Chapter 4 Marcel

Sometimes I hate being the king; being responsible for so many things and lives is something I never really wanted. However, as my father’s only male offspring, it was my destiny to become the one thing I never wanted.  

Today I am sitting in my council chamber waiting for the members of my council to trickle in. I called the meeting for noon, knowing that we wouldn’t start until two. Why do I tolerate them being late?  

Because I don’t really want to be here any more than some of them do. 

The council comprises six members, all men, three of whom I hand-selected after I took over as king. In the past, each member of the council would pass their roles down to their oldest son, much like the way mine was passed to me. I have always hated the way this was done, and I have plans to change it soon. 

A vote among the people to decide who is on the council will introduce new blood and fresh views to my council.  

As it stands now, the three I replaced were old and in my father’s pocket. The three I kept were never my father’s cronies; they voted fairly and gave good advice. The men I chose were younger and from families that had been loyal to the crown for centuries but had never been given titles.  

They have them now. 

Only one of the three I chose was someone that I trust explicitly. He grew up in the castle with me since his father was a member of the king’s personal guard. I trust this man with my life, and when I offered him the seat on the council, he jumped at the chance. 

He will be my ally as well as my spy. Even I know that no matter who I put on the council, not all of them are going to agree with me or have the kingdom’s best interests at heart. I need an inside man.  

Now I have one. 

The old cronies claim I stacked the council with men that I paid for their loyalty. I said that is not what I did, but that their guilt for taking my father’s bribes was showing in their refusal to accept my decisions. 

Now that they are no longer an issue, this will be the first council meeting since the change-up. I am eager to see how they will all work together for the kingdom. Sometimes change is good. We will see how this goes as they arrive. 

If they ever fucking get here. 

I sigh and check my watch. It is a quarter past one. They are all late, and I will address this when the meeting starts. Their tardiness is disrespectful not only to me but the positions they hold. 

Just as I am about to have Elias call them all, the large double doors to the council chambers open. Two members walk in. Avit and Roch. They are two of the old council. 

Avit is a small man with dark, almost black hair. His deep brown eyes are focused on me as he walks into the room. There in those depths, it is as if he is trying to tell me something, but I don’t have time to focus on what he is trying to convey to me. 

Roch walks swiftly to his seat and sits down. He looks angry, and I have no clue why he is already angry since the meeting hasn’t even started. His blond hair is cut short on one side but long on the other. It would look weird on anyone else, but the large tattoo on the side that is cut short makes the vibe he is going for work.  

“Welcome gentlemen. Thank you for finally gracing me with your presence. An hour and fifteen fucking minutes late!” I boom out the last part on a growl of anger. 

Avit flinches, then looks down at his lap. Roch notches his chin up higher than it already was, but says nothing. Pompous ass.  

“The next time I call a meeting, you will be on time, or I will replace you. Is that understood?” 

“You can’t do that!” Roch says indignantly.  

“Oh, but I can. I already have, and I will again, so don’t fucking push me, Roch. I am not my father, and I will not take your shit anymore. I am the fucking king now and you will show me some goddamn respect!” I roar at him. 

“I am sorry I was late, your majesty,” Avit says in a meek voice.  

I nod to him, then lean back in my chair at the head of the table on a slightly raised dais. It was set up this way so that I can look down the length of the table and see all the council members’ faces. I got rid of the mini throne my father used to sit in and switched it out for a generously cushioned winged back chair.   

To some extent, it is like a mini throne, but less opulent than the very ornate one my father sat in.  

Over the next twenty minutes, the rest of the council trickles in.  

Elliot, one of the newer members, comes in looking a bit frazzled. His clothes are in disarray, and his white, blonde hair is sticking up in puffs. It looks like he was either in a fight or had just woken up.  

“Sorry I am late, your majesty. My mate went into labor last night, and our daughter was born this morning.” 

Elliot and his mate were expecting their first child, and he told me when I appointed him to the council that she was due any day now. That was a week ago. So, for that instance, I will grant him leeway.  

“I hope everything went well. You could have told Elias, and I would have excused you from today’s meeting.” 

“Oh, yes, everything went smoothly, and we now have a beautiful baby girl. I wanted to come today since it is my first official meeting on the council.” 

I give him a nod, then watch as he takes a seat. He sits at the end of the table, away from Avit and Roch. Avit gives him a smile, but Roch ignores his presence altogether. Not that I am surprised. 

The last three arrive at once, which surprises me. Lazara, Edmin, and Augustin all walked in chattering as if they were best friends. I know that is not the case. Augustin is the last member of the old council, while the other two are new. Augustin is also one of the members who fought against the change.  

I only kept him because he is loyal to the crown and kingdom above all else. We need, no, I need that more than anything else right now. I need to know that there is someone other than me on the council who has the best interests of the people of this kingdom in mind.  

Once everyone is seated, I look over their faces, then address their tardiness. “Then next time I call a meeting, you will all be here on time and not a minute late. If you are going to be late, you will let Elias know. If you don’t and you stroll in over an hour late like you did today, I will have you removed from the council. My time is not your time, and I need you all here when I fucking ask you to be. Is that clear?” 

I glare at each one of them but Elliot, who is the only one that has offered an excuse. Once I get nods of agreement from all of them, I move on. This is going to be a long meeting, and the sooner we get started, the better.  

