CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“Goddess above, I knew that was going to come back and bite me,” Maro muttered. He dropped his head into his hands, letting out a deep sigh. Then he raised his head again, looking Ryu in the eye.
“No, Ryu. We never had an affair. Your mother loved you far too much to ever risk tainting your reputation with that kind of dishonour. And on my part, I would never betray my king. You can believe that or not,” he added, as obvious doubts wandered across Ryu’s face.
“I don’t much care either way. But that is the honest truth.
That said, I would also have to admit that the details of the situation were…
rather more complex. With the highest respect for you, and your capabilities as future king, you are only eighteen years old, Ryu.
And some of what I have to say may be unsettling. Are you sure you wish to hear it?”
Did he, Ryu wondered? What Oris had said to him last night had been staggering, to realise that he’d so badly misread so many things about his parents and his childhood.
But it seemed his tumble down the rabbit hole wasn’t quite over, and he sorely wished he’d had a chance to calm down and take a breath before diving into this quagmire.
That was exactly what he’d been trying to achieve, when he’d asked Maro to leave the room, but the man had had to go and toss that plan out the window.
But if there was truth to be had, he wanted to hear it, for better or worse. “Yes, I do,” he said, sounding far more confident than he felt. “I cannot lead this country if people keep hiding things from me or thinking I’m not old enough to deal with them.”
“Very well. Before your mother fell pregnant with you, she and Sou were having a number of problems in their marriage. Elise felt she was unable to ask for help, because of Sou’s position as king and because she has always held the will of the Goddess in the highest regard.
She believed that she was marked as his soulmate for a reason, and she was determined to use whatever influence she had to benefit the people of Galandeen. ”
It was very similar to what Oris had told him earlier. Though Ryu suspected that whatever was coming next was going to be rather more surprising.
“My own political and philosophical views have changed significantly since Sou became king. Under King Arata, I largely did what I was told and tried to support Arata in whatever direction he chose to take the country. But when Sou became king and I was promoted to Captain, I began to see that the tide of public opinion was shifting. The revolution in Arctesia, Iderheil’s move towards democracy…
The public were getting restless. Yet Sou refused to reconsider his traditional standpoint on a lot of issues.
“A couple of off-hand comments I’d made over the years had caught Elise’s attention, and she eventually realised that I was of a similar mindset to her.
Omegas could no longer be treated as second class citizens.
Divorces were becoming more common. Environmental concerns began to take the place of purely economic strategies.
So she began to confide in me, and together, we developed plans to push Sou towards more liberal views.
It was an uphill battle all the way, and Elise felt a much keener frustration with our progress than I did.
But a lot of the time, all she was really looking for was a sympathetic ear.
So she would come to me, and we would… talk.
Just talk. It never went any further than that,” Maro repeated emphatically.
“But nonetheless, various rumours began to circulate, and we had to learn to be a lot more discreet.
But I remained steadfast in my desire to help steer Galandeen into the future, rather than staying bogged down in the past. And then you started growing up, and we both realised you had a more progressive view on certain things than your father did.
But at the same time, it became extremely difficult to balance the need to nurture your political views with ensuring you maintained a close relationship with your father.
For all his faults, being king is an extremely difficult task, and he was always the best person to teach you how to deal with those pressures.
“The public role of a king is very different from who he is in private. The same could be said for both Elise and myself. I realise that some of my actions over the past few months have been confusing to you. And some of your mother’s, as well.
I suppose you could say that we were manipulating both you and Sou at various times.
And I’m not surprised that you reached the conclusion that we were having an affair.
Elise was very dear to me. But my primary interest has always been the greater wellbeing of Galandeen, and as far as my intentions go, I have nothing to apologise for. ”
He fell silent, and Ryu let the ideas of a larger purpose play over in his mind. “Did your ideals about the future of Galandeen,” he asked, after a pause, “ever extend to removing my father from power? In the interests of the benefit of Galandeen?”
“Never,” Maro said, looking him straight in the eye.
“Regardless of any ideals I might have held, my honour still dictated that I work with the monarchy, not around it. Nonetheless I realise that a lot of what I’ve just said could be seen as disloyalty, and that, as much as my failure to protect the king, is what motivated my resignation.
I have no wish for you to feel divided in your role as leader of Galandeen, and if stepping down is what’s required to ensure your successful reign, then I will do so. ”
Ryu nodded. A quick glance at Kentario confirmed what he already suspected.
After all, his bodyguard would never have let him return here if he’d genuinely thought Maro posed a threat to him.
He was looking decidedly uncomfortable with the direction the discussion was taking, but at the same time, he was saying nothing to denounce Maro for his actions.
That silence was as telling as any speech could have been.
“I have just one problem with that story,” Ryu said, feeling assured, perhaps for the first time in his life, that he was about to make exactly the right decision.
“This palace needs a Captain of the Guard who knows the grounds inside out, who knows the staff, the history, who’s willing to learn from his mistakes, and who has the humility to realise that he’s not perfect.
And aside from that, there have been quite enough sudden changes in the last few days.
The public are not going to be happy if the new king starts sacking the only people around here who actually have a clue what’s going on.
” In a slow, considered move, Ryu tore Maro’s resignation letter in half, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
“Your resignation is officially rejected.”