Chapter [17]

Beaumont

I had time to process Harold's proposal after many days of consideration. I was finally ready to announce my decision. I held a conference today to officially establish this with my answer. I stood on the pedestal, and my eyes looked down upon all the citizens. Bell and Hosuh stood behind me, and Harold was close by with a curious grin. "Ladies and gentleman- I have finally made my choice on the offer," I explained, seeing every face in the crowd change.

Some were frowning, others tired, some uninterested, but many were anxiously waiting. "I shall accept the condition to have the village vote, we will have two months to impress, and then at the end, you shall pick your new king," I exclaimed, hearing the crowd cheer.

I felt a hand rest upon my left shoulder, causing me to check who it was. It was Hosuh as always with a worried frown; he leaned into my ear- "Are you sure of two months? We could extend the time." he said as I gave my sure grin, shaking my head. "No, two months is enough." He sighed, nodded, and returned to his place next to Bell. "Farewell, everyone!" I got off the podium, turned towards the hill, and began walking to my mansion. "King Beaumont-" "Beaumont-" I heard quick steps 'hind me and recognized who they belonged to, my left and right hands. "Bell and Hosuh, how may I help you?"

"I've been consulting with Stephan Frederick on how to get votes-" Hosuh showed me a notepad, and I promptly gripped it and flung it over my shoulder.

He didn't bother to fetch it and only took out notes from his inner armor. "Aren't you prepared?" With my smirk forming, he rolled his eyes at my words, "I've learned to be careful of your recklessness." He said towards me. Any other would find his tone malicious, and perhaps they were but to me, they were delightful.

"More supplies would gain votes-" Bell interrupted my thoughts, "Lowering taxes." Hosuh added, "Higher wages-" "Renovations of buildings," Hosuh and Bell went back and forth with suggestions til I became irked with their constant advice. "Silence the both of you! Now is not the time for discussion." I huffed as Hosuh and Bell gave me irritated stares.

"Pardon me, King Beaumont, but now is the perfect moment to build upon your image," Hosuh said, "I agree with Commander Hosuh; two months shall fly by instantly. The sooner we commence- the more ballots we will ensure." Bell expanded.

I looked at the both of them, one on each side of me, the exact amount of steps each, a replicated ora- almost as if they were the same person. "Something wrong?" Hosuh asked as Bell touched my forehead. "Are you feeling unwell?"

Ah, right. My mistake. They are two different people, after all.

"Again," Hosuh demanded. I glanced at Bell once more, forcing my smile. "Hello, M'lady. How are you this fine evening?" I questioned as Bell lowered her eyes in content, "I'm well, and may I ask what you have planned to help the village?" Bell acted as a citizen. "Well, I have decided to do reconstruction. Tear down the buildings and create new ones-" I spewed what Hosuh had told me to say till I got a naughty idea. I slapped my left palm against the wall of my studies, placing it next to Bell's face. She was startled, laying against the wall. "Giving them a flair-" I set my other hand on her waist as she began to blush. "Making them big and slender-" My hand began to slide down her thigh, "Beau-"

"Inappropriate, please do not become explicit with men and women alike." Hosuh rolled his eyes as I provided a light chuckle, "Who said I liked men?" Hosuh lowered his head at my comment, maybe to look down upon the papers he held, but something about it was odd. "King Beaumont, please take this severely." he groaned.

"I am," "I agree with Commander Hosuh; your manners could use a bit of refining," Bell admitted as I smirked more, grabbing her chin. "Oh, my manners are excellent- especially for you~" She stayed quiet as our lips weren't too far apart. "Stop- we have no such time for this," Hosuh said, becoming more agitated now.

I let go of Bell and slowly made my way towards Hosuh. "Are you jealous?" At the moment, I was looking down upon him, going to pluck his chin just as I did to Bell till he stared up at me- eyes full of disgust and confusion… It startled me, causing me to stop in my tracks. "I am not much of a person to be in harems." He said as I attempted to laugh it off, "Of course…" But I wasn't sure of what his eyes meant. Was he upset? Appalled? Offended?

"Can we get to the situation at hand!" Bell exclaimed, causing us both to turn our attention to her. "Yes, we need to fix your public image, and to solve that- you must change yourself." I was kind of surprised at Hosuh's words, "Don't people already love me?"

They both in perfect sync, said no, "We have a severe disadvantage since the majority of folks dislike you, but if we can fix that… even a tad bit. It will be of great use to us." Hosuh interpreted for a better understanding.

I lightly groaned in dismay, "I should just imprison all the traitors." "It would solve nothing. We need supporters, not captives. Our goal is to turn you into a good person; you staying king would be a bonus." Bell added. "Very well." I gave in, seeing the excitement in Bell's eyes and the approval in Hosuh's gaze.

Hosuh

"Ugh," I felt tired, "Are you alright? You seem to be a little out of it." Stephan asked; his blue gaze felt warm. I closed the book I held, setting it down on the wooden table. "I am well. Today has just been… much." "Care to talk of it?" I didn't answer Stephan instantly, mainly for the fact that I'm not quite sure of what to say, but he seemed to take it the wrong way and panicked. "B-BUT! You do not have to!"

"No, it's fine… I'm just lightly exhausted of King Beaumont. He sees this vote as some kind of game that he will inevitably win, but he's already lost the upper hand." I sighed, cupping my eyes.

"If I may speak freely..." Stephan said as I peered at him. "Can you fault him?" I was confused by his answer, "Elaborate further." "Well," Stephan gazed at the book I put down, "Beaumont has been sick ever since he was a child, and losing his father at a very young age and taking over the throne means he had no time to grieve or genuinely grasp the events. As a result, his mental and emotional development has stayed in denial."

I looked away; how could I have been so blind? But, of course, Beau isn't taking this as a joke… He just doesn't know how to comprehend it. Ugh, I am an awful friend.

I took a breath and glanced back at Stephan, "How do I help him?" "Give him appreciation even if he's difficult; just support him." Stephan smiled as I felt myself feel better. "I am grateful for your help," He nodded, going back to his book. I stared for a few minutes as he was indulged in the story.

"Stephan," "Yes, Hosuh?" He glanced at me as I kept my content smile. "Would you like to have dinner with me? I'd very much like to get to know you more."

His face turned all red with nervousness, "I-um! Yes! Of course! I'd love to!"

He got up, "L-Let me get tea."

He ran off behind the counter before I could say anything, but I didn't mind. I picked up the book I held from before and read through it. Finally, I found the word I was searching for: Democracy.

It read: A government system by the whole population, all eligible state members, typically through elected representatives.

How peculiar… Such a word isn't used often. "I have the tea." I turned to Stephan, seeing him hold a tray of tea.

"Stephan," "Yes, Hosuh?" He put the tray on the table, putting a cup in front of me and another in front of him. He seemed a little clumsy but happy nonetheless. "Do you think... Perhaps Harold Forbes had planned this? Planned all of this?" I questioned as he poured the tea into each cup.

He didn't seem pressed on the idea, "No, Harold doesn't seem to have the intelligence to commit such an act, and there is no way he would have been noticing the issues in the castle— unless…" "Unless?" "Unless he has someone working behind the scenes." "Meaning?"

"There's a traitor in the castle."

\Word Count\: 1,496 (Story-Wise)

|Dictionary|

Malicious:

characterized by malice; intending or intended to do harm

Irked:

irritate; annoy

Dismay:

1. Consternation and distress, typically caused by something unexpected.

2. Cause (someone) to feel consternation and distress.

Peculiar:

strange or odd; unusual