Chapter 30: Rose’s Decision

Rose remained in Kraken for another week while she personally reviewed the laws with Cole’s help. Lexa visited Rose often with the intent of discovering which way Rose was leaning in her decision. Rose made it clear that she had no intention of making her decision public until it was complete. On the fifth day, Rose took a walk to rest her eyes and to give Cole a break from all the writing he was doing. As she stepped out into the courtyard, Rose heard Lexa talking to someone. The voices were coming from behind a thick row of bushes that obstructed Rose’s view.

“I can’t do that to a member of the Scarlet family,” a man stated in response to something.

“You’ll have more power than any man in Kraken if you do this,” Lexa said.

“What about the law? I’ll be in too much pain if I touch her without permission,” the man argued.

“As governor, I can give you permission,” Lexa said. “I give you permission to touch Lady Rose.”

“I still don’t understand why you want me to do this,” the man said.

“Rose needs to understand why men can’t have any rights here. If you rape her, then there’s no way she’ll side with that silly little men’s faction,” Lexa said.

Rose felt her heart pound upon hearing Lexa’s plan. She turned and hurried back to her room to find Cole, but he wasn’t there. Unsure of what to do, she began to pack their belongings. They could stay at the inn until she finished her work. The only problem was that she didn’t know what man to look out for. Any man in town could be after her, and she couldn’t trust the town guards. The only person she knew for sure who wouldn’t be loyal to Lexa was Oakley. Yeah, she could ask him for accommodation in the meantime.

Oakley was surprised by Rose’s request but seemed happy to oblige. She didn’t tell him anything about Lexa’s plan and instead came up with a story about needing a quieter place to work. Cole arrived with their belongings soon after. By the end of the following day, Rose was satisfied with the changes she drafted. All she needed to do now was inform Lexa and then notify the townspeople. First thing in the morning, Rose returned to the governor’s house with Cole at her side in case Lexa’s plan was still in motion.

“I finished my review of the laws,” Rose said as they sat in Lexa’s office. “I’ll be making several changes to address the valid complaints of the men.”

“What kind of changes?” Lexa asked with a look of worry.

“Men will no longer be forced to comply with the command of any woman,” Rose began reading from her notes. Men will be allowed to own their own homes and businesses. Also, men will be allowed to leave the town of Kraken freely unless they’re married, in which case they will need permission from their wives. Lastly, the governor will no longer have the power to suspend a woman’s protection from being touched by a man without permission.” Rose smirked as she said this.

“This is outrageous,” Lexa complained.

“What’s outrageous, exactly? Women still have all the power. I just gave men a little dignity.”

A few days later, Rose had the people of Kraken gather so she could address them directly. Despite Lexa’s attitude about the changes, the feedback from the citizens was mostly positive. Rose signed the official document and placed the House Scarlet stamp upon it. Her fingers tingled with magic as she used the stamp, and then, by her authority, the laws were changed. As soon as Rose finished, a lot of people began testing the effects of the changes. Women were giving the men commands, but there was nothing to compel them into action any longer.

By evening that day, people were playing music, drinking, and carrying on. It had turned into a small festival. Even Cole was enjoying himself, being entertained by a girl who looked to be nineteen. Rose sat alone and watched everyone else, happy that her first assignment didn’t go terribly wrong. Her shoulders felt light again now that the weight of the stress had lifted.

“You made a lot of people happy on both sides,” Oakley said as she took a seat beside Rose.

“I still feel like I should’ve done more,” Rose admitted.

“I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you,” he said after a moment of consideration. “You should enjoy your moment,” he added when she didn’t say anything else but stopped himself from putting a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay,” Rose nodded, allowing Oakley’s large, strong hand to rest on her shoulder. It was comforting.

“I suppose you’ll be leaving soon,” he said.

“I will,” Rose confirmed. “I have a lot more places to visit before returning to the capital.”

“I think I was wrong about you, Lady Rose. Maybe it’s a good thing to have a young woman representing us. You can see past the foolish acts of us older people,” he smiled.

Rose considered his words in silence, unsure of what to say. His confidence made her feel better. The way his hand and fingers were firmly rubbing her back also felt good. Her eyes continued to watch the festivities in the distance as she turned to expose more of her back to Oakley. His other hand joined in to massage her, and she let out a small, satisfied breath. Aside from the brief moment with Cole, Rose hadn’t experienced any real intimacy. It was obvious that her body was craving it because she didn’t want this to stop.

Oakley didn’t stop, either. He pushed Rose’s long hair aside and kneaded his fingers along her shoulders and neck, occasionally moving down to work the soft muscles in her back. With no sun left in the sky, the air became cooler, which made Rose’s skin tighten with goosebumps. The sudden thought sprang to mind that she had never experienced sex in this body. All of her experience was from when she resided in Ivan’s body. The closest she came outside of that was when Hickory raped her, which was later reversed by Elm using magic. This was a completely different feeling than being aroused by magic, though. The way her body slowly warmed and responded to his touching felt amazing and exciting.