Page 82 of Dark Reign

I imagined Felix and my team watching from the command center, holding their breath as I shook like a leaf behind this podium. How strange it was that my only comfort was the hand I held. One that, when I’d first taken it, was cold. However, as he poised himself to answer the first of many questions, his flesh had heated against mine.

Nearly every hand in the room was raised and I held my breath as Julian scanned the crowd before pointing to select one.

“Your Highness, what’s your response to the growing opinion that you should be labeled a traitor, and the accusation that this is all a ruse to hide your true intentions once you’ve taken the throne?”

Wow … they went for the jugular straight out the gate.

Julian cleared his throat at the abrasive question.

“Well, I’d say the public has jumped to conclusions without having the facts,” he began, “which is why I called this conference today, to clear up any misunderstandings. Now to answer the second half of your question regarding my intentions as Emperor … my thoughts and actions toward the Dynasty have never been anything but honorable, and I pledge that once I’m seated as your Presiding Emperor, I will continuously strive to do what is in the best interest of our people.”

I swallowed hard, acknowledging how vastly different his ‘interests’were from my own.

Gathering himself, he pointed at another reporter when more hands shot up into the air.

“Your Highness, how do you think the decision to take a Doll will affect your ability to fulfill the marriage requirement necessary to take the throne?”

A hush fell over the crowd.

“While I don’t claim to possess the intuitiveness synonymous with the North, it is my belief that not all Ianite women are opposed to wedding a man who’s engaged in a legal agreement with a Doll. As you all are aware, many of our leaders have also—”

“No one would argue that others have taken up this practice,” the zealous, female reporter interjected. “However, the difference lies in the timing,” she explained. “Others who have decided to partake were settled into unions with Ianite women first.”

That overwhelming silence crept in again, and I was admittedly glad that I was not Julian at the moment.

“So, if I’m hearing you correctly,” he rebutted with the hint of a smile, “you’re suggesting it’s more suitable for a man to marry first, and then proceed to spring this arrangement on his wife after years of monogamy? Some might argue that the timingyousupport is, perhaps, the less sensible option.”

There was a brief standoff between the two.

“I suppose there’s some truth to that,” she conceded with a smile, before retreating back into the crowd

I passed Julian a glance as he warmed up behind the mic. There was no question this wasn’t easy for him. However, you wouldn’t have guessed it watching him now.

My gaze slipped toward the edge of the stage where his father and Dynasty Brothers stood, waiting. They too seemed to have relaxed as Julian handled the crowd with finesse, like a man well-groomed for the crown.

He pointed at another female reporter.

“Your Highness, have you spoken to Cecelia McNamara since the gala?”

Julian’s expression dimmed at the mention of that name. “No, unfortunately I have not. I’d be open to having a conversation with her, though. Perhaps I’d be able to clear things up between us,” he added.

The woman seemed satisfied enough with the response as she continued.

“It’s been rumored that she’s already arranged a sit-down with a major network, to share her side of the story. Do you have a response to that?”

“Only that I understand why she’d feel the need to speak for herself,” Julian replied. “I too wanted the story to be heard from my point of view, and wouldn’t deny her the right to the same.”

His gaze shifted down to the podium.

“Actually, while I have the adequate platform, I’d like to publicly extend an apology to the entire McNamara family. While this has all been one big misunderstanding, it was never my intention to bring shame to Cecelia, or anyone,” he stated.

To my surprise, the woman who posed the question said nothing else on the matter. Instead, she offered Julian a kind smile and shrank into the crowd again.

More hands rose into the air and Julian answered each question with care. He was mindful to only explain what was asked, and only stretched the truth when necessary.

Mostly to protect me.

The questions began to slow and I was grateful for it. We had to have been near the ten-minute-mark, which was the rough estimate of time Julian gave for this affair.

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