If she was that worried about his sister, maybe she should try prioritising Luciana for once, Savino thought sourly. But no – he shook away that thought, because he knew full well that if his mother began to do that, his sister would only suffer for it. Better he bore the brunt of his mother’s attentions while he still could.
And he and his mother were at their old stalemate; there was only the merest shift towards compromise here. “Call it what you want,” Savino said, with a shrug that lay somewhere between surrender and dismissal. He could stay in his job or he could leave, and she could fuss over his title all she liked, but the only thing he was interested in pursuing was his study of Divination. “I’ve told you where my interests lie.” Not in the company, not in marriage, not in scaling the ranks of society. His mother could spend all her time relying on his supposed inheritance or his marital prospects and make whatever arrangements she liked, but in the end it would be for nothing, and she would just be deluding herself.
For whatever work she did to amend his image as heir and prospect was work Savino was fairly certain he could just as easily undo. So he was just... trying to let her down gently, break this truth without breaking apart the family in the process. He sighed and set his glass down, imploring his mother with an earnest look. “I’m not trying to be difficult,” he added steadily, “but if I were you, I might look for another avenue to secure our family’s status, because I’m certain I can only be a disappointment to you all.” She was not going to listen to him, he knew it already – but at least it might plant a seed of doubt in the back of her mind. And if it did not, well.... she hadn’t seen anything of his intransigence yet.
And he and his mother were at their old stalemate; there was only the merest shift towards compromise here. “Call it what you want,” Savino said, with a shrug that lay somewhere between surrender and dismissal. He could stay in his job or he could leave, and she could fuss over his title all she liked, but the only thing he was interested in pursuing was his study of Divination. “I’ve told you where my interests lie.” Not in the company, not in marriage, not in scaling the ranks of society. His mother could spend all her time relying on his supposed inheritance or his marital prospects and make whatever arrangements she liked, but in the end it would be for nothing, and she would just be deluding herself.
For whatever work she did to amend his image as heir and prospect was work Savino was fairly certain he could just as easily undo. So he was just... trying to let her down gently, break this truth without breaking apart the family in the process. He sighed and set his glass down, imploring his mother with an earnest look. “I’m not trying to be difficult,” he added steadily, “but if I were you, I might look for another avenue to secure our family’s status, because I’m certain I can only be a disappointment to you all.” She was not going to listen to him, he knew it already – but at least it might plant a seed of doubt in the back of her mind. And if it did not, well.... she hadn’t seen anything of his intransigence yet.
