"All this is not something I particularly want," Ren hastened to explain. "For me it's just... more homework. More responsibilities. Arturo has been teaching me about territorial management and it's honestly more trouble than benefit most of the time."
"But then why...?" his father began.
"Because it's necessary," Ren responded simply. "To accomplish what I need to accomplish, to help the people I need to help, I have to be in a position where I can act with fewer restrictions. And that means high nobility."
His parents processed this slowly. His mother was the first to speak again.
"But son," she looked at him directly, "is this really what you want? Or is it just what you feel you have to do?"
"It's what I have to do," he admitted. "But," he added before they could protest, "it's not just a feeling. It's something that truly matters to me."
His parents looked at him for a long moment, then exchanged one of those marital glances that communicated volumes without words.
