Luna Felix

40 | It's time to test them

A  longer author note at the end.

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BETA ACIMER'S POV

Public Opinion is a slippery slope of truth and lies. Sometimes they show the monarch's flaws and sometimes they show the flaws to the monarch. However, it's up to the Monarch whether it's time to reflect or deflect. One wrong mismatch of cause and action and the entire legacy can be tarnished.

Orief had always showcased to both the public and us that he doesn't care about public opinion about him. Which isn't much different from his true self. He rarely used to care about it when he was newly throned. But the current King knows the importance of an agreeable public

The image of him consoling people after the intruder alarm went off had more impact on people than he realised. Before this, his image had always been that of someone callous, unsympathetic and indifferent. His every single achievement was followed by a remark concerning his nature. 

However, that incident truly helped his image among people. The citizens saw their king instead of joining forces to investigate the intruder, was with them. It showcased to the people that their well-being was a priority to their monarch. And then the gossip mongers started sewing tales of how the woman in his life had softened him. 

Usually, gossip like that remains just that, gossip. But this time the public was given some extra information from so-called "sources" and now the King who was concerned about them became the King which will be an insult to them as he has grown weak. 

When reports of this arrived at the office this morning we all were worried about how he would react. Contrary to our expectations he just found them amusing and even encouraged Minister Conti to not shut down any news articles being published about them. 

It seems that this Monarch has decided to neither deflect nor reflect. He has chosen to do something entirely different. 

That evening he called me into his office. I thought to myself that now he might vent his displeasure in private but I was once again proved wrong as I found him in his office laughing and narrating the incident to Felix. He was, after many years, truly unbothered once again. And no one was more happy about it than me. 

A quick scan of his desk showed me that politics and the nation weren't on today's agenda of discussion. So I relaxed on the floor of his office like I had been doing since our childhood. 

This room before renovation was Orief's study room. It was the one room that had the perfect temperature no matter what season. It was said to be the favourite room of the first king of werewolves. But no one knows how true that myth was. 

We have spent countless nights completing assigned literature, gossiping, playing, and studying. This was the room where we got drunk for the first time and fell asleep on the floor. This was the room where Orief practised his coronation down to the way he breathed. This was the room where I paced shitless before proposing to Charlotte. This was the room where I first ran to show the pregnancy announcement. This room is where Orief first saw Felix. This room has seen both of us grow. 

I was so lost in the nostalgia that I didn't notice when Orief joined me on the floor and was snapping his figures in front of my face. 

"Where did we got lost, Buddy?"

Laughing I said, "Just thinking about this room and the memories that these walls have seen."

"It truly has seen some of our most important moments." He agreed with a sad smile. 

"So why was I summoned?" 

Orief stared at me for a second looking older way beyond his age, "... Before I tell you what new bullshit the Council has handed to me, I have a few things I would like to tell you."