Ralph's Point Of View
"Another one has been spotted in a province by the border, your majesty..."
I lifted my eyes towards my guard that was supplying me with this information, as I did my best to maintain a plain expression while I remained seated on my throne.
"Are you sure that this is reliable information? We have been getting some false alarms recently if you can recall..."
The news of the first woman to be chosen by the moon goddess with the crescent mark had spread across the entire Kingdom like wildfire, if only I had met her more privately then may be I could have hidden it but she had appeared in such a public ceremony witnessed by the high elites of the society of course it was bound to spread.
Now I had expected that what I had not quite expected was the desperation of women to join the mate games, it was becoming quite rampant around the Kingdom that some women would have blacksmith mark their head with heated iron to give it that crescent look, in order to deal with this I said that anybody that falsified their claim of being chosen by the moon goddess would be severely punished and the same thing with for any of their accomplses.
"Your majesty we are of course going through the necessary background check to make sure that it was not artificially inflicted on her but we believe that she speaks the truth..."
I remained silent for a moment with my jaw clenching up, I could imagine my father rocking back and forward now with absolute glee and excitement. He was getting exactly what he wanted out of me which was why I try to avoid seeing him so that he wouldn't get the opportunity to gloat in my face.
"... Then if you are able to confirm it with no doubt at all bring her to me,"I finally said looking into space and dismissed the guard, my second in command and beta Oliver stepped into the throne room at that moment just in time to see my forlorn expression.
"Is there anything that is troubling you,your majesty?... One would think that's the first king in 200 years to have his mate personally chosen by the moon goddess would be a little bit more joyful..."
He said as he approached me, and I just sighed heavily resting more of my weight on my throne, while I pressed my fingers against my forehead I was glad that there was nobody else in the throne room because that was the only way I would be able to speak to him freely.
"All of this is ridiculous I am thinning out my men that I'm supposed to be sending to the border to protect the people from the blood mages just to find a couple of women when I can easily just choose a bride myself..."
My beta and best friend looked at me sympathetically.
"Well as royalty you understand that we don't even get to pick our brides in the first place, even if it wasn't the moon goddess choosing for you, you would have to marry for political reasons anyways so in the end the choice was never in your hands..."
I knew that it was brutally true, the choice for the person that I would spend the rest of my life with had never really been in my hands no matter how badly I wanted it to. But at least that would have wasted far less resources than this... Now after I had finally found all seven women I would have to arrange the mate games as well, it was all just unnecessary in my eyes.
"Well I just want this whole thing to be over so I can focus on fighting the blood mages,"I said to him with a half groan.
"We won't fall to them just because a few men have left the border, so maybe you should take your time and even get to know these women..."
I looked at him flabbergasted by this opinion.
"Get to know them for what reason?"I adjusted myself on my throne sitting while I leaned forward to look at him with my jaw practically hitting the floor.
"Will apart from the little detail that you will have to spend the rest of your life with one of them and have pups with them... Wouldn't it be a little bit interesting for you considering that the first choice is actually quite intriguing,"
He said looking at me with a teasing expression.
"Jackia?"I said her name rather doubtfully then assured myself that I had pronounced it correctly before leaning back on my throne again I told Oliver that she wasn't even eager to see me either, and even though I had not met the other women yet I was not particularly impressed with her.
He actually seems to be surprised by this raising one of his eyebrows.
"That's right unfortunate I'm just when I was about to suggest that you would invite her to suffer with you... What has she done so quickly to obtain your displeasure?"
He inquired from me and then I told him about how she had reacted when she found out that she had been chosen, how she had broken down at first and filled me with guilt but the moment she had luxury poured into her hands all of a sudden she was not bothered, she had been so easily bribed to forget about her previous passions.
"Such a person that can be easily swayed is not..."
I was barely done speaking before a guard burst into the throne room kneeling down to apologize for his abrupt entry but claiming that it was absolutely necessary, he was breathing heavily and struggling to get his voice even he spoke.
"What's wrong?"I demanded to know as I stood up from my throne and he looked about me fear clearly written in his eyes.
"She's gone your majesty, the moon goddess chosen is gone!"