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After a few more kisses and a little bit more hugging, they finally parted ways, but with Maddox keeping a watch on her door as always—a precaution that had become a natural routine between him and the original people he had trusted. Many more members were added to that group after the video revelation, so much more than he had banked on, and showing up today was yet another way to convey his gratitude and instill that yes, he would be there for them, too. He would be present, would answer questions, and would take into account what every house had to say, even the least powerful one.
He would make decisions that were best for Ostrov Krov as a whole, but now it wouldn’t just be for the vampires but the other creatures that made up the island.
“Good evening, fellow leaders and house,” he greeted upon entering the room, a large, dome-like area where they could seat themselves in rows upon rows while he stood at the center podium. “Thank you for coming on such short notice. Shall we start?”
It lasted hours, as he expected it would. He longed for Winter in most of those hours but still managed to get his act together and be in the moment, especially when arguments broke out. While those happened, Nate paid attention to one person the most, observing the man stand up and intervene calmly but firmly.
“Josephine, I beg your pardon, but I hardly think that’s necessary. We are a united kingdom belonging to one island, not different factions. Our houses mean we have the freedom within our households to function as we deem necessary, not to separate us when that’s the last thing we need now.”
Josephine Umbert lifted her chin but didn’t protest the words. The other party in the argument, Andres Santiago, braced and listened.
“Andres, I agree with you, but perhaps we should think over our words. There has been so much tension between us, especially with the queen’s and Nicholas’s lies, and it would be best if we treat each other more respectfully. We have lost so much and are still in mourning for the houses that have betrayed us and given up on our island, blinded by the false truth. Please, can you kindly state your point again?”
It worked, as Andres restated his opinion but was gentler about it, helping Josephine relax until she reluctantly agreed. There were more moments, all of which Nate allowed to go longer than necessary—and all of which put Matthew Chatterley to light as he played mediator between contrasting parties, made more sense than most, and declared his points without forcing them.
At the last stretch, everyone had voiced out their opinions, and it was Nate’s turn. He let the moment of silence wash over the room before he finally spoke.
“The market is a much better place now thanks to our rules. So are the castle and its servants. We can all see the benefits of what our previous rulers tried to implement, and this time, we need to stick to it so what happened with the previous queen won’t happen again.”
He let the murmurs of agreement vibrate around the room, too, noting reluctance in some but a willingness to let it slide. He cleared his throat.
“I have a new rule, and it’s probably the last one I will make in a while. I promise it will help, and you can all vote on it. From now on, the royal house can decide to give up its crown and nominate which house can be the next in line. The rest of the houses can nominate, too, and take their vote. That new line will take over until they decide who is the next best candidate. Let’s discuss.”
It caused an uproar, but not as much as anticipated as Nate explained how this democracy was actually a good practice to provide the best leader for a kingdom consistently, instead of just following a bloodline. He thought of Winter once more, who had mentioned how it worked for her original home, and sent a silent thank you her way as minds opened and the discussion began.
A few hours later, Matthew Chatterley was voted the new king by a majority vote, and a ceremony was scheduled for the official induction. Just like that, House Hendricks was no longer in line for the crown, and Nate was no longer the kingdom’s future king—and now he had all the freedom in the world to do as he wanted.
And there was only one thing he wanted.
Finding Winter missing from the room and most of her favorite castle areas sent him a mini heart attack, but Maddox’s cryptic tracks had Nate shadowing the places they went to. The second to last stop was at House Silva, where Hughes gave him a puzzled look.
“Did we have a meeting, your highness?”
“There is no need to call me that, Hughes.”
Hughes smirked. “You are still the king until the ceremony. Let people call you that in the meantime.”
Nate hid a smile, then looked around, trying to figure out what Winter would have visited here for. A glint entered Hughes's features, light with humor. Then the man cleared his throat.
“Your fiancé is a brave one for exploring the castle and venturing here, knowing I live very far away from House Hendricks.”
“Yes, she is.”
“She’s even braver for asking me the schedule of incoming and outgoing shipments.”
Nate stared at the man as it finally clicked. “Thank you. Have a good night.”
He got out of there and searched for the nearest common balcony, then climbed up and heaved his way to the skies. It didn’t take him long to find her when he already knew where to look. Winter and his sister stood by the docks, laughing over something before Nicola hollered at the top of her lungs and got a few dock workers scrambling to do her bidding. He landed beside Maddox, who glanced at him and shrugged.
“They wanted to play while the big bosses were playing, too.”
“My sister’s words, I presume.”
“That’s right, brother,” Nicola chirped, already beaming beside him. “Just a quick stroll before I go out with the scholars again.”
“Another one?”
“There can never be enough research,” she quipped. “And I can’t wait to go wild, now that I’m no longer related to the king of the island.”
