Page 39 of Retrograde

Then he was gone. He just… Drive-by affection?

Men really were going to be the death of me.

10

Sagan

The reviewing of surveillance video was going so well that I ordered the teams to go back further. The elders hadn’t given one shit about the cameras because they had their people in place watching them.

Yeah, they were all gone and I had the footage so… My win.

Dumbasses.

They should never have poked me, and I would have let them just them retire off as I ended the elder system with their dignity intact. Now I was determined to ruin them all since they wanted to do worse to me.

“That’s a heavy bill,” Myriam warned me after I’d ordered it.

“Do I need to worry?” I hedged.

“No, as long as I can keep the fights going, but I’m having some issues balancing it all.” She sighed. “But honestly doing the food bars and simplifying the menu will cut your food budget even more. Make it clear to slow the reviewing process to normal hours.”

I mentally cursed. “No wonder they looked so damn greedy. They were approving not just overtime, but double time. Yeah, end that. Now.”

She handled it while I was in another meeting, but then I wanted to enact my idea of how to have some income comein or at least change the narrative of my greed. I was walking towards her when Gavriil quickly moved in between us but kept a respectable distance.

And held up his hands to my guards in surrender.

“Hi, hello, Your Majesty,” he said quickly, glancing between my guards. “Please, just give me like two minutes. I know you’re super busy and we shouldn’t approach you at meals and bother you and you’realwaysworking—it’s exhausting and I can’t imagine how much caffeine you drink to keep going, but like two minutes. Please? I can walk with you.”

It was such a goofy, silly ramble that I simply blinked at him for a good thirty seconds after.

“Two minutes,” I agreed and made it clear that I would keep to that.

His eyes flashed shock—either that I would really make him spit it out in two minutes or his ploy worked. I wasn’t really sure.

“Please give me something to do,” he blurted, wincing at what he’d said. “The castle’s great and your gym amazing. Like staying here is so cool, but there’s only so much gym time and I’m not—I like staying busy. And you’re busy, so I get it, but I’m just like bored. I’ve been reading and catching up on shows, but normally I’m always working and like—I like.

“I like being productive and like doing things. So I know I’m not the biggest or smartest or have the best connections or am involved in things like Onyx or Joris, and I probably won’t be the one you pick, but for the love of the gods, at least let me do something. I can be useful and I take orders well and that will make Duskridge and my family look good at least.

“But also be helpful. You’re all exhausted and—put me to work. Your aides or whatever. I’m not up for like cleaning toilets but yeah, I don’t know, just give me something to help. I have a few degrees, and I am good at business. Not the best, but I’m notuseless. I’m really not useless, I promise. And I want to help. Not just because I’m bored.”

He actually then glanced at his watch as if to check he hadn’t gone over his time, smiling at me and looking like a puppy hoping for a pat on the head. Or a treat for doing what he promised?

Either way… “Okay, join us and let’s see if you can help my people.”

“Really?” he asked, his eyes going wide, several others echoing him.

“That’s all we had to do was ambush you and ask?” Ezerial from Lunaria added as he glanced between us.

“The ambush was unnecessary, but from what I know, not one person has asked what they can do to help,” I replied as I glanced at him. “The others took initiative or Onyx has special qualifications.” I focused back on Gavriil. “A business background will help with what I’m wanting to do next and Myriam is buried.”

“He did ask if he could help, but it wasn’t—we’re putting out fires, so it’s a bit hard to reassess and like assign jobs,” Myriam admitted before lowering her voice even if they would all hear it. “Or like knowing who to trust and won’t try to mess things up.”

Gavriil held up his hands in surrender. “No desire to mess things up, I promise. I’m just a nephew of the Alpha and picked because I’m the only single one of like age. We’re smaller, and I just promised to behave and maybe do something worth a good sound bite because that’s what Uncle was more focused on as the queen wanted.”

“Okay, then join us,” I said again, gesturing for my group to move along.

“Okay, yes, great, thank you, Your Majesty,” he agreed and tried to fall in step with me… Which made Myriam snicker and basically butt him out of the way.