The Bastard (Darling #2) [complete]

Chapter Twenty-Five

T H E  K I N G felt as if he was getting rid of problems after problems. He was aware that as king, it was his duty to do so, but he couldn't help but feel as if the problems had only increased as of late. But after taking care of the youngest Clemens daughter, his biggest issue, he felt like he could defeat anything.

Since she was taken care of, he then had to step back into his usual king-like duties. Such as: handling the situation with Spain and continuing to try convincing the other board members that a war was the most feasible solution; get his eldest son back on track to become Darling's next king; ensure his country was not falling to ruins.

His mind had been very distracted in recent days, and he failed to meet certain expectations of him. For example: the aforementioned king-like obligations he allowed to slip through.

Although he was certain things would go back to how they were supposed to be, he was aware that his crowned prince would turn the castle upside down in order to find the culprit who harmed the woman he loved. It wasn't an intentional lesson he wished to teach, but the king supposed his anger-influenced actions were thinking of the future for his son. King James would be able to turn it around - show Thatcher why royals were incapable of having true love. He needed a gut-wrenching situation to happen to him just as the king did in his past in order to shock him back into reality.

The royals, heirs especially, were not necessarily unallowed to have feelings and emotions. King James had a lot of them, afterall. He only acted on those of anger and pride. Royals (again - heirs especially) were advised against acting on so many emotions and instead harboring them into the deep depths of their hearts and minds. It was nearly impossible for them to have logical thinking when emotions were in play.

How were they to run a country if logical thinking was extinct?

After his steam had been let off after beating Louelle until she was near unrecognizable, the king's fog of fury had cleared and he was able to think more logically about the situation. He could conspire a ploy that Louelle was unsafe as long as she was involved with Thatcher. He could feign concern for her well-being that whoever had harmed her, would do it again because she was involved with the crowned prince.

Because of his son's ever-loving bloody devotion to the incorrigible lady, he knew that it would work. Thatcher would end whatever relationship he thought he was capable of having with her. Then, King James could finally have the crowned prince he only ever dreamed of having.

Everything was working in his favor.

And he had himself to thank.

But because that issue had been nearly resolved, it didn't mean that there were no other ones that needed to be solved, either.

Ergo, the again, aforementioned king-like duties he had neglected for far too long.

He was in the stables gearing up for a ride to the Friar village. Apparently, his wife had been too preoccupied sneaking behind his back to keep Thatcher and Louelle a secret, and had neglected some of her queen-like duties as well.