Chapter 57

Chapter

Fifty-Seven

CRUX

I am going out of my fucking mind from boredom. Being on babysitting duty for the king is not what I had in mind when I set up my kingdom in the underworld. The thing that is really driving me mad, though, is that Alyx is out there without me to protect her.

If she ever heard me say that, she would kick my ass. She does not need my protection, yet I cannot help the urge to fight off any threat that even glances in her direction. She is mine , and I protect what’s mine.

Yes, this plan was the one that made the most sense, but it does not mean I have to be happy about it. She needs to get the information, and while she is away, the king needs protection. I happen to be the next best person for the job, which is why I’m here and not with her, even if I think he’s a pampered moron.

I am not sure how I ended up in this situation. Everything had been going well. Alyx had been looking at me in a new light, and then the king stumbled into her life. Now I have gone from king of the underworld to babysitter and harem member.

How the mighty have fallen.

Walking a step behind Joha in my stiff military jacket, I glance around the empty hallway. I’m close enough to pull him out of the way and protect him in a way the others cannot. We’re surrounded by his other guards who all stand in a circle around us, with several paces between us. Rookies. There have been multiple attacks on their king, and they stand too far away to do anything should someone try again. They may be loyal, but they need more training. Slipping into their ranks was easy. One word from Orion and I was one of them. Others from the outside watch us closely, though, looking for weaknesses, and I have to make sure I am acting exactly as a guard would so no one has any reason to doubt that I’m supposed to be here.

I wonder where Alyx is now and how her mission is going. The one thing that stops me from dropping everything and going after her is knowing that the king’s guard dog, Orion, is with her. Begrudgingly, I can admit he will help keep her safe.

The stomping of staffs against the stone floor brings me back to the present, and I swallow back my sigh as we walk into the main room where the council meets. As usual, everyone is already here, and they stand as we enter, bowing their heads to the king.

Something is wrong.

I couldn’t tell you what or how I know, but over the years, I have learned to trust my gut, and right now, it is telling me that something is about to happen. While I do not think it is a threat to the king’s life, I’m instantly on alert, my eyes scanning the room. These people are vipers in human skin, all waiting for Joha to put a single foot out of place so they can strike. The atmosphere is heavy, but as I pay more attention, I notice a few smug looks on the faces of the councilmen. They try to hide them and probably think they have gotten away with it. What they didn’t count on was me.

Of course, Queen Mother is here, looking demure and the picture of innocence when she is the worst of them all. Standing from her curtsy, she clutches her hands before her and smiles politely at the king.

“Your Majesty,” she greets, her smile never reaching her eyes. “How is your betrothed faring this morning?” The spark of interest in her voice tells me that she’s asking because she wants to know every detail about Alyx, not because she’s concerned. My girl is an enigma, something Queen Mother cannot control, and that drives her mad.

Joha moves farther into the room, pulling back his chair at the head of the table, and glances around, taking in who is in attendance. To my amusement, he doesn’t even look at her until he is comfortable in his chair and everyone else has sat.

Glancing over, he smiles slightly and tips his head in acknowledgement. “She is slowly recovering, Queen Mother, but she will need longer to rest until she can return to her duties.”

From my position directly behind the king’s chair, I have the perfect view of everyone in the room, making sure to note everyone’s expressions. My instincts still tell me something is not right.

“I see. That must be stressful for you,” Queen Mother continues. The insincerity in her tone is enough to make me want to roll my eyes. She is laying it on thick. Does she really think Joha would take her words as sincere concern?

“Quite,” he spits out, struggling to play his role as pliant puppet king. “Shall we begin so I can get back to her?”

She places her hands on the table, palms down, and glances at the men on either side of her before turning her gaze back to the king. “There is one very important thing we need to discuss with you before starting council business.”

“Oh?”

I hear the surprise and wariness in his voice, and I do not blame him for it. Whatever I was sensing is about to happen. I brace myself, my hand hovering over the dagger hidden in my uniform, ready to move should I need to. The fact that she told him that “they” have something to discuss tells me this was planned beforehand. They met without him and only now decided to involve him. This could very quickly turn into a treasonous meeting.

“The attempts on your life have increased exponentially, and we are worried.” Speaking with what many would see as sympathy, Queen Mother smiles with fake concern. I happen to be an expert in reading people, though, and she is lying through her teeth. This woman is the one we suspect organised the attacks, and here she is, talking about it as though the attacks are causing an inconvenience to them.

Surprisingly, I find I’m annoyed on behalf of the king, which is something I never thought would happen. I must be spending too much time with him. That or I just have a low tolerance for two-faced liars.

“I can assure you that I am just as concerned,” Joha replies wryly.

“Good.” She smiles and leans back in her chair, gesturing to those around her. “Then hopefully you will agree with our decision.”

Joha seems to have the same realisation I do in that moment, freezing in his chair, his body stiff. They came together without him and planned against the king. Damn it. Hovering on my toes, I prepare to react should I need to.

