A king with a bad attitude must change for his subjects or else face the rebellion. He thinks power can stop it all, little does he know power can become the reason for his fall.
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Book 1 | R...
Twenty-four years of my life were spent with many women going in and out of my bed but never did my sheets feel foreign to touch before. Maybe these were not my bedsheets, this was not my bed and it was not my room. Albeit that being impossible, I scrambled off the blue satin sheets. I was horrified and disgusted with myself. With hesitance, I lowered my eyes. I could feel the layers on me but I needed confirmation. A relieved sigh escaped me; I was clothed. Clothes or no clothes, I was too ashamed to bear the sight of my treacherous body after the sinful act I partook in the previous night. The urge to break the mirror in front of me was strong but I abstained; what if Jupiter was stationed outside?
Thinking of him made my skin prickle and my heart lurch. Thinking of myself had my skin crawl and my stomach churned. Regret and remorse were something unbeknownst to me and nothing felt more familiar in that moment. My fingers curled, forming a fist. Erratic breathing. Eyes closed. When I opened them back, the color red was clear in them. The man in the mirror was infuriating me like no one ever had.
The woman shifting in her sleep — a sign that she could wake up any time soon — distracted me from berating myself anymore. I could save self-loathing for later. Moreover, I deserved it. A few days ago I promised Jupiter that I would keep only him as my lover, stay exclusive and loyal. Jupiter. Jupiter Jupiter Jupiter. Oh, Jupiter, how will I meet your eyes now? Imagining tears or worse, feigned indifference in his brown doe eyes sent a wave of pain through my ribcage.
A groan of lazy slumber slipped past the rustling body and the cacophony had me growling in fury. My temper skyrocketed as the filthy woman called out my name in her morning voice. How dare she call the king by his name? Ready to throw her out of the room by her hair, I stomped to her side and grabbed a fistful of those golden locks, yanking her out of the bed. "GET OUT OF MY BED, YOU WHORE." The blanket covering her flew to the side, revealing the fact that she was not naked either. Since when did whores have modesty?
She screamed and thrashed before I tossed her on the floor.
"What are you doing, Edward?!" She challenged amidst short gasps of air.
"You are one courageous bitch, bypassing my title and calling me by my first name."
As she made a move to turn around and face me, I pressed my naked foot on her back, halting her mid-step. "But yesterday you said something else. What is going on?"
"I was drunk! Why do you think I would invite a wench to my bed?"
"Wench? Ed, I am-" Her sentence broke off into a shriek of pain as yet again I wrapped her locks in my fist. This time I was more than ready to get her out of my sight. That was when it happened. She yelled out loud – "JUPITER. IT'S ME, Jupiter." I stopped short in my tracks. The mere mention of his name softened me and my grip on her loosened.
What is this woman saying? The question was on the tip of my tongue and was about to roll off it when she lifted her head. A glimpse at her and all the air left my body in a whoosh. It was indeed Jupiter but without his usual mustache.
"I...what is happening here? Am I being toyed with? Are you Jupiter's sister?" After the word vomit, my chest started bubbling with laughter and I gave a hearty laugh that said: Good joke. She did not join. My laughter died down.
"I am Jupiter, Edw...my majesty." Her expression was timid, her tone fearful and her voice, just like Jupiter's. Neither could I unsee the truth now nor mask the anguish I assumed was visible on my face.
"Why? WHY?"
"I am sorry," was his...her pathetic answer.
"Look at me." No reaction. "LOOK AT ME." He...she did. "Are you a spy? Why did you disguise yourself as a man this whole time? What were your intentions?"
"I swear on my mother's grave I am not a spy and am not here to harm you. I pretended to be a man because..." Seeing my hand up, she stopped speaking.
"I don't want to hear it because I lost my trust in you" Pain clouded her features as sobs began leaving her lying mouth. "Your quarter will undergo a security check and you will no longer be my sentry. I am not an idiot to kick you out of the job and risk you running your mouth to whoever you work for. I will not behead you either as I will soon torture all the information out of you myself." I paused to take a deep breath. "One question. Is Jupiter even your real name?"
"It is," she whispered. She seemed broken but it was not enough to get me to feel guilty or sympathetic as the wound of her betrayal was fresh. Another thought that held me back was that she could be faking the tears. After all, tears and smiles were the easiest to fake. Without waiting for her to exit my room, I hastened to the personal bathroom in my chamber. Her face was an ugly reminder of my naivety. What a fool I've been!
By the time I cleaned myself of her stench and retreated to my room, she was long gone.
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