Chapter 20 - Chapter Nineteen

~𝑻𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒏~

"Everyone's waiting, please get up!"

I did my best to ignore Cedric's voice but it was so persistent. Had I not told him to leave already? So why was he still here? I glared up at the canopy. Why did I have to be there anyway? There were no decisions being made and they never went well anyway.

I saw no point in the council meeting. The "𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴" had an opinion but no real effect on whatever decisions were made. They were all just a cover.

"We're discussing the recon mission that Dallas and Ryker were sent on," Cedric said, ceasing his incessant knocking. "I'm sure you'd like to hear what they have to say about it."

I tilted my head, looking at the closed door. I could tell he was baiting me and quite frankly, it was annoyingly obvious. He could have at least tried to hide it.

With a sigh, I turned back to look at the canopy. He'd told me we were discussing Hailey's disappearance even though I found no reason to. It was obvious she'd left with Dallas and Ryker. The timing was way too convenient, there was really no other option. Maybe Cedric realized the two were hand in hand and decided to discuss both.

I grimaced at the pang in my chest. No matter how much I tried to deny it, it irked me how Hailey, the Queen, was able to so easily leave but I, the King, could do no such thing. Or maybe I was just annoyed at who she was with. I sat up abruptly, glaring down at the crimson sheets. No, if it was the company she was with, I'd feel the same when he was with the knights. 𝘋𝘪𝘥 I feel the same when he was with the knights? When I heard about Dallas sleeping in his room, was that sick feeling really just the food, like I'd said it was?

"Tairen, please, you don't have to stay for long, just make an appearance. You weren't there last time and if you're absent this time, the—"

"The people will lose faith in me, right?" I asked, clenching the sheets in my hands. "The respect they have for me as their King will disappear? Well, I don't care. I'm tired and I don't feel like dealing with pricks like them for more than thirty seconds."

"Then don't. Walk in, greet them, and tell them yourself you have somewhere to be. Just please, put some effort in," he pleaded. I could tell he was beginning to lose his motivation.

Maybe I should just go, get the short encounter over with. I tilted my head back, taking a deep breath. None of them were worth my time yet I had to keep up the act. I may be a stone-cold King but I was still a King, I had duties to attend to and no matter how long I'd put them off, or left it to Cedric, they'd catch up to me eventually.

It wouldn't be long before I got rid of that aspect but for now, I'd just have to deal with it. I'd just have to play their game a little longer.

My gaze fell on my crown, resting on top of my desk on a cushion. It was a show of power. At least, that's what it was supposed to be. However, it was passed down from my father and was now tainted. It'd lost its power because he'd worn it so undeserved. Such a pathetic waste of it, too. I stood, placing one hand in my pocket as I walked to the door.

I didn't spare Cedric a glance as I opened the door, walking past him and heading towards the council room. A little over two weeks ago, I was in the very same room, angry at the one person I didn't want to get angry at.

I sighed, my shoulders slumping. It'd been so long since anyone made me want to change or suppress anything I was, and when it finally happened, I ruined it. I shook my head. I didn't ruin it, he ruined it. He'd pushed away first so I pushed back, so what if it was a little harder than intended? None of it was my fault. I did nothing wrong.

"Thirty seconds?" I confirmed as we reached the council room doors. Cedric nodded, pulling his sleeve back to gaze at his watch.

"If it's a proper exit, then yes," he said. I narrowed my eyes. He held no power over me and I could just leave that very moment but I guess I'd go along with it.

I shrugged, pushing the doors open. There were only three qualified cities in Chison, excluding Vrateldo, so there were only three people in the room, one of them being Valerie, the Dutchess of Croshaw.

I turned to Cedric with a smirk. "On second thought, I think I'll be staying," I clipped before finding my seat at the head. Cedric took the seat to my right.

"Why don't we get started?" Cedric offered, clearing his throat as he opened up a folder on the table. I recognized the files as combat sheets, one for every one that went through knight or guard training. It'd been so long since I'd taken a look at them and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't the least bit curious about the knights' standings. "We received a letter from our recon group and it seems things might be more serious than previously thought."

"You didn't tell me about that," I said, leaning back in my seat. I wondered if the letter mentioned Hailey. Or maybe they were keeping it a secret.

Cedric bowed his head lightly. "I apologize, Sire, but it was recent so it wasn't kept from you for long."

I nodded. He was so tiring, sometimes—acting like he was so innocent, so presentable. No wonder people liked him more—respected him more—he was weak, just like my father.

