The Lost Kingdom (The Fifth Element Chronicles)

Chapter 4 [part 2]

His response was not at all what I expected.

He began to laugh out loud.

My face filled with blood and my mind with outrage.

'What's so funny?' I couldn't help but ask.

What did I care that he thought I was disrespecting him when he was making fun of me himself.
The laughter stopped when he saw my expression.

'Is it for real?' he asked with concern.

'Yes, of course it's for real. I left my Kingdom, the people I love, and came to this corner of the world to find you. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for real.'

He tapped his fingers against the table.

'Look, I don't know who gave you the idea that the Tree is real, but whoever it was played a pretty bad joke on you.' He got up and fixed his jacket again. He had an obsession with looking good.

I got up too, but with no intention whatsoever of leaving.

'I fully trust whoever sent me. Believe me, otherwise I wouldn't be here, in this place.'

He took a few steps towards me, lowering his gaze.

'There it is, that condescending tone again. That royal undertone that is so distinctive. You think because you have royal blood you're better than everyone else. I kept this Kingdom afloat for almost fifteen years and no one, none of the kings or queens who boast of power, dared to set foot on my territory,' he came until he stood in front of me. 'Not until you.'

I wasn't going to let him intimidate me. I had more to lose if I let him get to me. I wasn't afraid of him hurting me, because something told me he didn't want to. Otherwise he would have let his friend do his dirty work for him, like he had done with Rayn before.

So I kept my gaze fixed on his blue eyes, to show him that no matter how much he threatened me, no matter how much he used all his mental weapons, he would not defeat me.

I don't know who he thought I was, but I wasn't like any of the other kings and queens.

'I am not looking down on you or your people. On the contrary, I feel for you all. Do you know whom I despise? I despise those who put you here, those who took your lives away from you and forced you to start all over again. Those who, while we're speaking and arguing like children, are enjoying their victory and are about to unleash hell on this world.'

For the first time, up to that point, I managed to completely baffle him. At least it seemed that way. However, for some reason, he still didn't move from in front of me.

'What do you mean by that?'

Apparently his little birds hadn't quite informed him.

'Prince Jonah, along with his father Lucius,' as I spoke those names, he clenched his fists, finally something we agreed on, 'poisoned the Kingdom of Bieno with a kind of dark magic. They turned them into beasts.'

He was hanging on my every word. Suddenly, I didn't feel mocked by him, but respected. Which was really confusing. Did he hate me or did he like me? I couldn't tell for sure which it was.

'What do I care? I don't see how it harms or benefits me.'

And he was back to being the same heartless person he had shown me he was.

'It harms you because all those people are suffering.'

He raised his eyebrows and his hands went wide. He really didn't care about anyone but himself and ways to get money. Money, for what? To keep it all on this ship?