16. Malakai
Malakai
The last thing I want is to allow Lili to come with us to Kellimar and confront the rebels, but I did agree that it was her kingdom to rule as she sees fit.
Within reason, of course. I’m still the emperor, and what I say, goes—which is why she is nowhere near the military unit that sweeps into the warehouses and kills or captures the rebels hiding there. Instead, Lili is safely inside her castle, tending to her grandfather.
His wounds, fortunately, aren’t life-threatening.
While I’m personally leading the team to apprehend the rebellion and destroy their outpost—those pesky little shits have been a thorn in my side for years and I’m not going to miss the opportunity to get my revenge—I anxiously wait for word from my empress.
When we’re on the ground again, I jump down from the helicopter and run along the parapet into her castle. Our castle, now. The same blue and white pennants fly above the picturesque turrets, but now they have been joined by Enovar’s royal flag.
Inside, I make my way to the small unit where the King of Kellimar is being treated. Lili looks exhausted. She’s back in her royal finery, a somber midnight-blue dress devoid of ostentation in honor of the people killed at our wedding.
“You’re safe,” she says, relief easing the worry in her features. I want to pick her up and carry her away from all this mess, but the business of being a royal leader never stops. She understands this as well as I do.
“Did he agree to step down?”
She nods. “He says he should have done it years ago.”
“He’s right about that.” I enfold her into an embrace. “You have a good head on your shoulders. You are more than capable of leading Kellimar. You’ve demonstrated that.”
“Have I?” she asks, her chin wobbling and her eyes filling with tears. “I was ready to abdicate all my responsibilities if it meant I could be with you.”
My heart swells. Since meeting this woman, I’ve gone from being an all-around unfeeling bastard—truly Malakai the Monster—to feeling almost too much.
Too much sweetness and softness.
Too much joy.
Before Lili, I was stalled and bitter. Now, I’m ready to embrace life to the fullest again.
“I would have done the same for you,” I tell her. “When I said that if you were going to prison, I would go with you, I meant every word.”
Lili dashes one tear away from her eye and grins broadly at me.
“I’m glad it didn’t come to that. I love you for being strong enough to hold together this empire.
Our people needed peace after so many years of war, and you gave them that.
” She kisses me sweetly. “But I have one last thing to ask of you before you take me back to your castle and we can finally settle in.”
“What is that?”
“I am asking you, for the sake of our marriage, to make amends with your son.”
Immediately, I bristle. “Kenton doesn’t deserve it.”
“He apologized to me for trying to ruin our marriage. He even helped get me out of that cell so I could tell you what I had figured out about who had aided the rebels.”
“I’ve taken care of that traitorous son of a bitch.” The very first thing I did upon landing was arrest her head guard and have him executed. The specific details might upset my lovely wife. She doesn’t need to know them.
“I don’t have any regrets about choosing you—I would do it again in a heartbeat, Malakai—but Kenton feels rejected and unappreciated. He did lead the response to the attack, and very successfully. Is it so difficult to apologize to him? We did pull the rug out from under him, after all.”
“He didn’t want to be standing on that rug in the first place,” I grumble, though I know she’s right. I’d rather carry her into the castle and spend the next week making love to my wife, but I suppose at some point she has to move into the palace at Enovar City. I can wait a few more hours.
If I must.
“Whether he did or not, we hurt him and we need to fix it.”
I swat her on the ass. “Go pack your things.”
She crosses her arms. “My people need me here.”
“So do mine.”
“It’s my kingdom,” she says.
“My empire.”
“My castle.” She lifts her chin, challenging me.
“We’re going to live in my palace. Get your stuff.”
“Our palace. And I have servants for that.”
“Great. Then what are we waiting for?”
Just like the first time we departed from this place, I throw her over my shoulder and carry her to the helicopter.
This time, Lili doesn’t protest…too much.
Upon landing in Enovar City, I seek out my eldest son. Kenton has been working nonstop. Throwing himself into the distraction of battle. I recognize the impulse well.
“I hear you were the one who finally listened to Lili’s explanation of how the rebels made a secret base camp inside Kellimar’s borders.” I close the door to the conference room behind me. “Thank you.”
He barely glances up at me. “Someone had to save her hide.”
“I owe you an apology.”
“Yeah?” He props one hip against the console table. “What for?”
“Stealing your bride.”
“I don’t give a shit about that. Not anymore. She’s pretty, but I’ve had prettier.”
“Why’d you do it then?” Now, he backs down. Took him long enough. Stubborn, like his father, this son of mine. Hates to admit it when he’s wrong.
“Because what she said to me at the wedding struck true.” He scrubs his face. “I was acting like a spoiled little boy. I didn’t want to get married—at least, until I saw her—and when she chose you, I wanted to break up your marriage because I felt like you were being unfaithful to Mom.”
“It’s been ten—”
“I know how long it’s been. I was wrong. You were right. Go away and be happy.”
My heart aches. What an inconvenient thing it is to care about other people.
It’s easy to be the monster. Throw my weight around, demanding that other people bend to my will.
It’s so much harder to accept that I’m not infallible, and that instead of setting a good example for my sons, I might have been kind of a dick to them all along.
Nobody ever said being a single father was easy. Even when you are an emperor. Especially if you’re an emperor.
“Come here.” I don’t give him a chance to protest. I bring him in for a hug.
Kenton stiffens immediately, but then he relaxes.
“I’m sorry. I publicly humiliated you. Both when I said you had no choice but to marry her, and when I changed my mind on a dime and married Lili myself.
I promise that, barring any national security threats, I’ll stay out of the way when it’s time for you to choose a wife. ”
He scoffs and pulls away. “That’s never happening, Dad.”
“Famous last words.” I punch his bicep for good measure.