Page 81 of The Heir
I stopped myself from gaping. Hearing my dad say that I was right felt unreal. “What did you say?”
“But there’s been enough change in my lifetime. A little more and we might as well call ourselves Motlanders. I won’t give up our sovereignty!”
“You thinkIwould?”
“No… no of course not, but I fear that our society will soften further.” Throwing his hands to the window he complained, “This morning I was given a petition signed by more than a hundred thousand people who want us to close down prisons and instead have rehabilitation centers with meditation and therapy.”
The revulsion on his face made me chuckle. “Let me guess; you burned that petition.”
“I can’t. People’s emotions are so damn sensitive these days.”
“Did you tell them that you would look into it?”
“No. I told them it would be over my dead body.” My dad squared his shoulders. “If someone breaks the law there has to be consequences. What’s so hard to understand about that?”
“I promise I won’t close down prisons.”
“I know you won’t, but if your mother or Linea gets their way, they’ll fill the place with living plants and art to ground the criminals and make them better people.”
“So what? If it helps that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
“Prison is supposed to be a punishment, not a fucking spa-retreat. There’s even suggestions that they should have massage and shit because apparently lack of human touch makes people crazy and is bad for the immune system.”
I smiled. “Maybeyoushould get a massage. You look tense.”
“No wonder, when I’m the only rational person around here. I need to know that I can trust you to carry on the traditions of the Northlands.”
Reaching out to him I looked into my father’s eyes as he clasped his hand with mine. “I promise that I’ll protect the integrity of the Northlands. We won’t become another part of the Motherlands. Our people will be forever free.”
“Yes.”
“Unless they are in prison,” I added to break the serious atmosphere.
Placing his other hand on top of mine, my father smiled. “That’s right.”
As we sat with both his hands folded around mine and him smiling at me, I felt the knot in my stomach loosen. “I better go and talk to Linea. She was worried that you wouldn’t accept her. I believe that’s one of the reasons that she rejected my proposal.”
“Tell her I’d be honored to add her to our family.”
“You mean that?”
“Your mother is the biggest love of my life. If I can love a full-blooded Motlander that much, I’m sure I will come to care for Linea as well. As long as she is good to you, then I’ll be pleased with your union.”
My grin spread from ear to ear. “Thank you. Now, wish me luck.”
My dad laughed as I moved to the door. “You don’t need luck, my son. Any woman would be happy to have you.”
“Let’s see if Linea agrees.”
CHAPTER19
Urgent
Linea
Pearl and I were left by the drone after Thor went to speak to his father and Mason disappeared with his wife Belle and baby Violetta.
“I would ask you to come inside, but your father called me this morning. He wants you to come back as fast as possible.”
