Page 38 of Fated to the Wicked King

I peered around. “That symbol with the coat of arms and a white horse?”

“It’s a unicorn.” He looked up at me. “It’s the crest of Lucerne.” He averted his gaze. “I should have known. Lucerne is the only other kingdom in the land with enough influence to coordinate anything against me.”

Tilting my head, I tried to recall. “I don’t think I’ve questioned anyone from that kingdom yet. How is that possible?”

The king straightened up. “Lucerne is across the river.” He gave a shake of his head. “They’ve never ventured this way. Not for summons. Not for lavish gatherings. No wonder they’ve been getting away with everything. They were never considered a threat since there was no way for them to get here.” He thumped on the steel box. “This contraption must be the answer.” He whirled around to head back to the campsite.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to eliminate them, of course.”

My eyes nearly popped out of my head. “What?” I ran after him, catching his elbow to tug him back. “You can’t do that.”

He shot me an irate look, shrugging me off. “Why the hell not?”

“Look, that symbol could mean anything.” I rubbed my forehead in thought. “Why don’t you pay this kingdom a visit first? Surely, the first step toward any conflict resolution is diplomacy.”

His tone held firm. “You will not be making my decisions. Besides—” He threw up his hands. “We don’t know the extent of their plans. What if the corruption of the river was their doing as well? They are causing irreparable harm to the entire land. They must be stopped.”

I tamped down an eye roll at the irony. “That’s even more reason for you to go over there and establish peaceful talks with them. If they are the ones who have caused the river’s illness, they might hold the key to undoing it.”

He dismissed me with a wave. “It’s safer to annihilate them. I will send my shadows to kill them all.”

“No! Please! Your Majesty⁠—”

His glower seemed to waver at my plea. “I thought your objection was only with me harming innocent people. This kingdom is nowhere near innocent.”

“You don’t know that,” I reasoned. “Or at least, you don’t know for sure if it’s all of them. What if this has nothing to do with Lucerne? What if you miss your chance to find out the truth by eliminating the only people who may have the answers?”

He sneered. “What would you have me do instead? If I let these trespasses go unpunished, my kingdom will be seen as weak. And if a kingdom is weak, it only gives rogue kingdoms foolish ideas of conquering them.”

“A kingdom’s strength isn’t measured by the wars it wages. It must also have the wisdom to know when not to draw the blade.” I put my hand on his arm. “You must try diplomacy first.”

“What?”

“Negotiate.”

He looked away with a huff. “There you go again with that nonsense.”

“Look, Your Majesty.” I leveled a gaze at him. “If you truly intend to rule over all the land, wouldn’t it be more helpful to learn more about these machines? That way, you will be able to control both sides of Wünder. This is a powerful weapon. I am certain you don’t want to be defeated by careless ignorance.”

“Are you calling me ignorant?” His eyes blazed once again.

“Of course not.” I wrinkled my nose. “Why don’t you send an official delegation of royal advisors or your council who can negotiate for you?”

He sniffed. “I told you before. I have none of these pointless delegations. And I’ve never had to leave the castle to do any of my business.”

My jaw dropped. “You mean you’ve only ever sent your army or your shadows to perform your royal killings?”

“Royal justice,” he corrected.

I blinked, still in stark disbelief. “And you haven’t left the castle in eight moons?”

He folded his arms across his chest. “What of it? I have everything I need in my castle.”

Lazy tyrannical bastard.

Sighing, I put my hand to my chest. “Then I will go. I will go to Lucerne and discover the truth about the machines.”