Chapter 143

The King commanded the attention of the room as he spoke, “To be honest, I was going to push for a

permanent appointment of ministers today. Seeing that it is unwise to do so when the verdicts of the

arrested ministers have not been reached yet, I must withdraw my prior intention. It is also an

indisputable fact that a more democratic nomination and appointment would require a notable period of

time. As many of you have pointed out, time is something we don’t have. We need creatures to stand in

now.”

“But clearly, not all of us agree with who we shall appoint for the vacant positions, so, as always, this

matter shall be put to a vote. Yes, Alivia?” Xandar noticed Alivia’s raised hand so he granted her

permission to speak.

Alivia smiled pretentiously and said, “Your Highness, don’t you think it is unjust to put such matters to a

vote when a significant number of our colleagues are absent as they fight off corruption charges?”

The King responded without needing to think, “It is their absence that made today’s meeting necessary,

and a vote necessary as well. These are temporary measures. If they can be proven innocent, their

positions will be restored.”

Xandar could say this so calmly because he knew it was unlikely that those four ministers would get a

get out-of-jail gift card from the court. The evidence piled against them would undoubtedly destroy them.

Harold then said, “With much respect, my King. Perhaps we should keep the right to vote among

members who have been serving for the past five years.” That meant Lucianne and Annie would not be

allowed to vote.

Xandar tried to focus on his mate’s small thumb as she stroked his hand when he asked, “What reason

do you have for preventing the Queen and Duchess from voting, Harold?”

The atmosphere in the room became tense. Harold didn’t seem bothered by that fact when he

explained,” Well, for one, the Duchess has not been with us in almost two decades. Forgive me for

suggesting this but her sudden presence seems to be for tactical purposes. It is as if she is merely here

because her vote is needed. As for…”

Christian cut him off, “If that is so, minister, why do you think my Duchess didn’t tum up to vote every

other time before today?” He glared down at Harold before he said in a low voice, “If I wanted to use her

to win a vote on any issue, I would’ve done it from the very beginning. Most of you in this room know why

m y wife has refused to join us for a long time. I’d suggest you rethink the past before you accuse me of

harbouring tactical intentions.”

Before Harold could come up with a response, Xandar said, “You may also want to rethink what you

were going to say about our Queen while you’re at it.”

Harold snorted before he said, “That’s the thing, your Highness. She is not our Queen. Well, not as of

yet, that is. I don’t recall attending a coronation ceremony. And this is clearly her first time in,”

Xandar’s low growl, followed by those of Christian’s, Annie’s, Weaver’s and Yarrington’s, halted Harold in

his speech. Xandar challenged, “Under which particular provision of law can the King’s mate not exercise

her right as Queen?” 1

Harold answered without hesitation, “It’s not a written law, your Highness. More like a convention. A

tradition, an unspoken rule, if you will.”

“Where is this unspoken rule found?” Xandar continued to press.

“It’s there as common knowledge.”

“Perhaps it’s because I’m the most senior member here. It’s a very old rule that’s not normally mentioned

since no Queen has ever entered through those doors before being crowned.”

It was Lucianne’s tum to speak, “I’m sorry, minister, but I’m confused. If it’s not normally mentioned, how

could it be common knowledge? If it’s a tradition, why is it that the generation after yours is unaware of i

t? And if it’s not discussed, don’t you think it has already become obsolete?”

Harold tried to look at Lucianne with as little spite as possible when he said, “Lycans started the tradition,

your Highness. I believe it is best for Lycans to say whether it is obsolete.”

Weaver didn’t have to think twice before he said, “Fine. Lycans, let’s put it to a vote and settle this here

and now. Those in favour of rejecting the convention that no one has ever heard about?”

Harold exclaimed, “No! You can’t just vote as such!” The hands that shot up clearly showed that Harold

had lost. Even Riven voted against him.

Xandar spoke again, “Since that’s been settled, both the Queen and the Duchess can exercise their right

to vote. Let’s nominate the candidates we have in mind and decide who’s the best we have for the job,

starting with the Defence Ministry.”

Christian snorted and playfully suggested, “Can the Queen be our Queen and our Defence Minister?”

This garnered much laughter from those in favour but only got forced smiles from those who didn’t like

the proposition. They didn’t even like her being their Queen, let alone both a minister and a Queen!

After everyone has thrown in names, which were, surprisingly to Lucianne, many members of the

alliance, save for a few Lycans. They voted and their choice of temporary replacement was Gamma

Tobias Tristan as Defence Minister, and the Lycan warrior Phelton as his deputy. 4

Next up was the Finance Ministry. This one took a little more time because Lucianne got more questions

from everyone around the table about the wolves she nominated. She spoke in a neutral manner, giving

them scenarios about how her nominees handled financial crises within their own packs and even those

o f their allies

Lucianne talked about their respective strengths and weaknesses as objectively as possible. For some

reason, Marie Martin’s other son, Henry Martin, was nominated as well. His credentials? He has a

degree i n Finance and has shadowed his mother with his brother for years.

It wasn’t much of a surprise when the vote ultimately made Luna Lovelace the temporary Finance

Minister, with Alpha Tate as her deputy. 1

As for Health and Welfare, Luna Hale was deemed to be the most suitable candidate for the position,

and Pamela nominated her fifteen-year personal assistant, Kenneth, who spends any leisure time in

hospitals and blood drives as a volunteer,

Gamma Benedict was made Deputy Minister of Education,

After the decisions had been made, Xandar dismissed everyone and thanked them again for making the

time to attend the meeting. Of course, Alivia, Harold and Cora were not happy with how things played out

but everyone else didn’t stop them from storming out of the room as soon as Xandar gave the greenlight

for everyone to leave.

When Alivia was out of sight, Weaver couldn’t help but start laughing as he replayed the King and

Queen’s sarcasm from earlier. Yarrington smiled as he rolled his eyes at his mate’s uncontrollable

chuckles and dragged Weaver by his arm as he said, “Come now, dear. You can continue laughing in the

car.”