Page 34 of The Dragon King's Assassin

“I told you, I'm a king. I have to make hard decisions nearly every day. Those decisions often upset those with high social standing. It's impossible to please everyone, and, frankly, I am not a man to cater to the wealthy. I always do what's best for the kingdom as a whole and the majority of its people. And the majority is formed by the lower classes. They are my priority; the rich can take care of themselves. So, yes, I give more time and consideration to the council members who speak on behalf of their people than I do to merchants and nobles. And that, as you say, pisses off a lot of people.”

The tension drained out of me, and I just stared at him. This was the man I tried to kill. A man I had disliked merely because of his race. I'd seen the things Taroc had done for the kingdom, I knew what he said was true, and yet it hadn't sunk in. Tarocvar was a good king and a good man. Usually, the two contradicted each other. To be a good king, you had to be a bit of a scoundrel. To be a good man, you couldn't do the terrible things a king must sometimes do. But Taroc had the balls to be both. He did what was right for his people without compromising his morals and fuck everyone else. No catering to the wealthy to get their approval, no turning a blind eye to the criminal things they did. Even other Dragons were held accountable to King Tarocvar's laws.

That was how he'd angered someone enough to hire me and yet had no idea who that person could be.

I grabbed him by the back of the neck and yanked him down into a kiss. He stiffened for a second, then melted against me, his arms sliding around my body and tightening as his tongue twirled with mine. When the moaning and stroking were done, we were both breathless and grasping at each other.

“What was that for?” Taroc whispered.

“For being who you are. I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner. You're as rare as your dog, Your Majesty. Maybe rarer.”

“How so?”

“You're a king with a conscience.”

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