“First on the agenda is the upcoming gala. Like last year, we will house all the guests in the east wing. The servants have been cleaning meticulously for the last week, and everything should be done by the night of the gala. I need each of you in attendance with your mates, those of you that have them.” 

Everyone but Roch nods their head, but he just continues to glare at me. Fuck the meeting agenda I prepared. This needs to be addressed right here and now. I will not tolerate his attitude for a moment longer. 

“What seems to be the problem, Roch? You have been giving me the evil eye since you walked in here. What the fuck is your problem?” 

Roch startles as if he didn’t expect me to call him out in front of everyone. For a moment, panic crosses his face, but is gone just as swiftly. His mask of arrogance slips back into place flawlessly. 

“You have made a mockery of this council and everything that your father put into place. You dismissed members whose families have been on the council since it was formed. That is blatant disrespect to them and their families, as well as your father.” He spews hatred clear in his tone.  

Roch hid his hatred of my changes well. Smiling and shaking my hand while in my presence, but letting his dislike of my plans fester. I mindlink Elias to bring two guards with him. 

“Did you take my father’s bribes like the other three?” I ask quietly. 

There are gasps of surprise throughout the room as all eyes are now on Roch’s beet-red face. He opens his mouth to say something but seems to think better of it and closes it. That is answer enough for me.  

“Your silence speaks volumes, Roch. Your loyalty to your bank account is disgusting. The others I knew about, but you, I didn’t see coming. I thought you were loyal to the crown, not the money my father paid you to vote in his favor.” 

“Wait, are you saying that the king was bribing council members to vote the way he wanted on things?” Augustin’s angry voice cried out. “When did you find this out? Is that why you made the change?” 

“Yes, it is why I made the change. I had my suspicions when I first took the throne, but I had no proof. Last month, I found it. I found my father’s ledgers, and every payment he ever made to his bribed men was in there. At least all of them. Now I will have to look through them again to find Roch’s name.” 

Roch jumps to his feet just as Elias and the two guards I requested open the doors. Gone is his mask of arrogance. In its place, there is pure panic. If there were any doubts before, there are none now. 

“Elias, escort Roch to the dungeons. The charge is accepting bribes and treason against the crown. Because Roch, that is what you did when you took money from my father to sway votes in his favor. You went against the crown itself and the people of this kingdom. My father is just as guilty as you and the others are, and one day soon he will face his crimes as well. Take him away, please, Elias.” 

Once they had dragged Roch from the council chamber, kicking and screaming, I turned back to the remaining members. Their faces show varied emotions, from anger, shock, and disbelief. I can’t say that I blame them, really. 

I was surprised at Roch’s betrayal too and angry at myself for not seeing it coming. I mindlink Elias to meet me in my office after the meeting is over so we can go over all of my father’s ledgers again. Additionally, I instructed him to search my father’s former office and private rooms himself for more ledgers.  

My father is currently not in residence at the castle and won’t be back for the next month. He took his current mistress on vacation with him, and I, for once, am happy to have him out of the castle. It will make searching his office and personal quarters much easier. 

“Well, that didn’t go the way I intended,” I say as the room finally quiets down. 

“I call for a vote to decide on his replacement. This person should be someone that the council appoints and agrees upon.” Augustin says. 

“I agree,” Avit says.  

“All in favor of deciding who will replace Roch?” I ask as I look around the faces of my council members. 

Everyone else nods in agreement.  

“Very well, I will give you some time to think about who you would like to bring to the table. Once you have a name, give it to Avit, and once he has them all, he will bring them to me, and then we will vote on them.” 

The room falls into silence with occasional whispers among the members as they confer with each other on who the best candidate will be to replace Roch. As I wait for them to decide, I mindlink Elias to check on his progress on sacking my father’s rooms. 

Any luck? I ask him. 

You should come to your father’s bedroom, your majesty. There is something that you will want to see. His reply comes a few minutes later. 

Is it time-sensitive? 

No, but you will want to see what I found. 

Alright, post two guards that you trust with your life at the doors and wait for me there. I will come after we end this meeting, which I will do after they agree on Roch’s replacement. We can reschedule the rest of the meeting for tomorrow. 

Yes, sire. I will see you soon. 

Thank you, Elias. 

As always, I serve you and no others, your majesty. 

It is creepy when he says that, but I am glad to have his loyalty. True loyalty is rare in this castle. Political games and backstabbing are more common than simple loyalty. 

There are only a handful of people that I trust and know are not only loyal to me but to the kingdom. My mother and sister are among those, even though sometimes I doubt my sister’s loyalty to me, I know she would never outright betray me.  

Her friend Camille, however, is an entirely different story. That girl can only see what someone can do for her and what she can get out of a situation. Her loyalty is to herself and no one else.   

That is why I know she would make a terrible queen.  

I am pulled from my thoughts as I notice Avit standing up from the table with a stack of small slips of paper. It seems that they have all decided on a candidate. Let’s just hope that whoever it is will be a good fit for this council and is not a greedy fool like Roch, and the other three I had removed. 

“I have the candidates here, sire,” Avit says once he reaches me, then hands me their choices. 

I nod, then glance through the five slips of paper. Oddly enough, all but one were the same person.  

Etienne Broussard of the Moon River Pack.