16. Inherited Enemies

 

I’ve been tackling my new job for a few days, and I’d thought that being King required me to constantly work to help better my kingdom, but I’ve just realised that there is a lot of useless things I’m being forced to learn. So I’m starting to suspect that maybe all these lessons are just playing as a distraction to my personal questions? Like, I’ve been wondering where my guardian is, who I haven’t seen since that incident at Mount Nuru with the bandits. It seems like that was staged, which brings up another question. I want to know what else has been faked. So Ceoda Moore told me that literally everything I’ve dealt with in my old life was all orchestrated by the Larferna council. That’s why I so freely gave Ceoda the position to lead them, because almost everything I’ve been through has taught me nothing of use for being King. Maybe as a possible serial killer, but definitely not a King, I only say that because during my schooling days with Jakcon. I have actually thought about killing him quite often. I’d thought about the different ways I could avoid Jakcon, which will come in handy for when I’m avoiding possible assassinations. But I’ve also thought of the many sinister ways of how I would torture him. Unlike his little brother, Octlyn, he wasn’t forced into signing his contract. He freely auditioned for it, and the council loved him for that. As it was only him who showed the greatest interest in applying for the role as my main bully. Now he’s gone missing after his visit to Ceoda, which alerts me of my unavoidable suspicion of this whole fucked up situation. Did Ceoda Moore do something to Jakcon? And if so, then why hide it from me? These theories provided me with the intuitive attitude to take the day off my lessons, and focus on decoding Ceoda’s actual motive. 

I spent the whole morning listening and figuring out the lyrics to Ceo’s music album, and I gained nothing useful apart from her melodies imprinted onto my memory. So I hummed myself into the afternoon hour, just in time for my lunch meeting with Annel. Her boss set us up to discuss the times of my lessons with Ceoda, as we both have hectic schedules. Octlyn started calling me, and the new butler I’m auditioning handed me my pleasure phone. I have a collection of solar phones that are assigned to certain people, for example: my business phone will have Ceoda’s number on it.

“I have a meeting with Annel in three minutes, what’s up Octlyn?” I asked. 

“You mean lunch?” he teased. “I know this because it’s me who is cooking the lunch. So don’t try to hide it by stating it a so-called meeting.” 

“So what’d you cook us?”

“For her, I made a kale soup with french sliced carrots from the eastern lands of wherever the f**k, topped with 12 mm chucks of potatoes from the back gardens of the Larferna King, sided with a fist sized loaf of gluten free delight.”

“I have potatoes growing in my back garden?”

“Why not?”

“It just doesn’t seem like a good representation of my vastly expensive empire.”

“At least its something of use, than that of a display fountain of recycled water.”

“I get your point, but potatoes? Why not an exotic fruit from the East?”

“I don’t know man, I’m just the Kings cook, not the bloody exterior designer.”  

“You could be, if you want the job. What did you cook for me anyway?” I showcased my enthusiasm via a chuckle of sorts. 

“This is the first time I’ve used this ingredient, but I did good, judging from the smell of the meal.” He let that sink in before he detailed my lunch. “I woke Stutra up at 7am to start a fire in my new stone oven, whilst I cleaned and seasoned the main ingredient with the much loved salt and pepper. I then let it cook for two hours before glazing it with honey milk from the virtual cows of Sweden, and the homemade cannabis oil from Octlyn’s private garden. For your sides, I boiled some organic grain free rice, as requested by you. Finished with a gathering of baby corns, grown by drug dealer Paul’s farmer dad.” I tried to take all that in and wished that he had sent me a text message instead, or a menu for that matter. 

“So what’s the main ingredient?”

“The back loin of a cow named Betty.”

“Wait, what? You’re serving me a corpse?”

“Yeah, isn’t that what all Royals eat?” I should note that all Royal members are the only one’s who are allowed to use animals as mere food. Like it’s some sort of honour, while the rest of the world eats what the twentieth century calls ‘rabbit food’. 

“Eating a dead vessel isn’t efficient, Octlyn, what if I consume vast amounts of vegetables and fruits, which gives me tons of vitamins and natural protein. Then somehow, someone decided to eat me, which would gain whom the nutrients that I’ve already ate. Which is just plain stealing, just like the Royals stealing from the animals they consume, and all they’re doing is just intaking recycled energy,” I ranted. 

