Chapter 246: Quoting Constitutions, Convenient Clauses, and a King Who Would Rather Not Listen To Morthen And His Slow Talk
Chapter 246: Quoting Constitutions, Convenient Clauses, and a King Who Would Rather Not Listen To Morthen And His Slow Talk
Elyn’s POV
I held the documents in my hand and stared at Zorathys.
He stared back at me.
Unbothered.
Unmoved and wholly uninterested in what I was holding.
If anything, he looked mildly inconvenienced that I was still standing there expecting something from him.
Was that surprising? Nope. Not even in the slightest.
Before I could say anything else, Naviel cleared his throat softly.
It was like he was scared of the noise it would make.
"Your Highness," he began, adjusting his glasses slightly, "perhaps... instead of waiting for His Majesty to stamp the documents..."
He trailed off.
I turned my head toward him slowly.
"...you could stamp them yourself."
There was a pause.
A very quiet pause. Now... that was a thought. Why force Zorathys to do this when I could do it myself?
Ignivar turned to Naviel immediately.
"No," he said, low and firm. "That is not how it works."
Naviel blinked at him.
"The Queen is to assist the King," Ignivar continued, his tone measured despite the exhaustion lining it. "Even then, she still requires his approval. That is how things are done."
Naviel adjusted his glasses again.
"But—"
"That’s how it’s been done since the beginning, did you forget?" Ignivar asked him.
Naviel exhaled quietly.
Then, after a brief pause, he spoke again. "There is no way His Majesty is going to stamp those documents though, we both know that, and if we don’t get the stamps, work in those mines wouldn’t begin, and if work doesn’t begin, the mines may collapse or better still, thieves and unauthorized mining will occur, which will then break out in a fight, and if it’s between two different demon species..."
"...a war, I know," Ignivar said with a sigh. "But you and I both know one thing we can never do is force His Majesty to work."
Naviel sighed because he knew that was the truth. Anyone who made Zorathys work when he didn’t want to would result in them going mad themselves. I speak from experience.
I stared at both of them.
"You know I can hear you, right?" I said.
Naviel coughed, his eyes wide. Ignivar mirrored his expression. They had both forgotten I was present along with Zorathys.
"Yes, Your Highness."
I sighed.
Their conversation just reminded me of the fact that I could not make Zorathys work. And here I was telling Zorathys that I would make him stamp these documents. Yeah right.
I closed my eyes briefly, exhaled, then opened my eyes and turned to Zorathys.
And let me tell you, this demon was not even focused on me or Naviel or Ignivar. He was instead looking around the office like he was searching for his missing rib... a rib he could sell.
"What are you..."
"...do tell, Firefly, where is that pest of a snake that always clings to you?" he asked me.
I blinked.
Then frowned.
"...Excuse me?"
He looked at me.
"That snake demon," he repeated. "The one that always picks a fight with me and claims to own you while still stealing snacks from you."
My eyes narrowed immediately as I realized who he was speaking of. I honestly should have known from the moment he said the word snake.
"Azerion is not a snake."
Zorathys tilted his head.
"He behaves like one," he said calmly. "His true form is one. That makes him a snake."
"He is a child," I said, my voice flattening.
"And he is only a child in your eyes," Zorathys replied without missing a beat.
I stared at him.
He stared back.
Completely serious.
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"Are you trying to avoid the stamping issue?" I asked him.
"No," he said immediately.
I lowered my hand and looked at him.
"That is not an issue," he continued. "I will do it later."
Was I surprised? Not at all. I also know that postponement meant about five hundred years later.
"And besides," he added lazily, "it is not my fault that Ignivar and Naviel did not inform me on time."
I stared at him in disbelief. Ignivar and Naviel informed him on time; he just didn’t want to work.
I turned to Morthen then.
"Morthen," I said.
"Yes, my lady?" he replied immediately, adjusting his glasses.
"Is there any part in the constitution," I asked carefully, "that states that I can stamp documents in place of the king so that work can begin?"
There was a pause.
Morthen blinked.
Then his expression shifted.
He adjusted his glasses again.
Then cleared his throat. And I knew I was in for something similar to a sermon.
"According to Section Seven, Subsection Three of the Demonic Administrative Codex—" he started, voice steady.
"—in the event of the King’s absence, disinterest, unavailability, or prolonged disengagement from administrative duties, the acting Queen—whether formally instated or in an auxiliary position—retains provisional authority to review, approve, deny, or redirect petitions, proposals, and territorial development requests, provided that—"
I heard a loud yawn that could only come from one person, and then Morthen’s speech sped up.
"—such decisions do not directly contradict previously established decrees issued by the King unless said decrees are outdated, irrelevant, or have not been revisited within a minimum span of one hundred years—"
He was speaking extremely fast and honestly, this was the one thing I could admit that I was glad Zorathys did.
"—in which case the Queen is granted discretionary power to act in accordance with present conditions, current territorial needs, and the overall stability of the realm, with or without immediate royal endorsement, though such actions must be documented and may be subject to later review at the King’s convenience—"
"—furthermore, in urgent cases involving resource allocation, territorial expansion, infrastructural development, or newly discovered sites of economic value, including but not limited to mines, the Queen’s authority extends to immediate approval where delays may result in loss, conflict, or inefficiency—"
"—and in such cases, the absence of the King’s stamp shall not invalidate the commencement of work so long as the Queen’s authorization is properly recorded, sealed, and recognized by the administrative body overseeing the respective territory—"
Morthen finally stopped. He blinked as if in shock himself that he had spoken so fast.
"...So that’s a yes?" I asked him.
Morthen nodded, still in disbelief. "Yes, my lady."