Page 122 of Ruling the Green

With that, we headed out into the hall, meeting up with Mendalyn, Tove, and a few of Mendalyn’s women.

“Are you nervous?” Serin asked, reaching for my hand.

“Yes,” I admitted, slipping my fingers between hers and squeezing.

Each step felt weighty with all of the responsibility I was about to take on.

“Are you ready?” I asked Tove as he read over notes he had hidden in his pocket.

Tove exhaled.

“Yes. I will keep my part short. They won’t want to hear from me about your plans. I will announce Cass’s condition. I will introduce you as the king. And I will crown you. Then the stage is yours.”

Vishen, Mendalyn, and the other guards’ hands went to their swords as we knocked for the doors to open.

The crowd was large but was backed up enough by the military that no one posed an immediate threat.

Tove cleared his throat and moved forward, starting his little speech about the king’s condition. Which got cheers from the men and women gathered around.

Tove’s voice lifted, loud and clear, to be heard as he continued, talking about the line of succession.

Then he was reaching for the crown and sliding it on my head.

“My King,” he said, pressing a hand to his chest and bowing.

“My King,” Vishen, Mendalyn, and the other female guards repeated.

I glanced around, seeing the rest of the military glance around before saluting me as well.

“Bring forth the prisoners,” I called.

The crowd hushed, eyes widening as they watched the armed women lead Thistlegreen and Carver into the space between them and us.

“You have been charged with treason for plotting to overthrow the throne,” I called, watching eyes widen and hearing some people start to whisper.

“Fortunately for you, there will be no dungeons and no work camps.”

The murmurs grew louder.

“But you will lose something today. Something you can gain back through hard work and loyalty.”

Tove stepped forward, holding two glass jars out, each with a label on it—one for each man’s chip of happiness.

I lifted my arms and commanded my powers.

For one horrifying moment, I thought they wouldn’t manifest. But then I felt the draw, the pull, and saw the men tense and cry out as the chip was carved off and traveled up.

There was a gasp from the crowd as the piece of their happiness appeared out of the men’s bodies, floated in the air, then flew toward me.

I wanted to look, to gauge their reactions, to decide if this would be enough to send everyone home and keep them in line while I made changes. But I didn’t dare look away from my task. The last thing I wanted was for shit to go sideways. So I focused until the swirling orbs were in each container and sealed.

“For now, I took the smallest amount possible. But if I get word that you are still plotting against me, I will take more. And that goes for anyone who plots against me,” I called, making my voice carry. “You will disperse now. You can return tomorrow for the reading of my first round of edicts.”

No one dragged their feet.

Not even the men who’d just had some of their soul torn away.

“These edicts,” Tove said, following me back into the palace.