“So, what you’re saying is, kale soup for lunch?”

“Yes, and make sure to bury Betty and not eat her.”

“I’m your chef, not a f*****g grave digger.”

“Fine, I’ll send someone down to do it for you then.” I hung up on him, half sicken that Octlyn, a smart man, who would rather cook a dead cow for lunch than use his time to progress himself into his dream job, which I definitely know isn’t Head Chef. I think I might just give Octlyn a job other than cooking, or maybe I could just retire him and be done with it. 

“My Ferna,” said my butler. “I’ve been informed that Ms Annel is roughly fifteen steps from your door.” I looked at him with the facial expression I give when I can’t tell if someone’s being serious.

“Fifteen steps? How’d you know that information?”

“The guards told me that she’s walking from the hall across your room, and I counted that to be fifteens steps, My Ferna.”

“So you walked around my Palace, counting how many steps it takes to walk from A to B?” 

“It was part of the tests we endured during our training for the position of the Royal butler.” 

“Sounds f*****g tedious, but I respect the tediousness you’ve had to endure.” 

“My thanks.” I handed back my pleasure phone and nodded him to have the doors pre-opened for Annel’s arrival. It was weird commanding others to do things for my own benefit, but I’ve grown to love it without hesitation. Annel walked in soon after, wearing a dark velvet latex dress. Her new style of clothes must be a public announcement of her newly promotion? Ceoda told me she gave Annel two assistants to work under her, which is a big step up in the assistant industry. 

“Hi Remi,” she said, while holding a thin computer pad. 

“Please sit,” I gestured her towards my guest chair. “Lunch will be served soon.”

“What’s for lunch?” she asked, while signalling her two new assistants to wait elsewhere. 

“Octlyn would be able to answer you that himself.” 

“Must be a detailed meal then, considering it caused you to lack energy for a recitation of the menu,” teased out Annel.

“Anything Octlyn does always drains me of energy.” I joked. She didn’t laugh, only squinted in amusement. 

“Sounds like you two have a sex life going on.” I laughed at that, and she merely twitched the corners of her mouth, to let me know that she enjoyed making jokes about me. 

“How is you?” I suddenly asked.   

“In general or work?” 

“Both, and you can choose which one to elaborate first.”

“Well, ever since my boss assigned two assistants to work under me, I started feeling less tense. Like, I have more time to focus on my own interests now.”

“How much time?” 

“Enough to satisfy me, for now anyway.” I feel like this whole conversation has a weird vibe underlaying it. 

“Is this interest some sort of goal or something?”

“It’s a goal.”

“You going to tell me?”

“Never actually,” she slimed a smile at me.

“Why not?” 

“Ceoda always told me that the best way to achieve something was to put a goal in your head, don’t tell anyone, and if you achieved it, then people should notice a difference.” 

“So you’re punishing me for not noticing?”

“No,” she giggled. “I’m still at the beginning stages.”

“If you need help, then gives a shout,” I offered.

“Ceoda said the same thing.”

“Having two of the most powerful people on Earth offering to help you, will cause most people to envy you.” 

“See, you’ve already noticed one of my goals.” She smirked at me for at least two-seconds. 

“Thought you said you’re only at the beginning stages.” 

“Getting you and Ceoda on my side is the beginning stages.” 

“You’re a bigger mystery than my last crush.”

“And who was that? Atalie Marcie?” I smiled in reply for her guess.

“What happened?” she asked.

“I haven’t seen her since the day me and Octlyn left for Mount Nuru, so the mushy feelings I had for her must have stretched to memory, and I’m a man of the present.” 

“Maybe if you see her again, then those p***y a*s feelings might start reappearing.”

“I’m too busy to be courting anyway.”

“Guess we should start with the scheduling plans then. Don’t want to hold up your busy day ahead with my small talk.” 

“That was considered small talk to you?”

“Yeah, wasn’t it for you?”

“It felt more like the ‘getting to know you’ type of talk.”

“I wonder what your form of small talk is then.”

“Hows the weather?” she looked out the window, and turned back to me,

“Can’t you see for yourself,” she laughed.

