The Candidate ✓ (Book Two)

Chapter Thirteen

Did I hear that right?

He must see the look of confusion on my face, but when he opens his mouth to say something- Mina interrupts. I sit back with my lips closed tightly. This should be interesting- a surprise fiancé and a moody soon to be thirteen year old in the same room. Kyle knows better than to inject himself into the conversation, so he too- is silent as it plays out.

"You're an asshole." Mina says matter of factly, standing up. As she goes to exit the room, Ali finally speaks up.

He's good looking enough- I can see why Joseph would be attracted to him. With his curly black hair, tan skin, and defined features- he's pretty much every  Clothing magazine's dream. As he talks, his lips barely move- and his facial expression barely changes.

  Mine used to be like that in the months after the incident. I'd put on a blank expression so people couldn't read my true emotions, but even I gave up on it after a while. I can tell- from all of the years of doing it myself, that's he's hiding a deep rooted pain. I can't read exactly what that pain is from his expression, but if he's comfortable talking about it, I'd like to know what happened to him.

  "Mina-"He says. "Your brother.. hid our relationship from you out of an abundance of caution. He thought that maybe... if we were unlucky enough if he told you over the phone- one of our phone operators might be an extremist and... do something about it."

  "Oh that's bullshit. I'v seen you in person multiple times since I left." She stops for a second, crossing her arms. She looks between the two and her angry expression falls. "How long ago did you two meet?" She asks.

  "Twenty years ago." He looks at Ali as if for permission to continue. Ali nods, the blank expression resuming on his face. Joseph hesitantly does, trying to figure out exactly what he wants to tell us. "I was...three. He was ten and a..servant's child."

Slave- just say slave, Joseph. Before Joseph, there were thousands of paid palace employees- but there were also those unfortunate ones born into slave families. They were expected- no, forced to serve the royal family with no pay. If they stepped out of line- asked for anything more that the most minimal necessities needed to live, they were beaten or killed.

History has a way of repeating itself. "I'd just started doing basic tasks. Repaired things.. most of it was just filler work for until.. I'm sorry Mina can you leave the room?" Ali says. She reluctantly goes, but she's smart enough to guess what he was about to say. I am too, and it makes me sick if he was about to say what I think he was.

"It was filler work for... until I hit what his dad and grandfather called 'the breeding age'. I was used to..create new servants for almost twelve years. Almost two thirds of my children are.. dead now because our healthcare system used to suck so much ."

  Jesus fucking Christ. And I thought my life was hard. I wouldn't survive that, yet here he is- standing up, casually saying it like death is a routine thing. I wonder, for a second, just how many children he lost- but decide it would be extremely inappropriate to ask. He must be reading my thoughts though, because he blurts a number out.

  "Seven. I have seven living children. Twenty of them are dead." He says with no emotion. "On a lighter note- the wedding's going to be next year regardless of whether or not parliament's passed gay marriage. And of course- ya'll are invited."

  My heart feels constricted- twenty. Twenty dead children. I nearly lost my shit after one- but he seems so used to it. "We'll be there." Kyle answers for me after my mouth hangs open for almost five seconds. I nod.

  The conversation that's occurred in the past five minutes was completely unexpected, but we can't not be there. He's Mina's only remaining biological family member- well he might as well be, with her father's execution being in just months. His lawyer's doing his best to postpone the trial as long as possible, but there's not much more he can do. He's exhausted every possible legal path- but with the crimes he committed, his death is a guarantee.