After a while, Dominic was finished. He put the book down and was reaching for the next book when he noticed a man watching him.
“Hello, may I help you?” asked Dominic.
“That book you just read. Is it very good?” asked the man.
“Yes, it was,” replied Dominic.
“That is good.” The man sat down and picked up the book Dominic just finished. “Perhaps I should read this as well, but not today. Today, I have a situation that needs immediate attention. Will you be kind enough to read those later so that you can help me figure out what to do?”
“I would be happy to help. What is your situation?” asked Dominic.
“The King is promoting me to governor of Iselum in six years, and told me he would pay for the rest of my college as long as I get a specific major suitable for the governorship. There are three majors: Economics, Logic, and Ethics. Which major should I get?” asked the man.
“Hmm, can you get two minors?” asked Dominic.
“I can,” answered the man.
“Then I suggest majoring in Logic, with your primary minor in Ethics and your secondary minor in Economics,” said Dominic.
“Why in that order?” asked the man.
“Wisdom is necessary for any ruler, as well as mercy. Money is not a necessity; it’s more of a privilege for those in the higher class. For those of us who are poor, money is a necessity, as it’s the only way to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. Not only that, but you will be representing the King, so being a wise and merciful ruler will be the best option” replied Dominic.
“That is very true. Thank you, young man. I will inform the King of this decision. Now I leave you to the rest of those books.” The man smiled as he rose from his seat, gave a little nod to Dominic, and left the library.
Dominic waited a few minutes after the man left, to see if anyone else would need his aid, but since no one else showed up, he went back to reading the rest of the books. After the fifth book, a hand was placed atop Dominic’s stack. Dominic looked up at the owner of the hand.
“It’s dinnertime. You can leave the books here and come back to them tomorrow, alright?” said Gabriel.
“Alright, thanks,” replied Dominic. He rose and headed for the dining room. There was no paper waiting for him this time, only dinner. A man who looked to be in his late forties arrived at Dominic’s table only a few minutes after Dominic had started eating.
“I am in need of assistance. Will you help me?” asked the man.
“Of course. What do you need help with?”
“The governor of Julhem married a woman from one of our neighboring countries, and she is trying to drag the people into destruction. She is set upon disobeying every single one of the King’s laws, and getting her husband and the people to follow suit. Many of the people have refused, and many of those have moved out of Julhem into some of the surrounding city-states. She is now bringing in her religion, and it is certainly one of the worst religions, as it requires human sacrifices, namely children.”
Dominic gasped, “Have you told the King about this?”
“I have, but there is something else. A man named Naboth has been executed and the King wants me to investigate. If I find out that the man was falsely accused and executed on her orders, then the King will send in his army and retake Julhem. However, she has told me that if she ever saw my face again, she would kill me. I cannot be of service to my King if such an order is to be carried out. What am I to do?”
“Could you have someone she has never seen before, but someone you can trust, go in and investigate for you?” asked Dominic.
“She would figure it out; that woman is very smart and very sly.”
“Is there someone you could trust who is higher up, like a soldier, or one of the governor’s advisers?”
“No advisers, they’re all with her and many are in fact from her own land. Maybe one of the soldiers, but he would have to be one of the lower ranks, as I know she’s already won several of the commanders of the army over to her side, as well.”
“Couldn’t you ask for aid from some of the commoners or the servants? They would hear things and not know what to think of it. You might also want to get a hold of the men who were present at Naboth’s trial. They might be able to fill in a few details.”
“I could try that, and then there’s… hmm, that might work.”
“There’s what?” asked Dominic.
“Oh, Naboth ran a vineyard and was well known for his wines. I could still get someone I know and trust into Julhem, perhaps even me. We could disguise ourselves as coming from Fralis to buy some of his wine for, let’s say, the opening of our new restaurant. You know how the people of Fralis are. Anyway, the news of Naboth’s death has only reached the King’s ears; only a few others besides the three of us know of this. The people west of Itame would definitely not know about Naboth’s death, so we would at least hear the basics about what happened. We would have to do some digging if we are to find out what really happened, but we should figure that out as we go, for we will have to be very cautious if we are not to be found out.”
“That sounds like a good idea. I wish you the best of luck,” said Dominic, rising up along with the man.
“Thank you, and the best of luck to you, too,” the man said, shaking hands with Dominic.
Dominic watched the man leave, then sat down to the rest of his meal. As soon as all of the suitors finished, they lined up at the door, and Gabriel came to lead them to the room where they had seen the King earlier.
When they entered the room, another servant gave each man a slip of paper with his name on it. “Do not open these until the King tells you to,” the servant told them.
They proceeded towards the thrones upon which sat the King, the Queen, and the Princess Philomena, as before.
“Well,” said the King, “today was rather productive for some of you, but not for others. The paper with your name on it will reveal who stays, and who goes. Whoever has the royal seal on the inside of your paper stays. If your paper is blank, then you shall leave. You may unfold your papers now.”
There was no other sound than that of rustling paper, then came the little cheers of the victorious, and the groans of the defeated.
Dominic only gasped when he saw what lay beneath his name.