“I didn’t mean it as a real question, that was just an example of our small talk.”

“I’m usually in the C. T. Ship and all we ever see is space stars and blackness.”

“What about when you’re on Planet Moore?”

“There’s no climate there, unless you opt for the artificial weather system most rich folks use.”

“Any chance I could visit the place myself?” Going to Ceoda’s Planet could help me learn more about her and the society she’s constructed.

“It’s not worth it Rem,” she paused. “I meant Remi, sorry.” I whispered my unbothered attitude towards her nicknaming and she continued.

“I could have a group of Ceoda’s employees film a little landscape video for you?”

“I don’t want to see Planet Moore through a TV, I just want to experience it.” I don’t care that I sound like a moaning child in front of my new crush, but I had to do whatever I could to visit Ceoda’s world.

“If you can deal with being caged in a boxed city, then sure.” 

“That can be easily adapted, what other cons are there?”

“Galaxins started-”

“Galaxins?” I asked.  

“We call you Earthlings, so I thought maybe you call us Galaxins?”

“No,” I laughed. “We just call you’s outsiders.” I replied without much thought. 

“Well, Galaxins started planting trees around all worlds to help produce oxygen, and they’re protected by a see-through dome. Let’s call it man-made trees. They predict that it will take over 2000 years before humans are enabled to breath without an oxygen mask. And these trees have only been planted 722 years ago, so you’re going to be indoors all the time. Living in these glass box cities populated around the world. Theres also no real weather, such as rain. We have a season vote every month. Some people picks staged rain for July and artificial sunshine for November. Everything is manipulated, controlled and unnatural. Living there makes people feel unwanted by the very place they call home. All these signs serves as a message from the world telling us: we’re Evicted. You avoid people that don’t like you, right?” 

“I would try,” I answered. 

“Then why would you want to visit a place that tries to kill all lifeforms?”

“F*****g hell, I just wanted a wee holiday. Fine, get your group and film some of Planet Moore’s scenery then.” 

“You should make me your manager, considering how I swayed you out of a bad idea with simple truth,” she chuckled out. 

“My freedoms basically nonexistent the moment I enrolled as King, and now you suggest to have my emotions managed?” 

“Every powerful person needs some sort of management.” 

“Are you hard selling or just joking?” why is it that I’m making it hard for her? I should be gushed with joy over the possibility of having her closer to me.

“I’m the Head of Assistants for the Galaxies Richest Tycoon, I don’t need to hard sell myself to get a job.” 

“Fair enough, but how long are you going to use Ceoda’s name in order to make yourself stand out? Because I doubt H.O.A is your end game.” (H.O.A = Head of Assistants)

“Who’s managing your staff? Do you even have an assistant? Cause it seems like a waste of time for a King to be scheduling meeting times himself,” she lashed back.

I rolled my eyes in reply to Annel’s ignorance of my being here is just for her sake.

“How can you handle being Ceoda’s assistant, while working as my manager?”

“Since I have two staffs working for me now. That gives me more time to do other things.”

“So you’ll rather work in your free time than chill?”

“I’m a workaholic, Remi.” All the chances of having a relationship with her just sank due to her confession of the busy lifestyle she lusts for. But I’ll rather have a useful employee than a girlfriend too busy for a love life.

“I’ll let you audition for it then, you can have a month to convince me. Sound good?” 

“A month?" she asked. 

"You aren't the only one whose suggested themselves for the role as my manager."

"How many applied?" I’m only f*****g with Annel to see how she reacts to the idea of competition.

"Twenty-six prominent Ladies and twelve Lords have asked so far, and I've also given them a month to impress me." 

"So I have to wait three years and two months before I can prove myself to you,” she said it in the up most surprised expression, like waiting is a rarity to her.

"No, who do think I am? I don't just give the trail to anyone. They have to test for it.” I see Annel agreeing with me via a small nod of her head.

"How?" 

"Each participant has to at least convince me out of a situation that could possibly disappoint me. Once succeeded, they will have the opportunity to enter the one month trail of tests.”

“So who’s your first participant of the month?” she asked.

“You,” I answered. 

