Dolls

king of dreams

Chapter 43: Coria

Sybella jumps off the final step of the stairs and into my arms when the front door opens.

She has finally learned how to walk down the stairs safely without me. Halfway down, she usually tries to let go of me and jump the rest of the way down, but I have drilled it into her head to take it one step at a time and never let go of the railing until the final step. It took her a while, but today she has gotten it correct. I shower her with affection before I turn and see Luther without his sling.

He has been misbehaving for the past few weeks. He refuses to sit still and ignores most of what the care packet says. Today, he either got tired of waiting or his physician finally gave him the green light.

"Come here, sweetheart," He beckons to the little girl already running towards him. He lifts her up, kissing her forehead, and takes my hand to lead us all into his study. His assistant trails behind us, carrying a tablet and binder. Why he needs both, I have not a clue, but he does.

Justin stands across from the desk, I stand behind Luther's chair, and Sybella sits in his lap. I roll my fingers over his neck and shoulders, massaging out any tension I feel. Lightly, of course.

"Sir, I have the reports you asked for," Justin says. He places them on the desk.

"Can you get those for me?" Luther asks Sybella. She eagerly nods, reaching out and pulling them to him. Already learning to obey, I see.

My eyes scan the paper for any indication of the order he set out while we were in Kesia. I still have no idea what it is, even though I feel like I should have figured it out by now. Luther hums in his throat as he looks them over, hand on his chin.

Justin continues, "As you can see, the numbers went up when you were no longer alone. You receive more positive feedback the more they see of her."

My eyes leave the paper and look up. Justin shifts in his shoes when he catches my stare. My eyes draw to the table again when Luther pushes the papers away and scoffs.

"I am running a country, not a fashion show," He curses.

"And you do it very well, however, the public opinion has dropped significantly since you signed the order while not in the country," Justin says. Luther does not answer. He stills in a pause, kisses his daughter's head, and then turns and hands her to me.

"I need a moment alone," He says. I lean down and kiss his temple, brushing the back of his neck lightly. I leave and barely hear what Justin says next.

"The public loves your wife. For a moment, you were the couple everyone wanted to see," He says.

Luther slams his hands on the table and yells so I do not miss a word, "My wife is under my rule and I will not tolerate my light to be hers! I will win them back my own way."

I do not hear Justin's reply. I take Sybella out to the kitchen for a snack, getting it myself. She still has a hard time with apples in chunks, so I slice them a lot thinner than I would for myself. I set the plate down in front of her and she starts to eat. I sigh and sit in a seat next to her, brushing the hair from her face.

She pauses while chewing. "Why he yell?"

I try and muster up a smile. "Daddy has lots of words to say and sometimes, when he feels like he is not being heard, he says them loudly. It is just how he feels he needs to say some things. And sometimes, he will do that to us, but I am always right here to be sure you are okay after."

She nods, but does not answer. I wish I could make her understand better, but she can only understand so much. Until she can say all the words she wants, I cannot do any better.