15. The New Voice of the East
Chapter fifteen
The New Voice of the East
Lei
“Hello.” Moni took another step forward.
The press quieted, and all cameras pointed in her direction. Her posture was tall and confident, and her chin lifted with a sense of pride.
Sweat began to bead on Chen’s forehead, and I felt a familiar twinge of anxiety.
The press was unpredictable, and Moni’s raw honesty could easily be twisted into scandal.
Protect her or let her speak?
The choice tormented me.
Inside, the conflict raged.
The Mountain Master in me was ready to unleash violence if they dared to disrespect her or twist her words to incite chaos.
But Lei, the man who loved and respected Moni as an equal, chose to stand firm in his trust.
This trusting shit is fucking hard to do.
I stilled my nerves as she began to speak.
“So. . .it is not my place to speak to you all, but. . .lives were lost last night. . .because of their comments about me.” Moni addressed the crowd with the same ease and tone as if she were speaking to a friendly stranger on the street.
The only problem was, the press in the East were not friendly strangers, they were a pack of ravenous wolves, hounding relentlessly for the juiciest scoop, the most scandalous detail. They were hungry sharks circling in a sea, tracking the scent of blood, adept at twisting innocent words into damning testimonies.
While a surge of protectiveness rushed through my body, my heart swelled with pride.
She hadn’t been in the East for a full two days and had dealt with all types of crazy stuff, but none of it made her emotionally crumble.
Instead. . .it seemed that every situation was making her stronger and stronger.
How does she do that? She’s a fucking warrior.
“First,” She swallowed. “I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families and friends affected by last night’s horrific events.”
Sweat actually began to drip from the side of Chen’s face.
Meanwhile, I found myself wrestling internally. My instincts screamed to pull Moni away, to shield her from the press’s inevitable distortions and accusations that could follow.
Yet, her composure and the clarity in her voice held me back.
“I know a lot about losing people that I love. . .” She scanned the silent crowd. “And the loss of life under any circumstances is a tragedy .”
Cameras clicked and whirred incessantly.
Then, she raised one finger in the air. “Yet. . .it is especially fucked up when those lives are taken due to simply voicing your opinion.”
Oh shit.
Moni's biting words sliced through the thick, stagnant air like a razor blade.
I blinked.
Chen gasped, “She cursed. They’ll be replaying that one word over and over and over.”
Like me, the crowd was left reeling, caught between shock and curiosity, waiting for her next words.
The reporters, who moments ago buzzed with restless energy, now stood frozen, pens poised over notepads, not even jotting anything down. . .just hanging on her every word.
Moni continued, “Death because of free speech is beyond fucked up.”
“She cursed again.” Chen wheezed and his chest began to rapidly rise and fall.
Around us, the atmosphere shifted to electric.
Suddenly, reporters scribbled furiously.
Would they be writing words of respect or critique?
The civilians in the crowd, perhaps not familiar with such frankness from a figure in her position, murmured among themselves.
However. . .some seemed to resonate with her passion, nodding and murmuring approvals.
Meanwhile, others looked unsure of how to react to her blunt, unfiltered truth.
Regardless. . .she is going to change the fuck out of the East.
As I stood there, watching her, a profound respect mingled with my protective instincts.
Moni was not just surviving the gauntlet of public scrutiny; she was navigating it with a fierce determination to be heard on her own terms .
I tensed.
It was a risky move, but perhaps it was exactly what was needed to pierce through the usual dance of politics and media in the East.
Was everybody truly ready for brutal honesty?
We will see.
“Forget about if the statements were racist or not.” Moni lowered her hand.
Hu raised his eyebrows and glanced at me.
Every pair of eyes was laser focused on her, and every microphone pushed out further and aimed in her direction.
“Disagreeing with someone's beliefs and opinions are one thing,” Moni paused, allowing her words to resonate within the stillness that had enveloped the crowd. “But the mercilessly taking of a life and the lives of that person’s family. . .the slaughtering of kids. . .because of a statement on social media. . .no matter how racist or wrong. . .is a profound level of depravity that I do not support.”