“Ah,” she smiled and glanced towards my window. “It’s because I convinced you out of travelling to Planet Moore. Therefore I was the first to successfully convince you out of a possible disappoint, hence why I get to be the first one to take the test trail?” 

“I was anticipating you to ask me why, but I’m glad you figured it out yourself.”

“Do I start at the end of this month or today?”

“Today would be choice.” I wonder how long I should keep this prank to myself? What if it will upset her? Though I hate to surround myself with the easily angered. While thinking this, I looked up to see Annel using her solar phone. 

“What you up to?” I asked, and she looked up with a ‘resting b***h face’ impression.

“You’ve been f*****g me, Remi.”

“You mad?” I asked, superiorly curious. 

“Before Ceoda would even think to employ me, I had to go through an endurance test, and that test wasn’t physical, it was mental. To check how long I could bypass my anger.”

“What did she do to provoke you?”

“First, she imprisoned me and banned all my favourite foods. Then she commanded me to complete a one million word document outlaying what I think of her. And if the information I wrote is at least 80% right, then I pass to try out the other tests.” 

“What other tests?”

“Like, having people call me names, she also hired some expert investigators to find out all the things I’ve kept secret, and they tried to shame me with it. But I couldn’t care less, so I passed. They also made up things about my family and produced fake evidence of their fiction acts. I didn’t show the slightest sadness nor the anger they so deeply tried to witness.” I never expected to get this type of information about Ceoda, and this is all because of a single prank. I’m not a bad investigator myself. 

“I’m guessing that prank was your form of test to identify me as easily angered or easily immune to it.”

“It was just for a quick laugh,” I confessed. 

“Well, at least you’ve learned something new about your future manager,” she remarked. The Kale soup Octlyn made finally arrived, and we sipped at it while discussing the scheduling of my meetings with Ceoda. Having lunch without my ex-guardian cooking it made me realised that I kind of miss her, but not really. She’s never talked to me before, like she would make small comments about my life, but we lacked the serious conversations one would expect. She acts like a butler, and I’m glad to be done with her boring attitude towards me. My ex-guardian has raised me for over twenty-one years. So why don’t I miss her as much as one would expect? I was told that my mum died while giving birth to me, and that my dad died of a peanut allergy shorty after, which resulted to be one of the most embarrassing deaths for any Larferna family member, beating my great great uncle, who died of a hunting accident, but I wouldn’t have thought it to be embarrassing for my late uncle, more like karma. 

After lunch, I told Annel that I’m going to visit the Larferna tree. She informed me that Ceoda was going to do the very same thing today too. So Ceoda and I decided to go together. Annel excluded herself from coming due to the possible awkwardness of having two of her employers being in the same presence as her, but said she’ll be close by if needed. Ceoda says she’ll drop by my room before we set off to see the Larferna tree, but since I cancelled my lessons for the day, I went to Ceoda’s room instead. When I walked to her room, Ceoda’s ten guards were stationed outside her door. All ten of them stared at me and my twenty-one guardsmen with surprised looks. I’m guessing they didn’t expect me or else they would have stationed more than ten guards.  

“I’ll like to see my mentor,” I said. The guard with the most stylish shoes started dialling on his solar phone. I heard murmurs that indicated he’s trying to inform Ceoda of my sudden appearance. After the call ended, which lasted less than seven-seconds. All of Ceoda’s guards formed into a line away from the door and the guy with the unique shoes told me that only I could enter, but to wait five-minutes before doing so. I tried not to acknowledge the guards instructions as it wasn’t a Kingly thing to do. So I walked past him and he instantly opened the door for me as a term of apology, probably knowing full well that he just commanded the King of Larferna to wait five minutes before entering a room that I owned. I smiled at him in thanks, which allowed his nerves to be eased. 

“I don’t want to f**k her though, but that doesn’t mean I can’t admire her sexiness. It’s a compliment without desire, Ceo.” I heard, as I walked closer. 

“I’m labelling you as a dum complainer who yaps about solvable situations, such as the one you're currently moaning about.” I couldn’t see whose’s talking due to the bullet proof wall that is situated in front of the entrance door, but I know the voice to be Ceoda’s. I think I’ll wait until their done talking, listening is a great and old form of scouting intel. 