"Why is this more serious than we thought? Is a monster uprising not serious enough? And possibly your own people turning against you seeing as they've los—"

"I bid you ask permission before you speak," I cut in, glaring at the man sitting two seats away from me. I didn't even know what his name was. Where was he from?

It didn't matter. He was being disrespectful. Not only was he insulting me as a leader but he was mocking Cedric. Did he not know where he stood? He was our guest. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴𝘺.

Cedric cleared his throat. "We were notified that The Corderoys have gotten involved. I am concerned that they could be on the wrong side of this," he said.

"Permission to speak?" Valerie asked politely but with confidence. She was such a proud woman and held true to her duties and her standing. She knew her place but she also knew that most were below her. A Duchess first.

I guess both my father and Cedric had the same taste in women. Or maybe not, considering how things ended with them.

"Go ahead," I said, leaning forward.

"Is it not true that you have a member of this family under your care? Why not send him in as a mole?" She asked.

"No, I can't send him in, he was exiled from their ranks years ago," I said.

"So? He's still a filthy assassin. He'd fit right in, I'm sure. It would be his payment for letting him live here, much less inside the castle," the man who'd spoken before spat.

Cedric glared at him but I rose a hand, stopping the oncoming flood of words I felt was coming.

"A filthy assassin?" I asked, leaning back and linking my hands together. "You're right. He is filthy and he is an assassin. But then what would that make you? If 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯 is used as an insult in such a sure way, then what are you? Would you not have to pay as much as him, if not more? At least he pulls his own weight, not that he has to, but you should at least be offering me your resources in this matter. Assassin or not, to you he's a 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦. If you believe you're so much better than him, then why not send your men out to hunt down the Corderoy family? 𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 you can do a much better job than the royal family has for years."

His eyes were wide, mouth slightly open. I could tell he wanted to say something. He wanted to fight back—regain the dignity he'd so foolishly lost but he couldn't because he could throw insults around all day but in the end, I was the one with all the power.

He had such an ugly frustrated face. Such a disgraceful way to express his annoyance.

I could feel my fingers twitch against each other. I wanted him to say something. 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯, 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵.

"I offer three men to infiltrate The Corderoys," Valerie spoke. "Whether they come out alive or not is none of my concern. Use them as you will."

The remaining man, the one who'd stayed silent, rose his hand. "I offer my two best men. They are yours to command," he said.

I scoffed. "Five men wouldn't put a scratch on my brother. What makes you think they'll live to walk through the front door?"

Valerie nodded. "I understand. However, the offer still stands, and more. If you need men, I have plenty to spare."

I nodded. "I don't think that's a good idea. I think we should wait to discuss this matter further once our recon group has returned."

"I agree. Maybe then we can get a better understanding of the situation. When are they due to return?" She asked.

"We're very lenient with the members of The King's Guard. They're elite soldiers that listen to their instincts and have the power to follow through, especially our latest recon team. They decide when it's appropriate to return. Based on this information, I assume they're following a lead, and after that, they'll decide whether they have enough information to return or not," I said, smirking. "The only problem is, our recent group may be strategic and powerful, but they are also both annoyingly stubborn. I doubt they'll return for a while now."

The words sent a pant through my chest, despite me having been the one to say them. Who knows what could happen out there? With so much time, I wondered if they'd get sloppy.

Dallas was a reliable soldier, loyal to the castle to a fault. He'd die for his friends without a doubt but, if you asked me, that was stupid. He executed everything with brute force, thinking simple. If he ended up dying in battle, only his stupidity would be to blame.

I didn't know Ryker's fighting style. I'd considered stopping in on training once but decided it was better if I didn't. But if I knew anything about him, it was that he thought before he acted, even if he didn't recognize it himself. He took everything in and even if he didn't always have the means to act, he'd still try. I smiled. Even if he was shy, once he fully accessed the situation, he'd act with surety. That's just the type of person he was. Or maybe that was his old self and that's why it was so uncontrollable—so unrecognizable to him. With Dallas at his disposal, they'd be unstoppable. As long as he kept his pawns close, he'd get through whatever was out there.

But I couldn't help but wonder if any of that was going to matter once he returned if he was just going to die anyway.

I bit my lip, deep enough to draw blood. Why did he even enter my life if he was just going to die before I even had a chance?

"That sounds like incompetence and poor leadership to me," that annoying man cut in once more. I sighed, meeting his gaze calmly. "If your soldiers can't follow orders, they're useless. What's the point in keeping them around?"

Useless? I intertwined my fingers in my hair, clenching the strands away from my forehead almost violently. Laughter bubbled up into my throat, the feeling uncontrollable.

