Page 120 of The Pacifist
“I’m flattered that so many were worried about me, but as Lord Khan explained in his announcement last night, Mila’s bridal tournament will have a new format and won’t involve Mila choosing a husband.” Jonah couldn’t stop smiling at me. “She can’t because she already chose me.”
“Mila, were you surprised when Jonah declared his love for you at the Council meeting?”
My heart was beating fast with the intensity of the interview being turned on me. “Ehh…”
“Did you see it when Jonah declared his love for you?”
“Yes, I was with friends. It was surprising that he was willing to share it with the whole world when he knew many would judge him for it.”
Turning to Jonah, the journalist asked, “Do you consider this a turning point?”
“It’s all so new that I haven’t truly understood it yet.”
“Are you aware that Councilwoman Wendy Douglas just announced that she’ll propose a bill that will make romance books legal again?”
“No, I was not, but I’ll support it of course.”
“Jonah, what do you have to say to your critics who accuse you of being in the pocket of Lord Khan?”
“I’m not!”
“Can you see why marrying his niece would make people think that there’s a close relationship between you and the ruling family of the Northlands?”
“I understand, and it’s no secret I’ve been an admirer of Pearl Pilotti since I was a young teenager. Her focus on equality and her tireless work to heal the centuries-old dispute between our nations is inspirational. I’m one of the few Motlanders who have met Lord Khan in person, and he is a man with a sharp intellect. He is also very much his own man and prefers to make his own decisions, which is something I can relate to. There’s no doubt in my mind that Lord Khan is the best-qualified person to be President. I’ve studied many of the other candidates and should they win, it would be a major setback to the Northlands.”
“Why is that?”
“Because the trust that Lord Khan has built with the Council won’t be transferred to a new ruler. It’s taken twelve years and with the political agenda that many of the other candidates have, we would need to protect ourselves from potential attacks.”
“Mila, do you agree with Jonah on his analysis?”
“I’m not much of a politician. All I know is that there are a lot of amazing initiatives being planned at the moment that will make the Northlands a better country. It would be a shame if Khan didn’t get a chance to implement them.”
“Can you tell us a bit more about these plans?”
I looked to Jonah, who shook his head a tiny bit. “Ehh, no, I’m sure that my uncle will share the good news himself, very soon.”
“Any last words for your supporters?” the journalist asked.
Jonah looked straight into the drone camera that hung steady in the air. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you to all of you who walked the streets and showed that you care. Together, we’ll change the laws that we should have never accepted to begin with.”
By the time the first interview was over more journalists had arrived. Jonah did two more interviews with much of the same questions and then as we were leaving, a fourth journalist began calling out questions.
“How are you going to celebrate this victory? Will you stay here or go back to the Northlands? And when is your wedding?”
Jonah hesitated but being polite, he took time to stop and answer. “I think we’ll celebrate by going home and find the answers to where we’ll live and when we’ll marry.”
“So, you don’t know?” The reporter looked to me.
“Jonah serves the people of the Motherlands. I’ve always known that if I wanted to be with him, I’d have to live here where his work is.” I gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m okay with that and Jonah has promised me that we’ll go back often to visit my family.”
“And your wedding? When will it be?” the woman asked.
“Soon.” Leaving it at that, Jonah pulled me along.
We had only made it out of earshot from the woman when I said, “I bet that lady who is proposing to make romance books legal was inspired by your speech.”
“Could be.”