“And how can I solve it?” a man’s voice said. Who is this?  

“By not thinking about her, Meer?” so the persons name is Meer.

“What? You going to extract my thoughts like you do with most people, huh?”

“I need some stable excitement in my life, so just get out for now.” 

“Jealous people live a dull life, and the best revenge is to let them continue in their destructive patterns of self loathing.” I started hearing his footsteps coming closer to me. I quickly got out the room and all 31 guards stared at me. I gave them all a quick wave to divert their eyes, just when the man stormed out. The guy named Meer gave no one eye contact, not even addressing the King that so clearly allowed him to stay at the Royal Palace. I walked back in then, and knocked at the bulletproof wall.

“I need some visual privacy, so just talk to me through the phone!” responded Ceoda.

“Is this you getting back at me for making you wait outside my room during our first ever meeting?” 

“Oh,” she paused. “Come in, I totally forgot that you were standing outside.”

“You ready to head now?” I asked. 

“Yeah, just let me rinse my face real quick,” she said it while entering her bathroom. I killed the time by walking around Ceoda’s room, she redecorated everything. From the colour of the walls to new floor boards and window designs, everything has a different colour, showing a diverse choice of themes. But to anyone else who isn’t Ceoda, this feels more like a circus tent filled with weird exotic trinkets. 

“You like my room?” 

“It’s unique. What have you been up to?” I asked.

“Just woke up an hour ago, so I didn’t get much done.”

“Meer?” I’m trying to get as much information from her, even if it’s the people she surrounds herself with.

“You heard us through the door?”

“Yeah,” I lied. 

“He’s just my childhood friend.”

“Will I meet him at some point?”

“I thought you just did?”

“He kinda stormed out without acknowledging anyone.”

“If he wasn’t an Earthling, you could have had him arrested for not addressing you.”

“That’s an extreme approach.” 

“One that I think would decrease his ego.”

“You two sounded like an old married couple.”

“And what do you know about married couples, my single friend.” 

“Only that they argue a lot.”

“You’ve only ever heard us argue once.” 

“Yeah, but it didn’t sound like you’s argued for the first time. It’s almost like the two of you know how to tick each other off, and that takes experience no?” 

“And how did you managed that theory?” she half smirked. 

“From the tone of your voices, and also how you’s allowed each other to finish your sentences without interruption, which helped me theorised that you two have a respect for one another. Something that is very popular amongst married couples.”

“Well, we’re not married but I do see the similarity.”

“So it is a relationship?” I gestured towards the door in signal for the ‘walk and talk’ suggestion, she followed in confirmation. 

“I just mentioned that we were childhood friends, are your ears incompetent? Should I call Dr. Kenmar to give you a new set of cloned ears?” she said, while we passed the thirty-one guards. I looked behind me to see if any of the guards showed a reaction to what Ceoda just said. They changed their eye direction away from me instantly.

“I’m thinking of owning a pet, the Larferna family has always been known to own at least one Royal pet.” 

“What type of species you thinking?” she asked.

“I was considering baby sharks, I could put them at both corners of my room.”

“People who capture animals to become their pets, and locks them up in tiny homes, such as with the shark tanks. Usually lacks empathy, and that is a skill most needed in the study of becoming a successful leader. If you really want a pet, I recommend the cat species.” 

“Why cats?” 

“Because they live in the same home as you, not in a cage, but literally in the same house. A cats freedom equals to exploring, so keep that in mind. If you are wanting a cat, I’ll have Annel form up a list on how to take care of one expertly.”

“I was jesting about the sharks,” I confessed. 

“When I joke, I don’t joke for the sake of joking. I usually joke to manipulate someone into liking me, or I joke to orally rip my enemies apart in front of an audience. So what’s your reason for joking, Remi?”  

“Well, when I joke, I joke for the sake of joking, and that joke you’ve just heard, was made to do what most jokes do, which is to make people laugh.”

“A career in joking isn’t worthy for a King, so delay your dreams of becoming a comedian, yeah?” I shut up then, and kept my head down while pretending to feel unfazed. 

“So you nervous about your coronation?” 

“Nervous? You took the bloody emotion from me.”

“I took the memory foundation of your shyness, but that doesn’t mean you can’t develop a new form of nervousness.”

