TOBIN CANRAREN IS A FAKE KING. As the rightful King of Cardina, he lies about his lifestyle in order to protect his people from the effects of the war. This mission becomes harder when Synketros, an organization aiming to mine manpower, demands his...
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Nobody told him being king entailed meeting women whose eerie smile and sinister gaze could send all the hair on his arms to their ends. If they did, he wouldn't have gone through all the trouble, because he didn't want to be squirming on the throne while looking down at a woman with mahogany red hair who looked at him as if she knew everything about him.
Tobin swallowed against the lump growing in his throat. He didn't want to break the wall of tranquil thickening between them, because that'd be rude. This woman was ages older than him, and with her taut skin and pristine features, it's impossible to pinpoint an exact number.
Not that it mattered anyway. He knew this woman even before she stopped a few distances from the foot of the steps leading to the throne and gave him a quick, if not entirely disrespectful, dip.
"I am grateful for your decision to grant me an audience, Your Majesty," the woman said, teeth flashing against the afternoon sun glinting past the thick sheets of velvet covering the windows. Her tone betrayed her thoughts, though. She expected him to grant her an audience because she'd do something if he didn't—a veiled threat, but a thread nonetheless. He didn't need to be a king to catch that.
Tobin glanced at Ariam who stood by the side of the throne, a passive gaze pointed towards the woman. He would give a bounty to know what was going on inside the knight's head, if Arim distrusted every word out of the woman's mouth as well. If Ariam knew what Tobin and the rest of the Council did, it wouldn't be far-off.
The woman straightened and lowered the hand she put on her chest earlier to compliment her bow "I am the Sovereign," she said in flawless Ylanenla. "And I represent Synketros."
He took a deep breath and recalled every lesson about holding audiences the scholars taught him in the first week of his reign. "What have you come to me for?" he asked. It was a customary question to start off these proceedings.
The Sovereign's smile widened. "Synketros has heard of the plight Cardina has befallen after the coup," she said. "I am sure you recall that it was our soldiers who helped instill you on that throne."
His eyes narrowed. Was she implying they were the ones who put him on the throne, which made him under their thumb to begin with? Was he merely a puppet king, one controlled by strings and sticks during theater performances? If this woman was anything, she was utterly shameless. But hey, she was powerful enough to command an organization with enough people to storm a palace. She could afford to be haughty.
"We simply request that you honor our accidental partnership by turning it into a real one," the Sovereign finished. "I have come to ask for Your Majesty's approval to make Cardina Synketros' affiliate."
Tobin snuck a glance at Ariam again, but the soldier didn't move. He wasn't even looking at his king.
"I am afraid the captain of the guard has no right to provide you an answer, Your Majesty," the Sovereign's sardonic tone tore through the throne room, commanding his attention back to her. It was a relief the hall was empty, seeing as he sent all of the Council back to the Nobility region with the apology of taking up too much of their time. "We do not ask servants about decisions fit for kings."
