My room had an ivory wardrobe that perfectly accommodated all of my dresses, with a hidden compartment for my human clothes so the maids wouldn't get in them. Also in the room was a marble vanity, which lights up by the way, that held the latest makeup collections, though I rarely use them. A soft, pale blue carpet lined my floor, helping my abnormally cold feet. Everything was finished with gray trim, pale blue furniture, and gray light fixtures. What can I say, I like my decor to be cohesive. Having only fifteen minutes to get ready, I rushed to the wardrobe and put on the closest dress to me. It was a peach corset dress with a flowy skirt, white lace trim, and tulle. It complimented my warm brown skin, now pale from stress, and ear length straight dark hair, but did nothing for my purple eyes. “Good enough,” I shrugged, having some magic hands tighten the corset ribbon. Shuffling to my vanity, the heels were killing me already, I put on a thin layer of makeup complimenting my natural features. I would never get used to doing all this.

“Ready!” I remarked, bursting through the door in a daze. A mop of slicked dark brown curls sat atop pale olive skin—with a slight warm flush to the cheeks for some reason—two heterochromic eyes and a bright smile. He was more like the sun rather than a star. He wore a white dress shirt, but his blazer, vest, and pants were the same peach as my dress. This confused me, as I wasn't sure how he knew what I was going to wear, before I stepped outside. “Ready to meet the council?” He said, turning his head to face me. I didn't think it was possible but Silas's already pink face, adorned with beauty marks, flushed deeper.

“Ready,” I repeated. His dual-colored eyes shined at me. My face felt a bit hot, I quickly turned to hide my reaction. He always made me feel a bit awkward in my skin, which was strange because I have talked to many guys before but no one made me nervous like him. The castle was enormous, each hall had ten branching off from it. I swear there were thousands of rooms here, potentially more underground. Because of my residence's massive size, Silas offered to guide me if needed. Though he was my adviosr, he went out of his way to guide me as much as possible. 

After the previous ruler was stripped from her title, the castle needed a makeover. I took it upon myself to decorate each hall similar to the style as my room. Complete with marble walls, ivory floors, pale blue furniture, gray trim, and white light fixtures. Only the paintings lining the walls, artfully placed plants, and the flower arrangements were the noticeable differences. Silas and I passed by multiple paintings of my adopted family and I. One, though, was of the earlier queen. Just looking at it put me in a bad mood. I would have to request for a removal. Our walk came to a close as we reached the blue wooden doors of the meeting room. The oval marble table spanned the entire room, barely leaving a walkway. I sat at the end opposite the door. Silas, however, stood next to my chair. “Are you sure you don’t want to sit?” I looked up at him, my eyes pleading, he’s always had bad knees. Standing would have made it worse for him, especially since he didn’t even bring his cane today.

“According to the rules, I must stand, My Liege.” He said, with a slight frown to at least show a bit of concern for me.

The gigantic doors opened again, and The Nebula walked in to take their seats. 

“The Illustrious Supreme Ruler Selene Minth, Crescent of the Stars, Burner of the Moon Castle,” they regarded my outfit and Silas standing beside me. “It is certainly pleasant to see you again.”

“There is no need for that, be at ease. You may address me normally, we are here to converse, are we not?” I responded. Having my full title said aloud made me slightly uncomfortable. I’m also pretty sure that the last part is not a part of my title. I could be wrong though.

“We wish to show our respect for our ruler, but we will honor her requests.” Constellation Moon replied. Moon was old and had gray skin, just like his name. He had bumps all over, salt and pepper hair, complete with ice-blue eyes. His twin, Constellation Sun, was also old, but warmly flushed instead of gray. He had freckles, dirty blonde hair, and hazel eyes. They were the creepy old men I mentioned to Silas. The only odd thing about them is that they were Starlights and not a Moonlight and Sunlight, respectively. But that was true for the entire council. No matter their looks, the thirteen of them were all Starlights. Funnily enough, that’s what gave them their titles and names. Our species is classified into three groups; Sunlights, Starlights, and Moonlights. As the power level goes up, so does scarcity. Most Moons lived in the Moon Castle, inbred to make sure our power stayed pure. This left Suns and Stars to breed amongst themselves. The Nebula were the first group of Stars and are therefore the most pure, which is why they hold so much power. In our society, pure equals power. That was a saying I've heard multiple times growing up. So much so that the phrase was burned into my brain. 