“S**t, really?”

“Yep.”

“But I don’t even feel nervous about the coronation.”

“It will come back to you one day, if you let it.” 

“How do I avoid becoming like that again?”

“I don’t know, your the first person to have that emotion erased.” If she could delete my shyness, then what else can she do? That type of power is the very thing Larferna needs.

“How is your lessons going?” she asked suddenly, most likely getting into mentor mode again.

“Which ones?”

“The one’s your council suggested.”

“Well, the history of the Larferna Lands is getting more intense, I also learned something about my father as well.”

“Anything useful?”

“Not yet, though I finally saw a picture of him. And just some other simple trivia stuff.” 

“Tell me one.”

“Well, to check if someone’s dead, they use a mirror. Which they place below someones nose, and if the mirror doesn’t steam up then they are presumed dead. Rarely any modern Doctor’s use this method to tell if someone’s dead now, but it is tradition to keep this technique used on all members of the Larferna family. And it is done on the very same mirror. My history teacher showed me the mirror that has been breathed on by all my dead ancestors. Apparently the mirror is worth more than a quarter of your net worth. My teacher said I would add to the price for when I die.”

“Exporta will prevent that, What else?” 

“My fitness trainer says if I keep up my efforts, then I might just live past a hundred.”

“Remi, you don’t need to worry about your natural lifespan anymore.” Due to Exporta I presume, she’s kinda promised me unlimited access, basically immorality. I’m guessing if she keeps handing out free Exporta’s, then the people who past their natural lifespan would start idolising her as God, their mighty saviour. And start naming her Ceoda the life extender. 

“Thanks but I’m mainly training so that I could outrun my future assassins.” She chuckled at my paranoia, and about a second after she said it, Ceoda displayed a guilt ridden face. Probably realising that my paranoia was highly influenced by Jakcon Remelan. 

We walked in pace then, as we were closing up to the Palace gates that will eventually lead us to the Remelan City. Ceoda had a solar car that she designed waiting for us at the gates. It just looked like an avocado sliced in half, in the colour of the Larferna tree, which is her way of tribute to my land. You couldn’t see in though, and the windows are designed to be merged within the avocado-like car. So that assassins can’t tell were the windows are and therefore unable to make a sure sniper shot. She decided to drive us there herself, but Deconi my head of security suggested that he should do it instead. Ceo couldn’t care less, so she agreed. 

“How are the auditions going?” asked Ceoda, directing the question at Deconi. 

“My Ferna?” he’s asking me for permission to elaborate, as it is a secret subject to reveal. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask you that actually, you may speak,” I said. During my first day as King, I was taught how to talk to my supposed lowers, but I’d rather just call them employees. 

“I’m auditioning twenty guards right now, ten males and ten females. Including me would make it twenty-one guards.”

“I know all this, I’m asking for the details, like who’s the top candidate so far, who’s the easily angered and what not,” I said, glancing at Ceoda. 

“They’re all in top form, My Ferna. We’re mainly auditioning the guards to see how well you react to them. So it should be I that asks you how the audition is going, because it’s you that gets final say… Sorry if I seem cheeky, My Ferna.”

“Do you think twenty-one guards is enough or too much?” I asked.

“I would increase your Kings guard to thirty, and divide them all into squads of five. And have them do a strict recognition test to make sure they all know each other by name, face and as a friend. This would limit the chances of assassins pretending to be in your Kings guard. Also having them in squads of five would allow one group member to lead, and the other four to follow. Their squad leader will then report back to the Head of your security. All six squads will form a hexagon around you, protecting all your angles.”

“Have it done, but hire the guards through Ceoda’s recommendation.” I looked to her to see if she agrees.

“I’ll text Annel to write up a list now,” she confirmed. 

“What other idea’s do you have, Deconi?” asked Ceoda.

“I’m just a guardsmen, the hexagon formation was taught to us by our teacher.”

“And where is your teacher?” 

“Retired from life, Madam Moore.” 

“I could offer your teacher an Exporta if he or she comes back to work for Remipor.”

I quickly gave Ceoda a glance of ‘shut the f**k up’. 