Oh shit.
The reporters stood like statues.
They knew who she was talking about—their beloved Grand Mountain Master—and was probably now scared to even report what she said.
In the East, when my father did something, it was right—ordained by God.
To question it was to be soulless.
In fact. . .besides my mother. . .she was the only person in the East to go on official record against my father’s actions.
Chen wiped sweat off his face. “She's done it now. . .they'll crucify her.”
But, she’s right, so it doesn’t matter what they think. They touch her, and I’ll rip their fucking hands off. In fact. . .
Stepping away from the car, I moved closer to her.
Each step felt like a declaration, not just of support, but of trust . My presence by her side was not just to offer physical protection but to publicly affirm her capability, intelligence, and strength.
I should have already hurried over here. I’m learning, Moni. Forgive me.
As I stood next to her, shoulder to shoulder and arm tightly around her waist, I could feel her slight tremble. At least now , she knew I was there for her, fully and without reservation.
I’ll never take this long to be by your side again.
Up so close, I also felt the press's anticipation, as well as the press’s silent hope that I would interrupt, that I would falter and give them the discord they hungered for.
But I remained silent.
It was Moni’s time to speak. If I was going to trust her, then I would not be the Mountain Master, interrupting and silencing her.
Still. . .just in case. . .I would be a solid presence next to her, ready to intervene not with words but with action should the need arise.
You better fucking respect Moni or I will show you more death than my father did.
While Moni didn’t appreciate the depravity of my father. . .I was my father’s son.
Violent depravity ran in my blood.
Next, Duck came into my view. He had moved a few feet to her other side, and his sword was still out as if he planned on slicing some of the press’s heads off.
More cameras flashed.
Well. . .Moni flanked by the Mountain Master and the Red Pole—that will be an interesting picture on all the newspapers tomorrow.
That one image alone would make her one of the most powerful women in the East. My aunts sat at the top of the list.
Moni’s voice remained steady and calm. “I talked to the Grand Mountain Master today, and told him that he was wrong.”
Several people gasped.
I blinked, trying to keep my face neutral.
You disagreed with my father. . .and you’re still alive.
A few others in the back simply left, nervously rushing away and not even wanting to be in the same area while this was going on, probably for fear that my father would kill them for just hearing any blasphemy against him.
In regards of our traditions, this was a massive mistake.
To date, no one had ever said my father actually murdered them last night, although it had been pretty damn clear that he had.
However, to say it out loud could cause a cataclysmic chain of events.
The truth, once spoken, could never be unsaid. People would have to decide to either swallow or fight it, and no one in the East would want to stand up against him.
Not one question came from the reporters.
Instead, the crowd sharply gasped a few more times.
Silent, Duck watched her with wide eyes.
Yeah. She’s definitely going to change the East.
“Alright. Alright.” Chen walked over to her and nervously bobbed his head. “Thank you so much for speaking today Monique, but we really have to go—”
“And,” She stood firmly as her eyes scanned the sea of lenses and recording devices.
I looked at Chen and kept my voice low. “Don’t interrupt her. She can say whatever she wants. I stand by it.”
Chen froze with his mouth open.
“I want to be very clear again,” she continued, “While the Grand Mountain Master’s intentions was to protect me against harm in the East, I do not agree with the Grand Mountain Master's killing of innocent people.”
Chen appeared close to passing out. His face turned paler than a blank canvas. His hand twitched toward his phone, no doubt eager to call some emergency PR team to handle this crisis-in-the-making.
Duck lowered his head as if he couldn’t even look her way. Surely, he was terrified on the inside.
She raised her voice. “In fact, I want justice for those that were murdered last night!”
Justice? Do you understand what you’re saying?
Just that statement. . .the East would take it as her saying someone should deal with my father and stop him from killing again.
And. . .that someone would need to be ME.
I considered that statement.
Is she telling the East that I would be dealing with my father due to this? Interesting.
Now we had proper reasoning for the battle with my father in three days. I didn’t know if that was what she had planned, but the story could perfectly be weaved into one where I had fought my own father for the East’s freedom to speak without any fear of death.
