"Okay, what's your full name again?" Damian asked, as he had another stern look at Ralia.
Ralia's eyebrow rose at his question, but she answered without hesitation—though her voice held a hint of intrigue at his unusual line of questioning.
"My full name? Ralia Silvermane. A bit of an odd question, if I'm to be honest." She tilted her head, a slight smirk playing at the corner of her mouth. "Care to tell me why you need to know, Mr. President?"
"Just the curious side of me nothing much," he answered.
Ralia chuckled at his answer, her smirk softening into a small smile. She leaned back against the office wall, folding her arms across her chest.
"Well, I suppose a bit of curiosity is harmless. Though I am curious about something myself, if you don't mind me asking..." Her voice turned teasing, her smile becoming slightly mischievous—like the cat that got the cream.
"Ask away."
Her smile widened slightly as she noticed Damian's openness to her questions. Ralia shifted against the wall, her eyes locked on him as she posed her question.
"Your rise to power was... quite a shocker, to put it mildly. Not to mention your quick election. So, I just want to know this—"
She paused, her tone hinting at veiled suspicion. "Are you even qualified to be running a country?"
"Well, you just have to wait and see yourself," Damian answered.
A small huff of amusement left Ralia's lips at his response, her arms uncrossing as she gave him an appraising look. She pushed herself off the wall and took a few steps towards the desk.
"Waiting and seeing, huh?" She leaned forward, her expression both amused and slightly skeptical. "And you think 'winging it' is an acceptable way of governing a nation?"
"A Nation," Damian felt actually intrigued. "Tell me more about this kingdom you care so much about."
Ralia's expression hardened as she was put on the spot, but there was a clear hint of passion in her expression and voice as she spoke, her hands resting on Damian's desk.
"Well, Luminaris has been standing strong for thousands of years. We have strong military defenses, a strong economy, a rich history—" She paused, her eyes flickering across his face again before she continued, the edge of her voice becoming slightly sharper.
"It's thriving. And I'll be damned if I see it fall apart under incompetent leadership. "
"I promise I'm anything but an incompetent leader," Damian assured.
Ralia studied him for a long moment, her piercing gaze unwavering. Then, to his surprise—she smirked. It was small, almost imperceptible... but it was there.
"We'll see about that." She straightened up with a shrug. "But I'll admit... I like your confidence."
"Okay, that's all for now," Damian concluded. you can take your leave."
Ralia arched a brow but didn't protest—she merely offered Damian a small, respectful nod before turning toward the door.
"Very well, Mr. President." Her smirk returned for just a second as she glanced back at him one last time. "Try not to get yourself killed in the first week."
And with that, she was gone—leaving Damian alone in his office once more.
It wasn't even long before there was a sharp knock on the office door. Luna appeared in the doorway, her cat-like gaze settling on Damian with a mixture of curiosity and intrigue. She closed the door behind her, her tail flicking idly.
"You called for me?" Luna asked
"Yes," he said gesturing to his lap.
Luna's eyebrow rose ever-so-slightly as he gestured to his lap, a hint of a smirk spreading across her face as she sauntered towards him. She stopped directly in front of him, her hands coming to rest on her hips as she looked down at him.
"And what, exactly, do you want with me?" Her voice was light, teasing, as if she already knew the reason he'd called for her.
"To continue where we left."
Luna chuckled at his response, her smirk widening as she caught his drift. She moved towards his lap, her tail flicking behind her as she straddled him, her hands resting on his shoulders. Her tail curled possessively around his waist as she settled comfortably in his lap.
"Continuing where we left off, hm? I like the sound of that." She leaned in, her voice dropping into a low, sultry purr as she looked up at him. "So, what exactly... are you planning, Mr. President?"
"I don't know," he answered. "What do you want me to do to you?"
A playful smirk tugged at the corner of Luna's lips at his question, her eyes gleaming with mischief. She shifted slightly in his lap, her thighs shifting against his as she got comfortable. Her tail remained curled possessively around his waist, and one of her hands slid up his chest, tracing a line along his collarbone.
"Oh, you know exactly what I want, Mr. President." She leaned in, her voice dropping to a seductive purr as she whispered in his ear. "Question is... will you give it to me?"
"I definitely will."
Luna's smirk deepened at his response, the gleam in her eyes growing more intense as she heard the certainty in his voice. Her tail curled tighter around his waist, and she slid a hand up to his jaw, tilting his head slightly towards her. Her touch was a gentle brush, but it was also possessively firm.
