"And what makes you think I'll let you live a happy life? Sure, I need you, but that doesn't mean I have to let you live lavishly," the Don said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"Because you're a nice guy," Taiga replied with a grin, glancing at the empty chair beside the leader of Aria.
"Is that so?"
"Mhm. You're a very important public figure, known across the world. Your reputation would be of the utmost importance. Yet here you are, sitting alone. The average tyrant would've forced his wife to make an appearance, no matter her reason for staying away. I mean, you can't have the media thinking your young love has gone awry."
"Get to the point."
"The point is that you love your wife more than anything in the whole wide world. So regardless of what kind of person you are, I don't think your wife would allow a child to be tortured in her own home."
Noctis's eyes widened, but he remained silent.
"Woah, calm down, Taiga," he said, resting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You got it right the first time. I am a nice guy. I haven't actually done anything evil, have I? I can promise you Shin and Silver didn't feel a thing in that alley, and I can also promise you a fulfilling life here at my humble abode. So ease up on the negative language, okay? I just need your help, that's all."
"Before you force your problem onto me, tell me what happened after I was knocked out," Taiga said, brushing the man's arm off his shoulder.
"Hey, do you see that boy up there?" asked the CEO of Arian Petroleum, the nation's leading petrol provider.
"Who? That tall, black-haired guy?" replied Yugo, a world-renowned artist seated beside the woman at one of the many long dining tables.
"Yeah. The Don just stood up and started talking to him. It must be something important."
"Ooo, maybe he's his illegitimate son. I can't really tell from this distance, but they seem to look alike."
"Very funny. The Don is only twenty. A boy that size has to be at least a teenager."
"The media says he's only twenty. For all we know, he could be decades older."
"I suppose that's true... Let's ask the Member of Parliament at the head of the table."
Each of the thirty-three Members of Parliament, excluding the Don, sat at the head of a different dining table in the ballroom. They had been placed there to answer the many questions the bourgeoisie had for them. It was a tiring job, consisting mostly of answering the same questions from wealthy elites searching for loopholes to keep their pockets lined.
At the head of this particular table sat a slim, bald man with a stern expression. His eyes seemed capable of cutting through the guests, while the bright reflection from his polished scalp united them all in silent laughter.
"Drew, who is that boy up there with the Don? Is he someone important?" Yugo asked from halfway across the table, pointing toward the raised platform.
"What boy?" Drew asked before turning, along with the rest of the table, to see where Yugo was pointing.
By then, the Don and the unknown boy had begun descending the staircase, Noctis leading the way while the teenager followed behind.
"What's this? The party has only just begun," remarked one of the aristocrats.
"That boy must have some sort of dirt on the Don. Otherwise, why would he leave in the middle of an event like this?" muttered another.
"So disrespectful."
"Unbecoming of a leader."
Slander spread throughout the ballroom. Even those who had been blissfully dancing stopped once the two reached the bottom of the staircase.
The Eleventh Member of Parliament, Drew Breve, shot to his feet and stepped directly in front of them.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Noctis?! You can't just get up and leave whenever you want! And who is this child?" the man shouted.
"I'm sorry, Drew. I'll fill all of you in later, okay? Please step aside. Don't cause a scene," the Don replied.
"Don't cause a scene?! You've already caused a scene, you fool! Just because you were unjustly given the title of Don at such a young age doesn't mean you get to throw away tradition and etiquette!"
Unjustly? Taiga fixated on the man's choice of words.
"Show some respect to your guests!" Drew continued. "They've already started doubting your leadership, and it's only been a few minutes. How will this country look when its leader doesn't care about respecting or maintaining relationships? How will Parliament look? Everyone already thinks we're just for show and have no control over you whatsoever. If you walk out now, that'll be the nail in the coffin."
Sweat dripped from the man's chin onto the ballroom floor, the scent of his expensive cologne overwhelmed by the fear seeping through his pores.
"I hope you're all enjoying yourselves!" the Don called, his voice cutting through the silent hall.
"Shit," Drew muttered under his breath.
"I'm terribly sorry, everyone, but I have to be on my way," Noctis continued. "Something of the utmost importance has suddenly come up. I know this is highly unprofessional, but alas, such is the life of the leader of Aria—the most powerful nation in the world."
"Who's that boy?!" someone shouted from across the ballroom.
Noctis turned, wrapped an arm around Taiga's shoulder, and pulled him close.
Everyone rose from their seats in anticipation.
"Allow me to introduce to you Taiga Kurosawa!"
Everyone fell back into their seats in disappointment.
"Who?" they all said in unison.
"Oh, well, I guess you guys don't know him yet..." the strongest man in the world chuckled, scratching the back of his head.
"This boy will be the future leader of Aria! The next Don!"
The hall fell silent.
Taiga stared at him in shock while Drew stood frozen, his jaw hanging open.
Then the ballroom erupted.
"What?! Him?!"
What is this bastard playing at? Taiga thought to himself, taking a step back. He said he'd talk to me in private, but instead he's pulling this stunt. He can't be serious... right?
Every Member of Parliament was, quite rightly, outraged by the announcement. Every one of them had imagined themselves succeeding Noctis someday.
Every one of them except one.
The Thirtieth Member of Parliament, Arnold Vein, was an extraordinarily old man approaching his ninetieth birthday. Somehow, his mind remained sharper than most men half his age. He laughed from deep within his stomach before offering what he believed to be a profound piece of wisdom.
"So long as that boy can give the people bread—and a circus to wash it down—he'll be just fine."
With that, Noctis and Taiga slipped out of the ballroom without further interruption.
"What the hell was that about?! Since when was I becoming the Don? Is that why you brought me here? To succeed you?"
"No. Well... kind of. But mostly no," Noctis chuckled. "Listen, you asked me to talk somewhere more private, and that's exactly what I'm doing. We go through the back entrance behind the ground-floor kitchen, climb two and a half flights of stairs, jump out one very specific window, and voilà. We arrive at the lake—a place only my wife and I know about."
"And that's where you're going to tell me everything?"
"Everything you need to know."