Without waiting for him to recover, Queen Mother continues. “We have decided, as a concerned council, that for your safety, you should be confined to the king’s palace. Guards will be stationed outside to protect you at all times and make sure you are kept safely within.”

There is a long pause as Joha absorbs what she just dared to propose. The fact that the rest of the council went along with this is surprising, and I am sure he feels betrayed by this decision.

“You want to lock me up?” he asks slowly, seeking clarification. His jaw is tight, and I see anger working through him. “I am the king.”

“Which is exactly why we want to keep you safe,” she replies smoothly with a saccharine smile, moving her arms wide to gesture to those in the room. “We worry for you, my king. This way, no one can get to you. As the council to the king, it is one of our duties to keep you safe, even when you do not want us to.”

It is pretty clear what she’s saying, and I feel the frustration of the king’s guards behind us. They are just as angry about the whole situation as Joha is, and I cannot say I blame them. This decision has already been made and taken out of Joha’s hands.

The king places his hands on the table before him, and I don’t know if he’s bracing himself for an argument or getting ready to leave the room before they can try to “assist” him out of here.

“No, I will not be chased into hiding by whatever coward is hiding behind assassins.” His voice is like ice, and his eyes are locked on Queen Mother, recognising the real threat in the room.

Sighing, she rolls her eyes, losing patience with him. “I do not understand why you are making this difficult, Joha. You will be resting in luxury in your palace.”

“A gilded cage is still a cage,” I murmur, momentarily drawing the attention of the Queen Mother. She frowns, her eyes flitting over my face as she tries to work out if she’s seen me here before.

“You forget your place, Queen Mother. It is not your job to tell me what I should or should not be doing,” Joha snaps, making the woman pale and lean away from the rebuttal in his voice. Several of the council members in the room look uncomfortable with this display, and I make careful note of their faces for future reference.

“My guard is correct. It doesn’t matter where you lock me away, you are still stealing my liberties. You are taking away all of my power. Let me guess, you will run the country in the meantime?” Anger starts to lace his words as I look down at the king in surprise. Perhaps he has a backbone after all.

He nailed the issue on the head and made it clear that he knows exactly what they are doing. This has nothing to do with protecting him and everything to do with getting him out of the way. Some of the same advisors who looked uneasy before look outright uncomfortable now that their king is fighting back.

Alyx told me that Joha let his advisors and Queen Mother treat him like a puppet king so he wouldn’t meet a sudden and unfortunate end. That way, Queen Mother still made decisions and Joha was king in name only. While I understand his reasoning, it’s the logic of someone who hasn’t had to fight for their life every single day. It seems the king has decided to finally fight back. They are already trying to kill him, so at least he’s regaining his control.

Still surprised and recovering from the king’s rebuttal, Queen Mother presses her hand to her chest and shifts in her chair. It is the most genuine expression I’ve seen on her face since we arrived here.

“The council and I will act in your place. Temporarily of course,” she reassures him with a tentative smile, unsure of her place but slowly trying to recover the control in the room. “You are still king. We just need to take measures to assure you survive until we can find out who is behind these attacks.”

Sneaky. The woman is a good actress. If she didn’t try to kill my reason for existing, then I might try to recruit her. I imagine she has this whole room wrapped around her little finger thanks to those skills.

Joha looks around the table, meeting each set of eyes of his so-called supporters. His expression is flat. “All of you agreed on this?”

There are several calls of agreement, the loudest of which come from the males closest to Queen Mother. Most of the advisors in the room, however, look uncomfortable, mumbling their answers and lowering their gazes to the table. They might have agreed initially, but they are second-guessing themselves now that they’ve seen the king. There is also the possibility that they were coerced into making this decision. With what I just witnessed here, that would not surprise me.

He could fight the decision, but without the support of the council, he has even less power than he does now. The assassins managed to slip into all areas of the palace and the grounds, so locking him away in the king’s palace isn’t going to keep him any safer. It is just an excuse to get him out of the way, and Joha knows it.

“This is just to keep you safe, Your Majesty,” one of the advisors comments, his expression firm but his voice tight, giving away his discomfort.

“Why don’t you return to your palace now, Your Majesty, and I will send someone to update you on what is discussed in the council meeting?” Queen Mother smiles sweetly, but I see the predator in her eyes. If Joha tries to protest, she will find a way to have him dragged out.

“Leave with dignity, my king,” I whisper into his ear.

I don’t know why I do it, I don’t really care if he gets dragged out or not, but something moves within me as I watch his supposed supporters turn on him. I feel him hesitate, but eventually, he must see it as I do.

There is no choice.

“I expect to be updated on what’s happening in my country and to be consulted about any changes before the council makes any decisions. Remember that I am your king.” Bracing his hands on the table, he pushes up to his feet, staring down the table as authority rings from his voice. “Find whoever is behind these attacks,” he orders, sounding more like a king than I’ve heard from him before.

Spinning on his heel, he strides towards the door, his guards jumping to attention and opening it quickly. We fall into formation around the king and leave the room full of traitors behind us.