features were much harder now too.
At that moment, Idhron turned his head and looked straight at him. “Very well. I will take the boy on a probationary apprenticeship for a year. If he impresses, I will take him on as my apprentice.”
Eridan was so busy glaring at Idhron—he hated being called “boy” and hated being talked about as if he wasn’t in the room—that it took him a moment to register what Idhron had just said.
Wait, what?
A probationary apprenticeship?
Eridan flushed with utter humiliation. Probationary apprenticeships were considered insulting. They were incredibly rare. Usually the Master either took on an apprentice or didn’t, no probationary period required.
Eridan didn’t think he could hate that prick more, but Idhron was rapidly proving him wrong.
“That is not what I meant,” the female Master said, frowning at Idhron. “Such a powerful boy needs a Master, Castien. If you do not want to be one, let someone else claim him.”
Idhron’s inscrutable expression didn’t change. “If I do not claim him in a year, someone else can, Master Amara.”
The female Master—Amara, apparently—glared at him. “You know as well as I do that no Master will claim someone who has failed as another Master’s apprentice.”
“That is hardly my concern,” Idhron said.
Eridan took in a deep breath. He would not choke Idhron in front of the Chapter. He would not choke Idhron. Maybe if he repeated that often enough in his mind, he would believe it.
He looked at Grandmaster Kato, hoping that he would interfere, that he would forbid Idhron from making him serve a probationary apprenticeship, but the old man was silent. Most of the other Masters had their gazes downcast. It seemed all the rumors of Idhron already having immense influence over the Chapter were true.
“It is decided, then,” Grandmaster Kato said at last. “You are dismissed from today’s session, Castien. I am sure you will have your hands full with your new learner.”
A muscle pulsed in Idhron’s jaw. He gave a jerky nod and strode out of the room.
After a moment, Eridan followed.
Chapter Three: Negotiations
“You could have just refused if you didn’t want me as your apprentice,” Eridan said as he caught up to Idhron.
Idhron continued walking. He didn’t even glance at him.
Eridan gritted his teeth, his temper flaring.
“It has been years,” Idhron said, looking straight ahead. “Have you not learned mental shields yet?”
Eridan glared at him, a hot flush of embarrassment spreading through his face. “I have,” he said, lifting his chin.
“Have you,” Idhron said flatly. “You are projecting your emotions so strongly they are testing even my shields, and my shields are perfect.”
“Of course they are,” Eridan muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes.
They walked in silence for a while.
When they entered the t-chamber, Idhron told the computer their destination and finally said, “I do not remember ever saying that I did not want you as my apprentice.”
Eridan scowled, looking down at his boots. “You didn’t need to say that. Actions speak louder than words. You have ignored me for eleven years.”
He felt a flicker of irritation coming off Idhron as they left the t-chamber. “It has nothing to do with you. I am a busy man. I do not have time for children.”
Eridan flushed. “I’m eighteen. I’m not a child!”
Idhron finally turned to him and gave him a pointed a look.
Eridan glowered at him, his face warming. All right, maybe he wasn’t exactly being mature right now, but still, his point stood.
“I am not talking about your age,” Idhron said. “Age does not equal maturity. I was seventeen when I became a Master Acolyte.”
Eridan tried to hide his amazement. A Master Acolyte at seventeen? Way to make someone feel inadequate.
“I am not telling you this to make you feel inadequate. I am telling you this to show you that you could have achieved far more by your age instead of being an emotional, temperamental child.”
Eridan looked at him suspiciously. “Are you reading my mind?”
“I hardly need to,” Idhron said, pausing long enough to let the security scanner do its job. The gates unlocked and he gestured for Eridan to follow him inside. “Your every emotion is written on your face, which only proves my point.”
Eridan frowned. Absent-mindedly, he registered the spacious front yard of the handsome mansion, but his attention was entirely on the man walking slightly ahead of him.
“So you don’t actually hate me?” he found himself saying, his voice smaller than he would have liked.
Idhron’s expression became rather pinched. He pushed the front door open.
Eridan followed him into the house, into the large living room.
Idhron turned to Eridan with a slight frown on his face.
“I do not know where you got the idea that I hate you. First of all, I do not know you enough to hate you. Second, if I hated you, I would not have chosen you out of hundreds of initiates. I chose you because you showed promise as a child. But your progress has not been as good as I hoped. That is why I am making you serve a probationary apprenticeship.” He looked Eridan in the eye, his gaze stern but not unkind. “It is not a slight, Eridan. I want to help you improve, but I am a busy man, and I cannot commit myself to an apprentice who may not suit me.”
Looking down, Eridan chewed on his bottom lip. That sounded… reasonable. Could it be possible that he had been wrong about Idhron and he was actually a good, kind Master?
But just as he thought it, he knew it was wrong. It was too good to be true, considering what he’d observed of Castien Idhron.
Eridan lifted his gaze and said, “You’re lying.”
“Pardon?” Idhron said.
Eridan crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the man. “You can drop this kind act. I’m not buying it. I always know when people lie to me.” That was a lie, but there were telepaths that had such a gift, and how would Idhron know that Eridan wasn’t one of them?
Idhron stared at him for a moment before something shifted in his expression, any trace of kindness disappearing from his face. “Is that so?” he said, eyeing Eridan with a strange new intensity. He seemed to somehow become larger and taller.
The hairs at the back of Eridan’s neck stood on end. He suddenly felt like he was in a room with a predator, dangerous and unpredictable.
“Yes,” he said, squashing down the urge to run away from this room, from this man, as far as possible.
Idhron’s blue eyes seemed to sharpen. For the first time since meeting him, Eridan felt like he actually had become something interesting to Idhron. �
�You are a liar, too,” Idhron said, walking over. He gripped Eridan’s chin and lifted it to make him look him in the eye. “You do not possess such a talent.”
Eridan shivered, his stomach in knots. “Maybe not, but I can choke the life out of you if you try to do something to me.”
Idhron smiled. It was a smile that seemed to lack any sort of emotion besides cold amusement. “You do show promise, after all,” he said, letting go of Eridan’s chin. “Sit down.”
It was impossible not to obey that voice.
Eridan sat down on the couch, a little glad to do so, because his knees were shaking.
He stared up at this imposing man, who looked back at him with an unreadable expression.
The silence stretched.
“Very well,” Idhron said at last. “I will speak frankly with you.”
Eridan looked at him skeptically but didn’t voice his doubts.
“I really do not ‘hate’ you,” Idhron said. “I do not ‘hate’ anyone. Hate is an emotion. Emotions are a liability, and I have eradicated most of them.”
Eridan stared at him.
Was he serious? He really didn’t feel emotions? Why? How was that even possible?
Master Idhron walked to the window. “Have you not been told by your instructors that emotions interfere with your control over your telepathy?”
Eridan nodded, frowning. “Yes, but none of my instructors have ever implied that eradicating emotions was something to strive for.”
“For them, it isn’t,” Idhron said, gazing outside. “Most Masters do not think that emotions are a big liability. They are wrong.”
“But how can you know that?”
Idhron turned away from the window and met his gaze. “The fact that I am a Class 7 telepath is proof enough.”
Distantly, Eridan was aware he was gaping.
Class 7?
Idhron was Class 7?
“You are a Seven?” he breathed out. “But how— No one said you were a Seven.”
“It is not something I advertise,” Idhron said, shrugging. “But the Grandmaster and the Chapter are aware of it.”