Hiding figure.
King Malik walked hastily towards the place he hung out with the masked girl last night, getting nearer to her, he halted and adjusted his clothes, he tried to put on a smiling face.
Malik is the kind of man that doesn’t smile, his face is scarce of a smile. He tried smiling, but it looked awkward, his mirror self mocked him inwardly.
“Why are you trying to impress the girl?” His subconscious asked.
“I’m not trying to impress her, I just don’t intend to scare her with my furious gaze, since she complained about it,” Malik replied in his head.
“Oh, I see! Then why didn’t you smile with your ministers earlier, she complained that everyone feared you?” He asked again.
“I can’t smile with those fools, not after I discovered how they have been treating my people unfairly,” King Malik replied.
“Are you confident? Cause it seems you want to impress her,”
“Keep shut, I won’t smile in her presence again since you want it that way,” Malik replied, he shut off his conscience and his old face resurfaced on his face.
He crossed his hands at his back and walked towards her, “Hmm,” he announced his presence and Aurora lowered her head.
“Good evening, your highness,” Aurora greeted, her heartbeat rising and falling. It wasn’t clear to her why, but she sensed danger even though she had tried surveying around before the king arrived, wanting to confirm her safety.
Instead of Malik to reply, he didn’t, he was lost staring at her as she lowered her head. He wondered why he was drawn to the strange girl. He has wanted to call to share today, wanting to see the face of the strange girl, but the meeting lasted longer than he expected, making it impossible to see her face today, but he hopes to see her face soon.
“Shastina, you look astonishing tonight,” he said to himself as chuckled, brushing his lips.
“What are you doing? You are smiling?” His subconscious popped out, he shrugged and put on an angry look.
“You can raise your head,” He said in his usual hoarse voice. He wanted to avoid seeming weak to himself, he shouldn’t be the smiling cause of a maid.
“Did you come with my answer?” He asked in an unfriendly tone, this made Aurora look up, wanting to see his face.
She hoped she hadn’t offended the king with her response last night, she is meticulous about the response she gives to the king.
“Your Highness,” Aurora stretched the word, wanting the king to change his look, still he didn’t get her signal, rather he yelled at her for a response.
“What is the link of communication you have come with?” The king asked again, more in a rude tone.
“The king should create a department where people can always come to make their problems known, workers should be assigned to this department, but must be people of integrity and loyalty, they should have access to the king and report directly to the king. They must brief the king of the people’s difficulties every day, and the king should always listen and find a solution to the concern,” The masked girl replied.
As soon as the word came out of Aurora’s lips, the fear in her disappeared, she was ready for any punishment the king might give her, at least she had fulfilled the wishes of the people and stopped Jericho from extorting the needy food.
There was a brief silence as she replied, the king contemplated her response, and during the process, Aurora was waiting patiently for whatever might come her way tonight.
After a while, Malik decided to lighten the silent ambiance.
“Did you think the king will have a sound mind if he was responsible for attending to all the people’s problems?” The king asked out of the blue, Aurora didn’t expect the question, she didn’t prepare for the question
“Your Highness,”
“Give me the answer if you are so sure of your answer,” Malik said in an annoyed tone, to him, the girl is trying to make him do all the work, whereas the minister will do nothing.
“The king should appoint ministers of communication and solution, the minister should oversee solving people’s problems on behalf of the king after the king’s approval. But the minister should be a man of loyalty and integrity, the king must take time to review his work at least once a week, and the people under him must be accessible to the king. The king should assign them himself, for effective discharge of responsibility,” Aurora
explained, and the king’s eyes widened. He was surprised by her intelligence. How come she understands loyalty to the king more than those fools call ministers? He needs this kind of person around him, and maybe he might start using her to solve some complex difficulties in the community.
“You are intelligent, just like Aurora,” The king didn’t know when Aurora brushed his lips.
“Thank you, your Highness,” Aurora replied and lowered her head as a sign of respect.
The King looked at her from head to toe, then he took a few steps away from her and walked towards the small lake in the palace, the coldness emerging from the lake cooled the king’s heart. Aurora trailed after him as he walked towards the lake, the king halted beside the lake, enjoying the blue view of the lake.
Staying at the tip of the lake, Malik’s brain re-displayed the recollections he had with his mother beside the lake in his minor days, tears ebbed out of his eyes and flowed to his cheeks, he brought out his hands and cleaned his face.
Unknowingly to him, Aurora was beside him looking at his face, without asking for permission from him, she patted his shoulder, she knows the king only cried whenever he remembered his mother, this is one of the secrets she knows about the king.
Malik raised his eyebrows, and he was surprised by the mask girl’s confidence,
‘How come she wasn’t afraid to touch him’.
He didn’t stop her, he allowed her to pat his shoulder. Moreover, he needed it. The girl gave him the comfort he required at that moment.
After the king calmed down a bit, he looked at Aurora’s face, his stare slipped over her skin, making Aurora blush
“Stop calling me your Highness, call me my king from today onwards,” Malik said in a low tone and walked away.
Aurora remained on the spot, his voice lightly accented and holding an experienced edge on her, Aurora was amused with the tone he just used on her.
She giggled inwardly, she turned, wanting to follow the king, but his gaze fell on a figure hiding beside the wall.