Last time:
"Why are you leaving? Why can't you stay with me?"
Now, we continue:
Y/N's POV:
Simeon slowly pulled away. He sat up straight, leaving me laying on the couch.
"I already told you why. It was your choice to listen." He stood up and dragged his feet for the door.
I struggled to come to my feet. Why didn't he tie my legs?
I ran after him. By the time I reached the door, it was closed. I backed away, letting myself sob as I fell to the ground.
Why is he going to war? Why is he leaving me behind? Shouldn't he take me with him? I care about this, too. I want to protect people.
Maybe that's not what it's about to him.
Philip's POV:
I know where the docks are, but leaving is the hard part. I probably shouldn't head to the palace now that I think about it.
I can see women patrolling the area. To get past them, I'll need to be clever. Issue is, I'm not so smart. As far as Summara's culture goes, I'm absolutely horrible at understanding it.
My best bet is probably to dress like a chick. I just have no clue how.
Leland's POV:
I marched down the halls of the palace, clenching a folder tightly against my chest. Papers strewn out, a bit messy and folded from my failure at securing them. My long robes dragged on the marble tiles as I passed by the statues of King Simeon's ancestors.
I pressed my back to the large door at the end of the hall and used all of my weight to push it open.
If I am correct, this is it. Where King Simeon was headed. His highness should be in here.
At least, King Simeon will arrive shortly. He may have taken a detour.
I lowered the folder to the floor and stared up at the large throne before me. This room has always creeped me out. There is a reason I avoid the statues, and why the door to this room stays locked.
My fingers traced along the glass tube that protects the throne. There's traces of someone being here not too long ago, judging by the smudged finger prints.
"Leland," my King's voice echoed through the room.
"Sire. It is wonderful that you could join me," I pushed my glasses up, then folded my hands behind my back.
"Why are you here?"
"I'm in as much danger as you are. My husband may just die as a result of this war. As a government official, Summara may want my head. They may also want Leander's, unless something in his letter will have changed that?"
"What are you getting at?" King Simeon asked me skeptically. I don't blame him. This is a moment of unease and distrust.
"A test. We bring Leander to Summara's shore, and see if they cease fire after spotting him. If he dies, then that means Master Y/N won't need to worry about him. If he lives, that means we know Master Y/N was correct in their assumption. You win either way."
"What do you want from this? I know you don't do things without a reason."
"If Leander is at fault, then my influence will cover his. I'll take over his job, get his pay, get some perks. I want to climb this kingdom like a corporation."
"You want to be King?"
"Not King himself, that's too risky. I'd rather be the king from the shadows. You still have your name, your title, and you play as my puppet. You'd get to spend more time with Master Y/N."
"A shadow King? Are you a coward?"
"That I am. Do you really want to refuse?"
King Simeon sighed and walked towards the throne. "Why here?" he asked as he stared through the glass. I wasn't sure if he was looking at his reflection or the throne.
"Isn't here a lovely place to do it?"
"This room is, quite frankly, disgusting."
"It's your fault you don't let the maids in to clean."
"That's," King Simeon winced.
It's beautiful to know him. I just wish Y/N knew this much. I almost want to tell Y/N, just to see the look on their face.
"Leland, please, leave me be. I have matters to attend to."
"I noticed something. Y/N Isn't with you. Where are they?"
King Simeon didn't answer as he left the room. My King, please, do not leave me to guess on my own. It'd be going against you.
Although, I'm not one to stay too loyal to the throne.
I picked up my folder from the ground and opened it. Simeon left his footprint on the front, just as I had hoped.
I stood up straight and held the folder a bit away from my chest as to protect the dirt from King Simeon's boot.
I marched out of the room, keeping my chin high as always.
Hopefully my husband won't mind me working a bit more. It's all for the good of him and our children.
I shut the great doors behind me and walked down the hall for a few steps. I pressed my hand on the wall and opened the secret passage.
The faster I get through these tunnels, the better.
When I finally reached the bunker, I lifted a painting from the wall outside and hid the folder. I lowered the painting and re-centered it so nobody would notice my hidden folder.
Perfect timing as always.
Actually, I'm a bit early. Did I forget something? No, it's all finished.
In 5 minutes, I'll be able to open this. Until then, it's best to wait and figure out my next move.
I have bad news. The errors with the chapter order is still happening. I tried logging into my account from other devices around my house but still couldn't fix the issue.
I think I may have to create a new story to get the other chapters up, at least until I find a better solution. This glitch has been keeping me from writing and updating for too long. I would have an extra 20+ chapters done by now (maybe not published, but finished). I'm very sorry, I'll keep you posted.
:(