Syn

Me: 7 on the dot, Princess.
5:28 p.m.

     I sent the message and set my cell face down on the table. Everything was a fucking mess. Words flew across the room— everyone trying to find a solution.

"We could renegotiate the terms of the contract perhaps," Hades spoke up, cutting off another faction leader. "You were under duress and you weren't thinking clearly."

I rubbed my temples. "I was thinking very clearly, actually."

"While emotionally distressed!" He argued with me and I raised a brow. I could understand his reaction. He and I had become friends in a way over the past couple of years, but this wasn't the place to undermine my decision.

I was still king for the next fifty hours give or take.

"You are the only one who seems emotionally distressed right now," Drake told him, swiveling in his chair.

"He is our king!" Hades protested.

"Right." Drake nodded before swinging his head in my direction. "And I'm sure he has a plan in the works. Correct?"

"Yes." I nodded. The room broke out into relieved mutters and I tapped my pen against my palm. "Someone will take over my position."

The contentment that filled the room for the brief few moments prior was completely shattered as shock filled their expressions. They remained silent out of fear that I'd lash out, but again, Hades failed to keep up with the social customs.

"What?!" He yelled out, standing up from his seat. "That's the grand plan? You plan on just finding someone else and letting them just murder you?!"

"Hades," I warned him. My patience was wearing thin. I had already gotten an earful from Xavier- I didn't need it here. This was business.

"Syn," he snapped back and my jaw ticked. Enough. My eyes were laser-focused on him. Sit the fuck down. But he didn't budge. "You are our king. We voted for you— fought for you to keep the throne. We placed our trust in you. And now after breaking the promise you made to us, you expect us to trust that you've chosen the right person to lead us?"

I sighed, clasping my hands together and leaning forward over the table. "You don't have to trust in me. You can trust in the fact that she has led you all before— in fact...I believe she chose every single one of you in here." I gestured toward all the current faction leaders sitting around me. "I assume she fits the bill, no?" I asked the room.

"If anyone disagrees, feel free to speak up." I sat back and raised my hands. No response. "I will assume your silence means you are all satisfied and there is no issue." I looked back at Hades. "Anything else?"

"Syn—"

"Your concern was about who would take the throne and I've given you my answer," I said. "What other possible qualms could you have?"

He looked at me for a long few moments and I raised my brow. After a few seconds of silence, his face settled into a stone one and I turned my focus back to the stack of papers in front of me. "Shall we move on to other matters then—"

"I'd like to resign from my position," I heard him say.

"Resignation denied." I flipped through the pages. "Everyone please turn to page seventeen so we can discuss the allocation of funds for the following—"

"I am leaving."

I sighed and dropped the papers to look at him. Anger began to knick through my body and I was barely holding it together as is. This was the last thing I needed right now.

"You are to be here until the meeting ends. Everyone's signatures are required for this—"

He began gathering his things. "I told you I quit."

"Hades," I repeated, my tone edging on a threat. "Sit down. If you walk out the door, I will consider your leaving protest against the future Queen. I'm sure you're aware that's an offense punishable by death."

He ignored my words and headed toward the door.

"Hades!" I snapped, shooting up from my seat. It rolled back and slammed against the wall with a loud and resounding thud that made everyone in the room jump. "I will not ask you again."

He turned back toward me. "I swore my loyalty and duty to a king that I do not see here any more," he said. "It is not a protest against Queen, but one against you."

"That's still treason."

He nodded. "It is. It is also a crime against my faction that I will not be staying to sign those documents. Add that to my list of transgressions. If you decide to come and kill me for crimes in a few days, at least I will know you fought."

"You'd rather accept death than sit down...and you don't believe you're being dramatic at all?"

"I'd rather die respecting you as my King than sit here and let you die knowing you were a coward."

As he finished his sentence, it was perhaps the first time I was ever left speechless in front of an audience like this.

He nodded a quick apology to the others still seated at the table before walking out and shutting the door.

"Well." Drake stood up from his seat and grabbed his coat. "As theatrical as all that was, I happen to agree with him. I will be taking my leave as well."

I sunk into my seat and scoffed, running a hand through my hair. "Tendering your resignation as well, then?"

"Umm, no. I kind of need this job." He winced. "So I won't quit like he just did. But know...if the money wasn't good. I'd be out." He snapped his finger and walked toward the door. "Au'revoire, arrivederci, dos svidaniya, R-I-P, goodbye." He waved his hand at me as he strolled out the door.

Silence permeated every square inch of the room with his exit and I ran a hand through my hair. I opened my mouth to speak but the door opened again, interrupting me.

Drake stuck his head in, holding up a finger and we all turned our attention to him. "Just one thing, though."

I sighed, tapping my pen against the table. My patience had run out and fizzled away— but deflation had tempered away my anger. I was just tired. "What more could you have to say?"

"I just..." he thought for a moment. "I wish—if this was the way it was all going to turn out— we didn't become friends."

Friends? I raised a brow. I killed his entire family. "We are not friends, Drake."

"No, not anymore we're not." He gave me a tight smile and a nod. "Good luck, kid. I hope you come to your senses."

He tapped the door before leaving once again and I was left with his words. I hope you come to your senses. If only they knew the full story. I had told them what was happening but left out the part where my death was in exchange for Queen's life.

I didn't want them to hold resentment for her when things were going to be hard enough as is.

If it would make her life a little easier, I could let myself be branded a coward.

Ugh.

Disgust filled me at the words so much so that I hardly recognized myself. A coward. I'd been called a lot of things, but this was by far the one that my mind wouldn't let me ignore.

I blew out a breath and sat back in the seat. "I'm going to assume the rest of you are sitting here not because you're on my side, but because you're too afraid to stand up," I said. No one gave me a response, but I knew the answer. "You may leave with them if you agree. I won't stop you and no harm will come to you."

There was a slight tension-filled pause in the room before the young human leader stood up and grabbed his things. I felt a small jab in my side as he did. He and his grandfather were the first to vote for me to stay King.

They believed in me.

He didn't say anything. He simply gave me a bow before excusing himself.

Everyone else in the room followed suit when they saw he left without a bullet in his head and I stared ahead at the empty table. When the last person shut the door, I dropped my head into my hands.

It seemed I was disappointing everyone. I didn't expect my decision to affect so many people and the fact that it did meant two things.

One, I had gotten too close to my subjects.

And two, I had truly changed.

Years ago, my death was something that was celebrated. No one except Xavier and my mother would've cried for me. But now, the world felt like it was ripping apart at the seams.

I thought things were harder back then...but I was wrong. Things were much more difficult now. People expected things of me and I was just falling short every time.

I let my mind wallow in those thoughts until I found myself wanting to speak to the last person I thought I'd ever want to again.

My father.

And perhaps the only person who had ever made the same decision I had.

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