“thank you,” he took the money from her and gave her the beef sticks in exchange.
Ella bowed and thanked the king, then she and the king walked away from one other.
After they had left the guy, the King inquired, “I…. Really, I don’t know what to say. They were both holding sticks, and she gave him one to use and kept one for herself. “Spenser said with a nostalgic tone, looking at the stick in his palm, “I truly can’t remember the last time I ate this.”
Ella glanced around cheerfully and saw that the previous guy was speaking to another and pointed towards the King. ” Okay…. I don’t suppose there was any kind of issue, however. “She stole a glance at the King, but saw that he was distracted by the taste of his stick. He shook his head and murmured, “Hmm.”
Two women Ella saw walking by were likewise staring intensely at him. Was there a problem?
The king took another mouthful and said, “I believe this tastes better than the last time I did.” $
For the first time, Ella spoke out and diverted his attention away from the steak to focus on her: “Uhm… My King, I believe we ought to go on.”
Is there a problem?
And just as he did, a deep voice came from among the vendors: “It’s the King! ”
Everyone looked shocked and bewildered as they abruptly stopped moving and turned in that way. In fact, Spenser was so stunned that he couldn’t even speak.
“The King? ” Suddenly, another voice chimed in.
Another guy next to the first one responded, “I’ve served at the King’s Palace previously. “The King is too priceless to be ignored, even when in tatters,”
“even though he may not know me.”
Ella felt her heart racing. Her gaze traveled to the market’s entrance, where she saw Viscar and the two other guards entering.
They didn’t seem to be in uniform, though, and instead kept their attention fixed on the King. Ella’s eyes flashed with worry. All her efforts were for nothing. The ultimate waste!
“Why on earth would the King wear that?” A female voice mumbled. They had formed a tight circle around the King, despite his apparent vulnerability, but no one dared break the silence. When asked why the King wouldn’t be at the market, one responds, “Why not? ” someone else whispered.
This is not how the Alpha King would present himself. The whispers were becoming louder and Ella hurriedly turned to gaze at the King.
“The Alpha King would never come to the market when he has hundreds of guards and maids. ”
Viscar wasn’t really shocked; he’d known from the start that the plan wasn’t going to pan out as planned.
Now his main concern was determining whether or not he should launch an attack:
“The King….” “It’s truly him….” “What might he be upto….”
“Do you believe there’s anything wrong….”
“SILENCE!!! ”
Suddenly, there came a thunderous roar, louder than a thousand human voices, commanding awe and reverence regardless of its source’s outward form.
The merchants’ hearts were pounding so hard that they couldn’t speak, and even Ella was intrigued about what the King was going to do.
If he doesn’t know what to do, how does he get out of this jam? The only way out was to leave, but she didn’t want to.
Being the cautious monarch that he was, King Spenser deliberated for quite some time before finally speaking out, and during that time the salespeople were afraid to say a word for fear of offending him. He stepped forward, hatless and regal, and removed it. A little gasp was audible.
His voice was calm yet audible as he started, “I am certainly the King.”
“And I’m not here today because something’s wrong with me or because I had to pretend to be this way. But I did it all because I was curious to experience this for myself. Because of my status as King, everyone here would rightfully be afraid to sell me any of the supplies I need.
Thus, I only want to live a normal, unremarkable life tonight by passing myself off as one of you. Also, I’m still interested in recreating that evening. So, right now, I’m not here as King Spenser, but as a Man who wants to have so much fun, for only a few hours”
There was complete silence for many seconds after that. There was a frightened look on Ella’s face as she stared at the floor, reluctant to accept the King’s words. Nonetheless, the advertisers, will it truly make a difference in people’s lives?
The salespeople gently spun around, looking at each other’s faces. It wasn’t until one of the them got down on his knees that the first real movement occurred. “Oh! We do not deserve you, Alpha King, in the name of the goddess. “His hands were clenched in a pleading gesture as he shouted out.
“Our eyes are not deserving enough to see you at our own will, the market floor is too filthy to touch your feet, and the air is too foul to enter your nose. Other than the moon goddess, you are more like a deity to us, Alpha. ”
It was at that point that Ella’s eyes welled up with tears and she said, “We do not deserve you here. ”
What? One more marketer followed the first one on his knees, then two more, then five more, ladies and men alike…. It was a long time until the King and Ella were the only ones left in the circle. Everybody else was bowing their heads or kneeling.
Spenser had a look around and was unimpressed. The recognition was not the same as the ones he received regularly from the Palace.
He had never expected to get such a warm welcome from his countrymen. His normally unyielding heart thawed a little. After a moment, he declared, “I am no god. I’m a wolf and a human, just like you, with one key difference: I’m the one who gets to lead you. ”
“Therefore, you should never tell me that I am unworthy of your love. Why? Because all I want to do right now is have a good time. Get up and walk. ” People were still on their knees, and there was a sudden hush. One of the them eventually got to his feet. With an awkward “Uhm… Al… Alpha King,” he bowed.
‘If you genuinely want to have this fun, then I believe it’s in our responsibility to make it happen,’ he stopped and sniffed.