“Let us start the meeting,” I stated. To ensure my position as Supreme Ruler remains secure, I have to be tenacious. In the past, The Nebula deemed multiple rulers unfit, causing multiple removals and a struggle for leadership. A ruler born through treason would need to stay dignified. “What did you call me here for?” 

“We wish to discuss the public’s opinion on you. To put it plainly, six out of ten interviewed citizens in Mona think you are a terrible ruler who does nothing for the public.” Constellation Calliope said, looking at their notes when reading the statistic. 

“I see. But what does that have to do with me? You were the ones who told me to disregard the public until my position was in a better place.” I said icily. It was true. When I first took over six months ago, The Nebula wanted to meet with me and I said yes, thinking they could offer me some valuable advice. Looking back now, they tried to make me seem distracted to control me. Control. Every single Patrician I have met wanted control.

“It has everything to do with you!” Constellation Orion said in outrage. He always specified that he didn’t like me after my takeover. Silas and I suspect he is a spy for the previous ruler.

“Ah yes, of course, it is my fault that you people were the ones to tell me not to help them. Or did you forget that fact?” I snapped. Suddenly, every constellation was squirming. “You seem to have forgotten your place. I am the Supreme Ruler of this planet. Not you. I rule this castle. Not you. I don’t care if the public hates me! I am still infinitely better than Her! But you can’t see that because while she was being a tyrant, you all were enjoying the high life and the profits. Every single one of her riots puts more lustre in your pockets! Her whole rule was a disservice to the people. Yet you come into my castle and try to tell me how to rule my planet because public opinion is down. Public opinion. Public opinion that I have raised because of my new policies and buildings. Are you aware that Lower Mona is finally being restored to its former glory? There is no absolute reason as to why the state with the capital should be in shambles. Eighty percent of LM citizens lived in poverty. When I improve LM’s economy you come into my castle and try to tell me that public opinion is down. Which public opinion are we talking about here? Public opinion in Upper Mona? Just because those uppity assholes aren’t getting government favor does not mean I am doing nothing for the public.” I lectured, telling them what they could not see. They weren’t even part of the public, they were nobles. Nobles who lived a high life that thought that when a ruler opposed them, they were unfit for their title. That was the truth of The Nebula. 

“Selene, I strongly advise you to control yourself. We cannot take them out yet. We still need their influence.” Silas whispered to me. Trying to do a bit of damage control, he stated to The Nebula, “I think you all should see yourselves out. Supreme Ruler Selene will hold more requests to improve public opinion in both Lower and Upper Mona. This will get something done for the community. I believe holding this meeting before breakfast has made everyone agitated. The Supreme Ruler and I will take our leave now.” With that, he helped me out of my chair and we made our way to the blue doors. Just before he closed them, he made one last statement, “Never think you are above someone who is clearly above you. Your arrogance will eventually get your position revoked.” The doors slammed shut. “Shall we get something to eat, Selene?”

