Chapter 24
After Nalani's recovery the King became abit lenient towards her. He didn't punish her as much as before. While he avoided punishing her as much as possible, she performed her tasks perfectly to avoid any sort of punishment. He was satisfied with her performance. They fell into a routine. They saw each other in the mornings and evenings.
The rest of the day they go their separate ways. The king performed his kingly duties while Nalani cleaned his chambers. During the evenings they would talk , if the King was in the mood for a conversation. Although they tried to be at ease with each other, there was some tension between them.
Nalani didn't want to overstep lest she ends up with a punishment again. So she was cautious with how she spoke to the King. She spoke only when spoken to , annoying the King each time. The King on the other hand wanted Nalani to speak casually and speak her mind . He wanted her to be open to him . Although he was asking for too much, he kept insisting that she speak casually.
How causally can you speak to the king though? Sometimes the King forgets he is a ruler of the Kingdom. No one has ever spoken to him casually except for his best friend Stanley or perhaps his wife, when he finds her.
The King tried to start a conversation with Nalani a few times but Nalani answered as briefly as possible. He grew frustrated with her one word answers but there was nothing he could do about it. The servants were trained to speak like that. Although he could tell on certain occasions that Nalani wanted to say more but she stopped herself.
He wondered what it would take for her to trust him and open up. How could she trust him when he kept punishing for small mistakes? To her he was the King and a disciplinarian, he could never be her friend. How could the King be her friend? It was propostrus.
The king had other things disturbing his peace other than Nalani. Although she was the main thing giving him stress he had another thing disturbing him equally, the noble men. He had given them a grace period of one month to comply with the land tax but they simply ignored him again.
Some of the smaller districts already implemented the land tax but the larger districts ignored him. The noblemen were trying his patience. He gave them time but they didn't bother to follow his directives. If they wanted him to be cruel then , he wouldn't hesitate .
He has tried to be merciful, given them time but it was all in vain. He will make sure to punish them, each one of them for their disobedience. If they think they are above the law, then he is the law itself. His country will not be overrun by hungry hyenas.
Apart from the throne room and his room, the King had another office in the castle. His official office. He spent most of his days in this room. His office was huge with a big mahogany desk, comfortable chairs, a couch, huge floor to ceiling windows,a balcony and it was connected to a bathroom for his personal use.
The knock on his door surprised him.
" Come in!" He ordered.
His friend Stanley walked right in and settled on the couch.
" What do you want?" The king asked his friend
" Is that how you talk to your beloved best friend?" Stanley teased
" Beloved???"
" Yes beloved" Stanley smirked
" I think you are awfully mistaken "
" Oh, damn you're getting meaner each day" Stanley feigned hurt
" It's my superpower" the King smiled
" You're only superpower"
" What do you want my beloved friend" the king asked while he arranged the papers on his desk
" I brought you the evidence you needed" Stanley handed an envelope over to the King " you should know it cost me a fortune"
The King opened the envelope and looked through the contents inside .
" I knew these bastards were crooked but damn they suppersed my expectations" the King growled
" They have been busy it seems. I mean how much money and power can one person have?" Stanley asked a rhetorical question.
" I left them to their own devices for far too long and they have played me for a fool. They think I don't know what they have been doing behind my back" the King said angrily
" fucking assholes!!!"
" What are you going to do?" Asked a curious Stanley.
Knowing his friend,this will not end well for the noble men. If there's one thing his friend hated more than betrayal , was being made a fool of. These noblemen have done both. The King trusted them to govern their districts fairly but they have been stealing from his people.
Looking at the king's face, he had something sinister planned for them. Stanley wouldn't want to be in their shoes. If only they followed the king's command none of this would be happening. But no, they had to go and steal, kill and punish people for their own amusement. Their judgement day was coming and the King will be their judge.
"I'm going to make an example of one of them . They will regret ever deceiving me. I'll make sure of it" he growled.
The King was angry. He has been wondering why his people have been complaining, turns out , when he reduced the taxes to allow his people to trade easily, the noblemen actually doubled the tax. They forged the books and pocketed the rest of the money. It was clever but how long did they think they could keep it up? Did they think he would never know what was happening.
The King found out almost immediately they started stealing from him and his people. He gave them time to return the stolen taxes back to the throne but they did nothing. Infact he got word that the noblemen meet at tarvens where they mocked the King for being stupid.
They gloated how much they stole from his people and how the King had no idea. They traded illegally and made connections to continue harming his people. Today he has had enough. It was high time he dealt with their arrogance.
" Lord Stanley, announce that we will have court tomorrow" the King commanded
" Yes your highness"
Stanley bowed and left the office. He sent his assistant to write letters and send them to all the districts. They will have court tomorrow afternoon. He felt sorry for the noblemen but they deserved it. Their retribution was aproching and no one was safe from the King's wrath.