I could feel their eyes on me but who even cared? None of them mattered anyway, they were all so boring—so stupid. That man was just a sheep that didn't know his place. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘥.

𝘚𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯—𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦?

𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦—

My eyes widened. "𝘐'𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴! 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘵, 𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶!"

I laughed harder. He was right. We were all replaceable. If I died, Cedric or Keo would take over. If Cedric died, a replacement wouldn't be necessary with Valerie taking the reins. But if this man died, it wouldn't even be any of my concern who replaced him.

Yeah, everyone is replaceable but they're judged how many people are worthy of replacing them. If this man died, I wouldn't bat an eyelash but if I died, the kingdom would fall apart. Whether I was a horrible leader or not, I was more important than every one of them because my replacement would never measure up to me. My replacement would never reach the heights I've reached and the mindset I have.

My replacement would be too weak. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬.

"Sire! Please, compose yourself!" Cedric rose his voice. My laughter cut off.

I let my arms fall and leaned back in my chair, tilting my head back to look at the ceiling.

"If they're useless, there is no point in keeping them around. Everyone is useless to someone," I said, smiling. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘦. "Tell me, sir, what makes you useful?"

He sucked in a sharp breath. I could feel the fear coming from all of them. It was comforting in a way.

"Well, I lead the main trade with—"

"But why are you, in particular, useful? Can you do something no one else can? Can only you lead this trade? Tell me—" I looked at him, licking my lips "—what's stopping me from getting rid of something I deem useless?"

His eyes widened and he stood up. "I will not stand for this treatment! You need me. Without me, you wouldn't get half the supplies you have in this city!" He yelled.

I felt almost giddy, my laughing almost bursting out once again. Such a beautiful feeling. 𝘠𝘦𝘴, 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤. 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭.

"Yet I could just appoint another to your post," I said. It was almost painful to keep cool. "Probably someone more respectful, too."

"I will not yield to a tyrant such as you!" He snapped. And so did I.

I burst into laughter and I vaguely saw Cedric stand up out of the corner of my eye. "A tyrant!? Yes, that's the right word!" I said. God, this feeling, was exhilarating. I could toy with him forever. I stood abruptly, slamming my palms on the table. My fingers itched to strike. "Tell me, since you're so good at your job, what do you propose I do? I could demote you but I'm feeling quite happy today. I might just skip to execution."

"Tairen, lets—"

"Shut up," I snapped, glancing at Cedric and sending him a smile. "Please, just shut up."

He looked worried. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥? 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳.

I turned back to the man. He looked afraid. 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩.

"Or would you rather something else?" I asked leaning in. "I like you. Such a unique personality, really!" He slowly relaxed but he was still on guard, his neck and shoulders tense. "If you help me, I can help you." I leaned closer, my voice dropping. "If you don't, execution is really the only option."

He turned to me, his disgusting face inches from mine. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳.

He nodded and I pat him on the shoulder. "I just need a unit of ten soldiers, I'll send the information."

I turned back around, meeting eyes with a confused and concerned Cedric. Just from the look in his eyes, I knew it was best to leave him out of this. He didn't approve of my tactics anyway. If he would have heard that conversation, he would have just tried to stop me, and that'd be a nuisance.

"I'm leaving," I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets and walking towards the door. Everyone had their eyes on me. They were curious but that man wouldn't say a word. He was too weak. Such a man was so easily forced to kneel, it was almost sad. It really wasn't his day. If only he'd been a little more respectful, then maybe I would have just taken the others up of their offers.

As I left the room, that giddy feeling slowly disappeared. Without a warning, I remembered Ryker. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘸? 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵? He was such a curious being. I wanted to see him—his true self. I wanted to know why he was so broken on the outside but the fire in his eyes burned with fury. I wanted to know why, when he looked at me, he looked afraid yet accepting.

I smiled. Now, if his smoky blue eyes were overwhelmed with fear, it would be a beautiful sight. They'd blossom so delicately yet so powerfully. 𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮.

But I didn't want to be the cause of it. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬?

I clenched my jaw, digging my hands in my hair. I felt so helpless. I was losing control. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦? 𝘕𝘰, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮? 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴—𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺—

"Sire, where are you off to?" I halted, my eyes widening as I realized my train of thought. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨?

"I'd like a carriage," I said, looking up at Finn. He gave me a confused look but nodded obediently.

"Where to?" He asked.

"None of your concern. If anyone asks, tell them I'm in my room and not to bother me," I said, following behind him towards the lobby.

My skin itched with irritation and as I dug my nails into my forearm, the horseshoe marks left an annoying warmth. A warmth I wanted to chase, somehow.