Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 90852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
“Not yet.” I moved us quickly but steadily towards the SUV.
“But. . .shouldn’t you say something.”
“Mountain Master, is there a war on free speech?”
“Mountain Master, can you address the recent allegations that influencers critical of your regime have met with unexplained deaths?”
Although she maintained my pace, Moni whispered, “Lei, you should respond.”
“I don’t care about that, I just want you back in the palace and safe.” I got us to the car and opened the door for her. “Come on.”
“Lei.” She frowned and remained right there.
What is she doing?
“Get inside.” I did my best not to scowl. “Please.”
“You should say something. People died.”
“I’m not saying anything right now. I want you back in the palace.”
She frowned at me. . .to my fucking horror. . .Moni did not get in the car. Instead, she turned to face the pressing crowd of reporters.
Wait. No. What the fuck are you doing?
She took two steps their way and I would have grabbed her if not for being frozen in shock.
Chen looked like he was about to piss himself, he stumbled over to me and got close. “W-what is she doing?”
The crowd quieted.
Some of the reporters widened their eyes.
Moni cleared her throat.
“Oh God no.” Chen shook his head. “No. No. No. She can’t just talk. We need to get it all approved by the press office.”
I did my best to keep the terror off my face and whispered back to him, “What do you want me to do, drag her away?”
“Yes.”
“She would be pissed.”
“And—”
“Chen, I would rather the East be pissed with me, then Moni.”
Then, Moni began to speak to the crowd.
Chapter fifteen
The New Voice of the East
Lei
“Hello.” Moni took another step forward.
The press quieted, and all cameras pointed in her direction. Her posture was tall and confident, and her chin lifted with a sense of pride.
Sweat began to bead on Chen’s forehead, and I felt a familiar twinge of anxiety.
The press was unpredictable, and Moni’s raw honesty could easily be twisted into scandal.
Protect her or let her speak?
The choice tormented me.
Inside, the conflict raged.
The Mountain Master in me was ready to unleash violence if they dared to disrespect her or twist her words to incite chaos.
But Lei, the man who loved and respected Moni as an equal, chose to stand firm in his trust.
This trusting shit is fucking hard to do.
I stilled my nerves as she began to speak.
“So. . .it is not my place to speak to you all, but. . .lives were lost last night. . .because of their comments about me.” Moni addressed the crowd with the same ease and tone as if she were speaking to a friendly stranger on the street.
The only problem was, the press in the East were not friendly strangers, they were a pack of ravenous wolves, hounding relentlessly for the juiciest scoop, the most scandalous detail. They were hungry sharks circling in a sea, tracking the scent of blood, adept at twisting innocent words into damning testimonies.
While a surge of protectiveness rushed through my body, my heart swelled with pride.
She hadn’t been in the East for a full two days and had dealt with all types of crazy stuff, but none of it made her emotionally crumble.
Instead. . .it seemed that every situation was making her stronger and stronger.
How does she do that? She’s a fucking warrior.
“First,” She swallowed. “I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families and friends affected by last night’s horrific events.”
Sweat actually began to drip from the side of Chen’s face.
Meanwhile, I found myself wrestling internally. My instincts screamed to pull Moni away, to shield her from the press’s inevitable distortions and accusations that could follow.
Yet, her composure and the clarity in her voice held me back.
“I know a lot about losing people that I love. . .” She scanned the silent crowd. “And the loss of life under any circumstances is a tragedy.”
Cameras clicked and whirred incessantly.
Then, she raised one finger in the air. “Yet. . .it is especially fucked up when those lives are taken due to simply voicing your opinion.”
Oh shit.
Moni's biting words sliced through the thick, stagnant air like a razor blade.
I blinked.
Chen gasped, “She cursed. They’ll be replaying that one word over and over and over.”
Like me, the crowd was left reeling, caught between shock and curiosity, waiting for her next words.
The reporters, who moments ago buzzed with restless energy, now stood frozen, pens poised over notepads, not even jotting anything down. . .just hanging on her every word.
Moni continued, “Death because of free speech is beyond fucked up.”
“She cursed again.” Chen wheezed and his chest began to rapidly rise and fall.
Around us, the atmosphere shifted to electric.
Suddenly, reporters scribbled furiously.
Would they be writing words of respect or critique?
The civilians in the crowd, perhaps not familiar with such frankness from a figure in her position, murmured among themselves.