“I think we shall, Silas.” Even after his save, I still felt a bit of anger towards The Nebula. How dare they try to lecture me on things they know nothing about? They always do this, only surveying a small portion of people to get manipulated numbers. Corruption is inevitable when bias exists.

~~~

The dining room was twice as big as the meeting room. Big enough to accommodate thirty people. The only difference between the two was the gigantic windows looking out into the sea. Like the rest of the castle, its decor matched that of my room. The only difference was that it was all white. Marble floors, white walls, a huge white wooden table, pale blue wood chairs with white cushions, white trim, and a crystal chandelier. All of this white meant that the room was practically glowing, so much so that it hurt my eyes. Most of my meals were sent to my office because of this. However, this time, I needed the light to refresh my brain. Silas and I dined at the smaller table in the next room, complete with the same decor. The table was actually for lovers to have more intimate meals rather than yelling just to have a conversation. One of the kitchen staff brought out human dishes like French toast topped with fresh berries, eggs, breakfast potatoes, lightly seasoned but perfectly crisped, and glasses of orange juice. How did the chef know that this was one of my favorites? It was so perfectly balanced yet filling that I wished I had it for breakfast every day. 

Silas was the first to break the clinking of forks against our plates. “Well, that meeting went well.” He remarked sarcastically. I could see that he was trying to lighten the sour mood. Meeting with The Nebula meant someone stormed out the room, whether it was me or them. Probably because those geezers couldn’t get their heads out of their asses.

“Spectacular.” I agreed with a nod and a warm smile. Truthfully, The Nebula wasn’t all wrong. The public disliked me. But from my reports, most said I was better than Her. Since I took over, taxes have become lower. I rebuilt Lower Mona and made programs to add more funds to the community. Upper Mona has gotten new parks and business owners have opened new shops due to it being significantly cheaper. Deportation rates have decreased because I have made it much easier to immigrate. I even made an immersion program for schools. That way they can see how different each country is. Deaths due to preservers have decreased by fifty percent, and hospitals’ service has improved. Healthcare is also more affordable, accessible, and available. I wasn’t a half-bad ruler, but my biggest flaw was prioritizing the public over the rich. That made me a shitty ruler in The Nebula’s eyes. 

“Listen, I know you hate requests, but it’s important.” He stated, looking at my face to judge my reaction. As if he had read my mind, “While you may have done a lot for the public, that was all because of requests. We wouldn’t have been able to use the funds as efficiently without them.” 

“I’m aware, but I also don’t want to sit on a throne for hours listening to sob stories from multiple people hoping to get an extra coin from the government. Half of them are Enlightenment workers trying to weasel their way back into Universean society.” I replied, expressing my displeasure at his promise to have me attend requests. 

“I get that, but you cannot refuse. Otherwise, The Nebula will strip you of your title and all of our hard work will have been in vain.” He replied. His point was obvious: ‘Don’t fuck this up and let your ego ruin our plan.’ His eyes seemed to say.

“Okay, okay, I get it. I won’t mess it up for us.” I said, trying to get him off my back. He always did this whenever I showed a bit of discontempt.

“Good. Now let me give you a rundown of the schedule.” Silas pulled his list from his pocket, and then read it out to me. “First, meeting with The Nebula, check. Breakfast, check. Enlightenment visit, that’s next. After that all we have to do is lunch, solstice planning, and dinner.” He put the list away. “Seeing as we have plenty more to do, we better wrap this up.” With the last statement, the kitchen staff were called into the room, clearing the table, and then leaving. Silas got up from his chair and offered a hand out of mine. I gratefully took it. I hate dresses. They make it so difficult to get out and up from seats, cars, everything! 

~~~ 

The pants were a blissful relief from the constriction of my previous dress. Our outfits had to be simple to blend in with humans and service workers. I decided on jeans, a white tee shirt, a black baseball cap to hide my pointy ears, and black Nikes. Back when I used to live on Earth, I saw this outfit everywhere, especially in more populated areas like New York and LA. Enlightenment changed seasons and weather to match that of Earth. This helped create a safe space for the humans that lived there. It particularly assisted in not scaring them. It was currently fall on Earth so I also put on a black zip-up jacket. Of course, Silas matched me. I swear he copies everything from my closet. That would be the case if he didn’t actively stock my closet, but I digress. 

I met Silas outside and in front of the castle. Similar to human movies, where there is a huge front area with all the carriages parked just inside the gates. The staff parked the car on the bottom of the staircase for easy access. What I hated most about leaving the castle for Enlightenment was the drive. First, we had to go across the strait of luck which connected Upper Mona to Lower Mona, then we had to drive to Upper East Mona. Then we had to pass through a secret entrance and get screened by guards.

 The entrance to Enlightenment was underground. First, we had to take this bridge that would take us under the sea, which stretched on and on. Then, we had to exit the tunnel and park the car in an underground garage. Because Silas and I were Rulers, we got an express pass through screening. Free at last, we stepped out into the daylight of Enlightenment. Humans bustled about, walking, talking, eating, everything that they did on Earth. Without the stress of jobs, family, or relationships. The whole reason we came here was to check on the energy. Achieving that goal meant that we had to go to the center tower.

~~~