"Good." She shifted in his lap again, straddling his hips with a deliberate, teasing motion. Her expression was a mixture of playful and sultry. "Because I want... everything."
Then,
A sudden knock on the door disrupted the intimate moment, causing Luna to glare in irritation, her grip on Damian's shoulders tightening subconsciously. She shot him an annoyed look, silently questioning who could possibly be interrupting them at such an inopportune moment.
"I have to answer that," Damian said as he tapped Luna to get up from his lap. "Come in."
Luna let out an annoyed huff as Damian gently tapped her to get up, reluctantly sliding off his lap and taking a few steps away from him. Her tail flicked irritably behind her as she crossed her arms, her gaze still holding a hint of frustration as she waited for whoever was at the door.
The door opened to reveal Ralia standing there, her eyebrow arched curiously as she took in the scene before her—Damian sitting at his desk, and Luna a few steps away from him. Ralia's eyes flicked back and forth between the pair before settling on Damian.
"What's the matter Ralia."
Ralia's expression was unreadable as she glanced between Damian and Luna, her lips pursed slightly before she finally spoke.
"I was just coming to inform you that we've received new intel on the goblin situation—" Her gaze flickered toward Luna for a second. "—but I can see you're... preoccupied."
Her tone carried a hint of dry amusement as she turned to leave. "I'll update you later, Mr. President."
"No I'm not occupied," he said. " What do you think is going on here."
Ralia paused, turning back to face Damian and Luna with a skeptical expression. She crossed her arms and tilted her head, her gaze flickering between the pair.
"Well, it's not hard to figure out what it looks like you were about to do. I interrupted something, clearly."
She smirked faintly as she looked at Damian, her eyes flicking to Luna for a second before returning to him. "And given the fact that you had Luna here alone. In your office. With the door shut."
"Enough with your baseless speculation," Damian said, his voice high. "I can have you remove from the council. Quickly brief me on the goblin situation."
Ralia's smirk faded as Damian's stern tone and words cut through the air. She squared her shoulders and cleared her throat, her demeanor instantly growing more professional as the conversation shifted back to the goblin situation.
"Apologies, Mr. President." She took a step forward, all business now as she got to the matter at hand. "It appears our scouts have discovered a new movement from the goblin raiders, and they've managed to capture one alive."
"That's good to know, was there any causalities?"
Ralia shook her head, her expression serious as she reported.
"None on our side—just a few wounded soldiers, nothing severe. The scout team was smart about it." She folded her arms. "But the important part is this—our interrogation of the prisoner revealed something... unsettling."
"What? Please tell."
Ralia's expression darkened as she explained further.
"The prisoner revealed that the goblin raids are not just random attacks, they're being coordinated. But the most alarming part is this—the goblins have a leader, and he refers to himself as... 'the Goblin King.'" She pauses, looking at Damian with a serious expression. "It appears something much more sinister is at play here."
"Goblin king?" Damian seemed intrigued.
Ralia nodded grimly, her expression hardening at the mention of this new threat.
"Yes. And from what we've gathered so far, he's not just some ordinary goblin warlord—he seems to have actual tactical intelligence behind his moves." She exhaled sharply. "Our scouts believe someone else—someone beyond the goblins—is pulling the strings."
Luna, who had been listening silently up until now, suddenly chimed in with a low growl in her voice. "That would explain why they're suddenly organized and attacking caravans with such precision..."
"Yes, it's now adding up," he said. "The reaction from other nations? What are they."
Luna nodded in agreement, her eyes narrowed as her brow furrowed with concentration. Her tail was lashing behind her, a clear sign of her own agitation at the situation.
"Exactly. If this 'Goblin King' is working with someone, it would explain why other nations are being so damn careful about their response. They're worried about getting involved in something bigger." Her gaze flicked to Ralia for a second. "Any chance the scouts learned anything else useful from the prisoner?"
Damian turned to face Ralia
Ralia met Damian's gaze, her expression grim as she crossed her arms.
"Only that the Goblin King operates from an old ruin deep in the Blackpine Forest—somewhere called 'The Hollow Maw.' It's a known goblin den, but now it seems to be acting as his stronghold."
Her tone grew more urgent. "Our scout team suggested we strike quickly before he solidifies his power—otherwise, this could escalate into something far worse than mere raids."
"We will have a council meeting by this night," he said. "I need to understand the political and military structure of this kingdom before I can proceed with further actions, can any one of you brief me on that."