Reborn To Change My Fate

Chapter 361 - Three Hundred And Sixty

The advisors looked shocked. "But, Your Majesty, the tradition..."

Derek held up his hand, silencing the old man instantly.

"I do not care about a dusty tradition written by unhappy men," Derek commanded. He glared at the council. "She is my wife. She survived death to be by my side, and I survived hell to keep her there. The Queen can decide wherever she wants to sleep in. And she will sleep in my arms every night if she wishes. Do not ever question my marriage again. Is that understood?"

The advisors swallowed hard. They saw the terrifying, fierce look in the new King’s eyes. They realized he was not a man they could control with old rules.

They all bowed their heads quickly. "Yes, Your Majesty. It is understood."

"Good," Derek said, his voice returning to a calm, serious tone. He pulled a large map of Eudora toward him. "Now, let us discuss matters that actually affect the kingdom. We start with the Western Laws."

The room grew very quiet and tense. Everyone knew the history of the West. They knew about King Alistair’s cruel laws.

"The law that demands the execution of the families of magic wielders," Derek announced clearly, "is hereby abolished completely. It ends today."

Loud murmurs erupted around the table. The advisors looked worried.

"Your Majesty, the people of the capital fear magic," an advisor warned. "If you remove the punishment, they might panic. The magic wielders might rise up against us."

Derek slammed his hand down on the table.

Bang.

The room fell silent again.

"They rose up because we hunted them like animals!" Derek shouted. His mind flashed to Lord Colton, standing in the snowy courtyard, asking for his people to be free before he sacrificed his own life.

Derek pointed a strong finger at the advisors. "I made a promise to a brave man who died so my wife could live. The people of the West are citizens of Eudora. They will not be segregated anymore. They will not sell their children into slavery to hide from my guards. If any man in this capital attacks a westerner out of fear, they will face my sword. The Western Laws are gone."

The advisors looked at the King’s determined face. They knew they could not change his mind. They wrote down the new order on their parchment papers.

"Next," Derek said, moving the map aside. "The Tax laws."

He looked at the financial reports. The harsh winter had caused a lot of damage. The poor farmers in the outer villages were struggling to feed their families.

"We will reduce the crop tax by half for the next two years," Derek ordered. "The royal treasury is full of gold that Prince Liam hoarded for his war. We do not need to steal bread from starving farmers. We will use Liam’s gold to rebuild the damaged roads."

The advisors nodded. This was a logical, generous move that would make the common people love their new King even more.

"And the Travel laws," Derek continued. He was focused and completely efficient. "Open the borders between the western region and the central lands. Allow merchants to trade freely. We need their goods, and they need our food. We must unite this kingdom, not divide it."

The meeting continued. Derek went through dozens of old laws. He dropped the cruel ones, he kept the necessary ones, and he implemented new ones to ensure peace and fairness across Eudora. He argued with the advisors, he listened to their concerns, but he made the final decisions with a firm, steady hand.

He was a natural leader. He was fair, but he was incredibly strong.

However, the kingdom was large, and the problems were many. The meeting stretched on much longer than he had planned. He had wanted to be done before noon. But as they discussed the military budget and the trade routes, the hours slipped away.

Derek looked at the large windows in the council room. The bright morning sunlight had slowly changed into a deep, golden orange. Noon had passed long ago. The meeting stretched till late afternoon.

Derek rubbed his tired eyes. His back ached slightly from sitting in the hard wooden chair all day. He missed his wife. He missed his son’s loud laughter.

He looked at the exhausted advisors. They had gone through all the major issues.

Derek closed the large leather law book in front of him with a loud thud.

"We are done for today," Derek concluded the meeting. He stood up from his chair. "Write up the new decrees and send them to the town criers by tomorrow morning. I want the whole kingdom to know the new laws."

The twelve advisors stood up, looking very tired but highly respectful. They bowed deeply. "Yes, Your Majesty. Long live the King."

Derek did not wait for them to pack their papers. He turned and walked quickly out of the council room. He needed fresh air.

He walked out into the wide stone hallway. The guards stood at attention.

"Ian," Derek called out loudly, his voice echoing down the corridor.

From the shadows near a large stone pillar, Ian stepped forward immediately. He walked up to Derek.

Ian bowed gracefully, dropping down with one knee resting on the hard stone floor. He kept his head lowered in total respect.

"Your Majesty," Ian said softly.

Derek looked down at his loyal friend and shadow guard. The heavy burden of ruling the kingdom slipped off his shoulders for a moment. He was just a husband and a father again.

"Rise, Ian," Derek commanded gently.

Ian stood up, looking at Derek with a calm expression.

Derek smiled slightly. "Do you know where my wife is?" he asked.

Ian nodded his head. He always knew exactly where the royal family was at all times. It was his job to keep them safe.

Ian replied clearly, "Her Majesty is in the royal garden, my King. She is with His Highness, Prince Ryan. They have been there since the late morning, enjoying the warm spring weather."

Derek felt a sudden, bright rush of happiness spread through his tired body. He pictured Marissa sitting in the green grass, wearing her yellow dress, laughing as Ryan ran around her. It was the perfect image of peace. It was exactly what he fought so hard to protect.

Derek smiled warmly. The exhaustion completely left his dark eyes.

Derek replied, "Perfect."

He turned away from the heavy doors of the council room. He began walking with long, eager strides down the hallway, heading straight toward the large glass doors that led out to the beautiful, blooming royal gardens to finally join his family.