Husband vs. Clan Head

"Lord Mano..." Lord Mano's personal steward entered his office.

"En. What did you find?"

Lord Mano didn't want to admit it to himself, but he was feeling quite irritated by Lyra's secrets. His anger got the best of him the other evening, resulting in a very intense night but awkward morning.

"Lord Mano, I had one of our household technicians help me search through Lady Lyra's personal shuttle. All the data from memory logs are in here. "

The steward steps forward presenting a tablet full of the entry logs.

"This says she went to the shopping center and home... Was there nothing else. What about the piloting and autopilot entry logs?"

"Those are in there too." Showing Lord Mano other two sets of entry logs. "We found that they too were in order."

"So you found nothing out of place..." Laughter mix with relief and mockery at his over sensitivity could be heard.

"....."

When Lord Mano didn't receive the answer he wanted, his suspicions grew to sit like a rock in his stomach.

"Speak! Did you or did you not find something."

"I don't know if you can consider this...but Lady Lyra's energy cells were low, lower than they should have been if she was just going to the shopping center and home..."

"Could she had forgotten to charge them the night before?" Lord Mano ask grasping at any reason possible.

"No, sir. I make sure all air vessels of the household are recharged to full capacity. Lady Lyra had a full energy cell when she left that day, the only reason why the energy cells could have lowered to that extent would be if she traveled farther out-"

"Thank you! You are dismissed." Mano threw the tablet down onto his desk and spun his chair away from the steward and the door.

"Yes, sir. Please call me if you have any other requests."

"En."

The steward bowed and closed the door behind him.

Left by himself, Mano thoughts bought him to remember his father.

His father, Lord Theodluin, only married one wife in his younger years, Jastira, Mano's mother. Although she came from an ordinary family, Theodluin and her love were strong.

After giving birth to Mano, the clan got into some trouble. When the financial issue reached its worst, Lord Theodluin went looking for outside help and approached several different clan heads.

Regrettably, the only way they would offer their assistance to him was through marriage.

Knowing Theodluin had to do what was right by the clan as the clan head, Mano's mother, Jastira didn't cause problems over this issue.

Lord Theodluin ended up marrying three other wives. Being from rich and high clan backgrounds, these wives couldn't put up with Lord Theodluin favoritism towards his first wife, Jastira.

Weak minded and of lower status, Jastira couldn't handle the others wives pettiness and wicked nature. Within four years of marrying the other wives, Jastira lost her life to 'illness'.

Mano knew his mother didn't die from an illness when he sought his father for justice Lord Theodluin didn't want to discuss nor investigate the case any farther.

Left with no other choice, Mano pulled away from the Amara clan and his father. Throwing himself into his studies and training his gifts.

Awhile later father let it be known that Mano would succeed him and become head of the Amara clan. To the dismay of the other wives, his siblings, and even to Mano himself Theodluin groomed him and forced to marry his first six wives.

Angry at his father for the way he controls his life, Mano desired to leave the Amara clan forever. His things packed Mano wanted to say goodbye to his mother one last time. Walking to his mother's grave, Mano saw his father on his knees crying over Jastira's burial mound.

Mano never seen his father cry before, he was always a very stern man in his eyes.

Catching Mano peeking in on his sorrow Theodluin said to Mano, "A husband is true to his wife, but a clan head is true to the clan. I love your mother with all my heart, but she never let me be her husband. She wanted me to be clan head, she wanted you to be clan head. All I can do for you is to give you the best connections."

Mano had forgiven his father that day and chose to stay and become clan head.

He tried to not make the same mistakes his father made. Never favoring one wife over the others, he loved all his wives the same.

Until one rebellious decision when he saw Lyra. Capture by her beauty and presence Mano proposed marriage, Lyra was the only wife he chose all on his own. Maybe it was because he thought she was like his mother that he wanted to marry her.

Once married he admits he strove hard to ignore her, making it a point to not show his love for her for others to see. Perhaps he was too good at it, and now even she can't see it.

Lord Mano sat in his office for the rest of the day trying to figure out who he wanted to be, husband or clan head?