Due to that, they would understand his death.
No matter how much it pained them. . .and. . .they would love me more because of it.
Very smart. Did you decide this? Or was it him?
It didn’t matter.
All I could do was watch her in awe because in the end. . .right in this moment. . .she reminded me of my mother.
How many times had my mother disregarded the palace’s pre-written speeches to say exactly what she wanted?
In fact, how many times had she called my father into question right on camera and with him standing right behind her in shock?
Mom cursed once on camera too. Moni will be the second.
At that thought, I curved my lips into a smile.
Cameras snapped my way.
Moni continued, “And I want the people of the East to understand something very important—my gaining your approval will not be out of fear.”
Duck looked up.
She gave them a warm smile. “I am here to earn your respect.”
Perfect.
I felt a subtle shift in the crowd, a begrudging respect already forming amidst the usual skepticism.
She swallowed. “But let’s go deeper.”
I blinked in shock.
There’s more?
“I’m already seeing after last night that it won’t be easy for your warm welcome just yet.” She raised that one finger back in the air. “But, understand this. You can tear down my reputation, belittle my achievements, and question my motives. But what you can't do is silence me or. . .have me leave the East.”
Oh really? Now you understand that you are truly here to stay?
It took everything in me to not lick my lips at the thought.
A murmur rippled through the crowd as Moni's defiance hung in the air.
The reporters began scribbling intensely, their pens scratching against paper in a crescendo of noise.
“Second, while I cannot officially speak for the Mountain Master. . .I know that. . .he is taking steps to ensure the safety of journalists and influencers who express opposition to. . .me and any policies.”
I scanned everyone watching her.
There was no anger. Some held sad expressions. Others appeared in absolute shock, not used to this sort of frankness from anyone at the top of the Four Aces.
And surely, Moni had proven that she was at the top.
That word trust came back to me.
Never did I realize that trust would be a part of love, but here. . .I was learning.
I’m glad I trusted her. The East needed this. . .I needed this too.
Meanwhile, Chen’s visible anxiety was rising. Chen's fists clenched and unclenched. His eyes darted back and forth between Moni and the crowd. His face was flushed and his brow furrowed in worry, while his body tensed up, as if ready to spring into action at any moment.
If he doesn’t explode out here, he surely will detonate on the ride back to the palace. In fact, Moni and Chen will probably argue.
However, I would have her back.
I now knew that Moni was right to speak out, just as my mother would have done. And just as I had loved my mother for her unwavering stand for justice, so too did I love Moni for these same reasons.
In her, I saw the continuation of a legacy that I had thought was lost with my mother—a legacy of strength, courage, and the relentless pursuit of what was fair and right.
All I could do was stand there, watching her with a heart swollen with pride and love, knowing that, despite the challenges we would undoubtedly face, her presence and her spirit were the guiding lights we desperately needed.
“Also,” Moni raised her voice slightly over the rising buzz of intrigued murmurs, “respect is a two-way exchange. I expect to give respect to all of you just as much as I expect to receive it, not just to me, but to my sisters as well.”
Chen gasped.
Duck cursed under his breath.
That remark caught the reporters off guard.
I stiffened.
With the press, one was never to give too much information.
Moni telling them about her sisters was letting the East know that not only was her presence here permanent, but more of her family were on their way.
The East did not have strangers or unauthorized visitors.
Suddenly, a wave of questions came.
“Are your sisters from the West too?”
“No.” She shook her head. “And, I’m not from the West either. I’m not even from Paradise City.”
Cameras flashed.
“Sisters?” another one yelled out. “How many?”
“Who are your sisters, and what role do they play in your plans for the East?!” one reporter shouted.
Another followed quickly, “Can you elaborate on how your family will influence the East’s policies?”
Alright. That’s enough.
Fast, I spoke before she could answer. “No more questions!”
And just like that, they fell silent.
Some reporters held pens in mid-air.
“However,” I scowled at them. “I have something to say also.”
Chen wheezed like he was suffocating.