May I, My Love? ✔

51. t h e i m p o s s i b l e

(Josiah's pov...)

"Break up with Harmony. Give up on her."

"What? How can you... how can you say this so confidently? So ruthlessly? Didn't you listen to anything I've said in all the time we have spent here? I cannot – and will not – give up on Harmony. Since I have made myself clear, excuse me."

After speaking for my stance, I stood up to leave but was stopped by his words.

"Don't you dare think you are above the reigning monarch, and do whatever you want to. You know that you won't have a future with that girl if I don't have permission for you both to marry. Your passion and ferocity is all worthless in this situation. Instead, I would want you to focus more on your duties and make sure you don't end up like Wyatt. Stop thinking about things that are impossible to achieve, and start working towards goals which are waiting for you to be fulfilled."

I was dumbfounded to listen to him say this. He just told me that my entire existence was in ruling the country, and he didn't show even a speck of shame in doing so. My blood boiled for the hundredth time this day, and I could no longer bind myself into the confines of respect.

"Duties? My parents didn't give birth to me so that you could make me your personal robot and ruin my life with this filthy and imposing politics! There is a limit to everything, and you too should know that you will never have full control over me. These people that you have put all your trust in, are the very cause of my sorrow and suffering. But, of course, you wouldn't know. You wouldn't care, because that's not more important than ruling the country."

"Which person are you talking about? Samuel? The man who has been with me through thick and thin, but never lost hope in me? Look at the nerve you have, to be cursing someone out because of your personal frustrations." He retorted, his voice too raising steadily.

"Yes, and have you forgotten that everyone wants a sum, a price for their hard work. That loyal man too, is waiting for his price to be paid, for he is only halfway there," I said sarcastically.

"Don't talk to me in cryptic codes. Come here and tell me, what is it that bothers you? Let's solve this once and for all."

I moved closer to him since this was a confidential talk and shouldn't get leaked anywhere. "Do you really think that my parents were killed in a genuine car accident? Did you not want to investigate their death? Were you so preoccupied that you never paid attention to what happened to them, and then proceeded to send me away from home. You think I don't know where was all this coming from? But how could you be such a fool? How didn't you catch this?"

I was seething with rage by the time I finished, and grandfather too, had an unusual light in his eyes. He abruptly stood up and slapped me across the face, hard.

"You ungrateful brat! Do you know how hard it was for me to raise you at such an old age? And now that you are all grown up, you want to call me foolish and doubt Samuel? He only told me what was best for this family, and you know nothing about it."

But I was in no condition to listen to his stern voice and blind beliefs. I was done with all of it. "Oh yeah? Did he also tell you that when I got attacked just a night before I set out for the main palace a few months ago? Oh, he mustn't have. Because he was the one to order it? Why? Because no one else knew about my whereabouts."

He looked shocked to hear this, and the hard look in his eyes subsided a little. "What? Why did you not inform me of this earlier? I would have investigated it and caught the attacker. I would have–"

"Oh yeah? Because I thought this time too, you would be advised to keep mum for the sake of your country, and you too, would do so willingly."

His eyes flashed with hurt when I said those words, which made me feel remorseful for a couple of seconds, until I remembered again, that no matter how much he loved me, he would never be able to love me more than his position. This was the fate my grandmother, parents, and now I and Claire had to live with.  He opened his mouth to say something, but I stopped him midway. I had had enough of his tyranny, and now, it was driving me nuts.

"No, I don't want to argue and fight anymore. I just want you to know two truths before I leave – one, my parents never died naturally, it was a trick so that Wyatt could become the next successor; and two, my love for Harmony will not die down, and no matter how much you try to take her away from me, I will fight back ten times harder. And don't ever tell me again that my life is to serve the country. I can become the greatest king, only as long as I'm personally happy. So, please, please, don't interfere in this issue."

And then, I walked away. There were a lot of things to be done, and the first one was calling off the marriage.