Chapter 6: Nothing To Smile About

--The Nydisian Kingdom, The Castle, The Royal Court--

"How does it feel to be King?" Llewellyn half-joked as he and Lucian walked through the halls of the royal court of Nydisia.

The crown had now been officially passed unto Lucian until the girl, Katherina Daventin, ascends the throne. "Is it supposed to feel any different?" Lucian queried his friend, with his eyebrow that raised perfectly.

Lucian smirked knowingly. Before and after becoming King of Nydisia, the entire kingdom has always been under his rule. The only difference is that with the crown his rule is absolute.

Llewellyn chuckled while shaking his head as they walked through one of the entrances of the gardens that connected the court and the palace. "You know the people would prefer it this way,"

"And what way is that?" Lucian had a fair idea of what the people wanted.

Llewellyn frowned as he turned to look Lucian in the eye under the scorching hot sun. He stopped in his tracks and faced Lucian, "With you being King."

Almost everyone had lost faith in the cardinal, this was no secret. As developed as the world may seem, there's still an invisible tug of war between those in power and those underneath.

Then there are those that choose not to get involved and live in the forgotten parts of the Kingdom. Though they were still under the command of the throne, they were not disturbed by the monarch often.

Whether the people kept their opinion hidden out of fear of being beheaded for treason or whether they spoke it loud and clear in the town square or whether or not they were part of the rebellion, it was clear what they were thinking.

For the sake of tradition, the cardinal was upheld. A tradition Lucian knew should have been left behind in the olden era.

Lucian continued walking forward until he finally responded, "Let's just hope it doesn't come to that,"

Not long after, one of the King's subjects approached him, "My King," he bowed then turned to the captain, "Milord,"

"Speak," Lucian said, wanting the man to skip the honorifics and get straight to the point.

"The viscount is requesting your presence at his family home, he passes on his congratulations," Lucian frowned while listening to what the man said.

He had been King less than a few hours and he already had people kissing his feet, at least more than usual.

However, he didn't think much of it, "Respectfully decline and contact the second son of the Duke and ask if there have been any suspicious activity across the map,"

"My liege," he bowed once more and took his leave.

"What? Do you think you'll be able to find anything different?" Llewellyn asked curiously. Llewellyn was one of the very few people who understood Lucian.

Lucian shook his head, "Just a feeling," and the two men continued on discussing the state of the kingdom.

Eventually, Lucian made his way into the King's quarters, which was a section of the kingdom solely meant for the king and those he permitted to stay there.

As he was at the bottom of the stairs, he caught a glimpse of a petite brunette walking alongside a maid, into the corridor that led to the other side of the castle.

Although he couldn't see her face properly, he had an inkling as to who she was. Without sparing a second glance in that direction, he continued on his path.

--The Nydisian Kingdom, The Castle, King Quarters--

Just before sunrise the following morning, Lucian was already awakened.

He stood bare-chested in his bedroom and wore his robe that was made of the finest silk. His chest muscles, as well as his abs, were in full view as he did not wrap the robe around him. The robe fell straight by his sides and exuded the aura of a king.

He walked through the corridors, ignoring the maids that stopped and bowed in his presence. When he arrived at his destination, he was expectant to see the person he wanted to speak with was already awake.

"Milord," Llewellyn greeted before stepping out of his room to accompany the King.

"We can recruit soldiers from the academy, they're young, their powers are still in discovery. All they require is some training," Lucian shared with Llewellyn his plan to move for the students studying at the academy.

"They are children, training them could take years. Getting them to control their powers could take even longer." Llewellyn looked in deep thought, considering the possible benefits from the situation.

"We segregate them, pick the ones about to choose their line of practice. The numbers will make up for their lack of experience." Lucian was still the general as he was King, his priority was protecting the kingdom.

Llewellyn said nothing further and simply nodded in approval before being dismissed, leaving Lucian alone in deep thought.

They had to be careful, things can easily spin out of control, Lucian thought to himself as he went to his study and wrote a quick note, that was to be hand-delivered to someone in the castle.

On his way out of his study, a maid happened to be walking by. "Milord, Is there anything I can do for you?" a young maid with bright blue eyes quietly requested.

Lucian felt the urgent need to feed but he held his thirst as he handed her the letter. "Deliver this to Miss Katherine, I look forward to seeing her at breakfast."

The maid bowed once more in obedience, although she continued staring at him as they stood near the end of the corridor.

Lucian narrowed his eyes at the maid curious as to why she continued to gaze upon him.

"My King, if I may? You don't seem to smile much," she paused trying to contain her blushing, "And you are very appealing when you do." She quickly hurried off without a second thought.

Lucian remained unfazed by her words and proceeded to walk back to the king's quarters.

It's ironic as to how the kingdom is to be ruled and protected by him while the reason it's in danger is because of his mother's negligence.

Even if she spoke the truth, he had nothing to smile about.