“He’s dead, If only I had mentioned the hexagon formation a week ago. Then maybe he would be still be alive.” Ceoda returned my glance and whispered ‘s**t’.

“How old was he?” she asked. 

“I don’t know, but we’ve never once seen a white hair on the man.”

“When you said, ‘retired from life’ I didn’t think you meant that he was dead. Sorry for making you feel bad,” said Ceoda. 

“That was my fault, Madam.” I wanted to ask how he had died but I stopped myself.

“How did he die?” asked Ceoda, What the f**k women! Boundaries? 

“We’re nearly there,” Deconi reached into his ear to activate some sort of communication with the rest of the other guards. I looked outside my window and saw the place that Jakcon could have ruled, which isn’t much of a city, but a Kingdom instead. It doesn’t seem like a city because it doesn’t have any skyscrapers, but just castles amongst castles. This is the only city that is situated outside of the Larferna tree entrance gate. Making it the most expensive place to live, as it is an honour to be so close to the one thing that gave this country its name.  

There’s exactly 10,000,000 soldiers protecting the Larferna tree, and we call them Larfern guards, it is a title that is only earned if you’ve served as a soldier who protects the Larferna tree. But the number of guards isn’t publicly known. So that intruders wouldn’t know how many guards they would have to sneak past. Plus, the guard routes that’s walked over 24/7 is randomised. Once we entered the entrance gate from the Remelan City, everyone was hand searched but me. I just had to walk through a metal detector. Then we were escorted to a large river of 1000 feet long, we had to use a speed boat to sail across it. Once we were on the other side, I finally saw what many wouldn’t be allowed to see, which is the foot of the Larferna tree. Since it is known that branches often falls, and has killed over 300 people in the last year, most of which are Larfern guards. The distance of the river that we had just crossed is the insurance that the Cities won’t get the same hazard. Even where I am standing, I’m still at least over six football stadiums away from the Larferna tree. And to touch it, I will have to go under a tunnel so that I wouldn’t risk getting swashed by the possibility of falling branches. It’s rare that it would happen, but nobody would risk such a thing to bypass the tunnel. Luckily we wouldn’t have to walk the full distance as there was a transport train waiting for us. Ceoda and I haven’t spoken since getting out of her avocado car, mainly because we were both speechless of being in view with the tree that many only see from afar. It’s probably a bigger deal to her than me, due to Ceoda only seeing it from outer space. Now that we were in the tunnel underneath it, talking was the sure thing to do.

“There was a lot of cameras above, how many do you think there is, Deconi?” 

“Just over 100k, My Ferna.” 

“Can I have a room filled with TV’s displaying everything those cameras see?”

“I’ll have it done by tonight.” 

“Thank you.” 

“Why do you want that for?” asked Ceoda. 

“Cause I’ll be the only one who’ll have a room like that.”

“I don’t think its wise, Remi.”

“How come?”

“Are you having that room at the Palace?”

“Yes.”

“Then anyone could just walk in and that would allow possible thieves to navigate around the Larferna tree undetected.”

“What they going to steal?” I smiled in surprised.

“Even a small chip of bark from the Larferna tree can sell for over 50 million.”

“Sorry, My Ferna, I didn’t think that far ahead. Madam Moore’s right, building a room like that in the Royal Palace isn’t wise,” said Deconi. 

“How longs this ride going to take?” I’m changing the topic because I’m slightly red faced about my recent idiotic desire. I need to start training myself to be more cautious on acting on my impulses. 

“A few more minutes, My Ferna.” 

“Can you and the other guards wait outside while Ceoda and I have some privacy?”

Deconi didn’t even say a word in reply, he instantly vanished with the many guards that was just surrounding us.  

“What’s up?” asked Ceoda. 

“Were you just trying to provoke Deconi back there? With the on-going questions about his dead teacher?”

“You noticed I wasn’t doing it due to ignorance, huh?”

“Seemed like you just wanted to test his immunity to anger or something.”

“Nice assumption, Remi.”

“Is it true?” 

“How did you come up with that idea?” Obviously Annel, but I couldn’t tell her that.

“You doubting my perception?”

“No, just curious about how that idea spawned within you.” I now have to give her a logical reason to how I had theorised such a thing. I thought Kings rarely explain themselves, or maybe that’s just what bad Kings do.

