Restart Again: Volume 2 by Adam Scott (best adventure books to read .TXT) 📗

once our new companion had finished her mission briefing with the king.

“Honestly,” I complained into the sheets, “I shouldn’t have settled for an assigned guard. If I had refused the retainer, I definitely could’ve gotten out of having a babysitter.” With a wordless groan of frustration, I rolled over onto my back and rubbed my face. “He was right where I wanted him, too. What a waste.”

Lia tapped me lightly on the forehead. “I had a question about that.” She laid back next to me and swung her feet lazily off the edge of the bed. “How did you know what was going to happen? You were a prisoner being judged by the King, and somehow you ended up setting your own terms in the negotiation. Did you use magic on him?”

I smiled, thankful for the momentary distraction from my foul mood. “I didn’t know what was going to happen. Between my past experience with royalty and what I was able to glean from watching him with his councilors before our meeting, I was able to make an educated guess on how to manipulate him.” I rolled my head to the side to look at Lia. “It was certainly a gamble, but I knew the odds were in my favor. I wouldn’t have gone through with it if I thought it would put you in danger.”

Her cheeks flushed as she continued to stare up at the ceiling. “I wasn’t thinking about any of that. I was just...scared. When he asked me who I was, the only instinct I had was to answer immediately. That, and pray for mercy.”

The idea brought back some of the bitterness I felt from the encounter with the king. “It’s always the same no matter where you go. The systems are always set up to make you believe that the rulers are all-powerful and all-knowing, like they somehow deserve all the power they wield.” I scowled at the memory of Virram’s sneering face. “Why should you have to pray for mercy from him? What right does he have to judge you?”

I sat up and balled my fists against my legs. “The only difference between you and him is that he was born with a title, and you weren’t. Virram Yorrell is a weak-willed brat who never learned the word ‘no.’ Take away his title, and he becomes nothing but another commoner like us.” Memories of my encounters with the ruling classes in my past lives flooded back to me, unbidden and unwanted. My jaw clenched reflexively and cut off any further rambling.

Lia sat up beside me and put an arm around my shoulders. Her other hand cupped my fist comfortingly as she rested her chin on my shoulder. We sat together quietly as I tried to bring my ragged breath under control. “I’m sorry, Lux,” she breathed softly into my ear, breaking the silence. “I know how much you’ve suffered because of royalty.” My tightly balled fingers melted under her touch, and she wove her hand into mine. As my anger subsided, I registered the sadness in her voice, and a knot formed in my stomach.

Don't infect her with your torments. I let out a shaky breath and relaxed the muscles I had unconsciously tensed. “I shouldn’t be so negative all the time. My past doesn’t need to be your future.” I gave her hand a light squeeze. “Besides, it isn’t all bad. It was Virram’s arrogance that gave me the upper hand in our meeting. If he had been reasonable, I wouldn’t have had any idea what to do.” The small smile that spread on Lia’s face brought one to mine as well, and the cloud over my mind dispersed.

“It might not seem as important as fighting or magic, but being able to analyze a person and control a room through speech is a powerful tool.” I leaned back on my elbow and pulled Lia in close. “I was watching Virram with detection magic before the meeting started. A young man in the role of king, surrounded by three advisors who seemed nervous to counsel him. What would you guess about him, given that information?”

Lia nestled into my shoulder and pondered for a moment. “The advisors don’t trust him to rule alone.”

I nodded. “That’s what I thought, too. Now, there could be a lot of reasons for that, but based on his body language and facial expressions, I guessed that he was the arrogant type who believed what he said was law. He proved me right immediately, of course, so I started to act in a way to exploit that.” I looked down to Lia. “So, you have an arrogant young man who ignores his counsel and puts too much faith in his position as king. How do you take advantage of that?”

“I…” Lia trailed off, her brow furrowed. “I’m not sure. I guess you just do whatever it is you did, right?”

“Very clever,” I laughed. “To be a bit more specific than that, the best thing you can do in that situation is to forget you’re talking to the king. Virram is used to people fearing him by default, so treating him like any other—”

A loud click from the door latch interrupted my lecture. Lia and I looked up in unison as Valandra entered the room and closed the door behind her. She was still dressed in her full set of scale mail, and the ornate glass shield was strapped to her back. From my vantage point, the armor made her look like a glittering turtle that had figured out how to walk upright, with a multicolored shell she could shrink behind at a moment’s notice.

“I apologize for the delay,” Valandra stated curtly. “My duties here in the city cannot be left unattended while I am away, which necessitated the creation of an interim protection force for the king.” She snapped into a tight military stance, with her hands clasped behind her back underneath her shield. “Although King Virram has already introduced me to