“Well, I know that you’re not stupid enough to ignore the fact that Deconi was starting to feel agitated about anything relating to his dead teacher.”

“Okay, fine, I did tried to provoke him, but I only did it for you.”

“I know, just wanted to confirm that you didn’t merely enjoyed bullying.”

Ceoda was just about to reply but withheld herself. 

“What were you going to say?” I asked.

“Just a childish remark.”

“You don’t have to pity me, just say what you want to say.”

“You call that bullying? Really? After what you’ve been through?”

“Maybe it isn’t as bad as what I’ve been through, but it’s still a form of bullying.”

“That’s why I swallowed the remark.”

“No, you did it out of pity.”

“So what? You going to outlaw that now?”

“Only for you, if you keep it up.” I teased. 

“And what’s the punishment?”

“Your always trying to provoke someone aren’t you?” I laughed at the obvious reason to why Ceoda is so blunt and rude all the time, or maybe that’s just the way all Galaxins act. 

“Its just fun witnessing an emotion people hate showing,” she said.

“And what emotion is that?”

“It varies from anger to frustration.” 

“And why do you even like such a thing?”

“Because it helps me gain an understanding of the people I surround myself with. If their emotions can be changed so easily by a swirl of words, it could make my public image look weak.”

“So you just ditch everyone that’s weak, so that you wouldn’t in turn look weak.”

“Yep.”

“How many friends have you lost over such a thing?”

“I don’t befriend anyone until they pass a few of my tests.”

“And I take it they don’t know about any of these tests either?”

“You guessed right.” 

“Has Annel inherited your fucked up standards?”

“Luckily for you, no,” The train was slowing down to a stop, two knocks on the door told me that we’ve just arrived. 

“We’ve arrived, My Ferna.” informed Deconi. Before getting out the train, I had to wait for my guards to scout the place clean. They would have done this in advance but theres only one train available at the moment, so my scouters had to board the same train as I. It is known that a King who waits, is also a King who waits to die. So luckily this happened in a tunnel than that of a public location. We took the elevator up to a castle that is protected by a shock proof dome. Then they lead me and Ceoda to this hall room, the left and right walls are brick made, but in front of us was covered by Larfern wood. Later, Deconi corrected me that this was the Larferna tree, pointing out the roots that I miss-saw. We casually approached it, and did what all lucky tourists do, touching the Larferna tree in all it’s freshness. 

“So this is what every Galaxin rulers after,” I said, while laying my hand on the tree my ancestors have planted. 

“Trust me, if you desired to own this from the beginning, then the expression you’ve just  shown wouldn’t be as anti-climatic.” I peaked over to see if Ceo holds any of the lust for this tree that so many do. I still can’t tell what she’s thinking.

“So people are willing to kill me for this?”

“You are the most protected leader I’ve ever met.” 

“But I’ve only got twenty-one guards?” I whispered it so that my guardsmen wouldn’t hear, because the last thing I want is to lower their moral. 

“That’s just your King’s guard, as of right now, you have people acting as decoys from all around the Larferna. So that no one knows where your exact location is. You also have an army of 10,000,000 Larfern guards above us, and a hundred million soldiers surrounding the outskirts of the Larferna Lands, your country.”

“How do you know all this and I don’t.”

“I had my own scouts retrieve the intel.”

“Isn’t that illegal and suspicious.” 

“Yes, but wouldn’t you do the same if you were on my Planet?”

“That’s something I never thought to think about.”

“I recommend you start doing so then, because a lot of people want you dead.”

“Who wants this land the most?”

“Land? They want your whole world, Remi.”

“Who?” I asked. 

“The Galactic Government, and most likely a bunch of other independent Planets,” she said it in such a finalised way. 

“So these law makers are plotting to kill me?”

“You’re more wanted than the most wanted list, Remi, ever since the public gained knowledge of you. Once your public coronation is completed, it’ll be even worst.”

Now am starting to see why Jakcon’s torments were orchestrated, feeling alone and hated is a common vibe most Rulers experience. And by forcing me to be bullied and isolated for the whole of my adolescence, helped produced me to become unfazed by the inherited disdain that comes with Ruling.