There was a look of astonishment on Joanna's face the instant the owner of the voice stepped foot into the large hall.
[What the hell is he doing here? Wasn't he busy with her so…]
Joanna didn't know what to make out of Amos' entrance.
[What is he doing here?]
Mr Fin couldn't mask his expression of shock. And luckily for him, the students were too busy looking at the gutsy student who dared to challenge him to see his dumbfounded look.
"You didn't say anything, Sir," Amos, now standing some distance away from the podium, said as he folded his hands behind him.
"Don't tell me you want to go back on your words Sir," Amos questioned. The way he kept emphasizing the word Sir made Joanna a bit worried.
"What the hell is he up to now? Isn't he afraid of making a fool out of himself if ends up not being able to give Mr Fin a satisfactory response?" Joanna mumbled.
She was so nervous that she didn't realize it when she locked her hands together.
"Ok, since you are so eager to prove yourself then I will ask you a very simple question. I will consider letting you take the empty seat beside her if you can give me a satisfactory answer," Mr Fin said as he turned and focused his attention on Amos.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"A simple question?" A lady in a purple dress sitting just behind Joanna scoffed.
"Is there any question Mr Fin asked his students that is simple?" She added.
"I bet he is saying this to make the guy feel less intimidated," the lady with sunglasses hung around her V-Neck collar replied.
"Many people have different opinions of what qualities make a great King and Queen but if you can give me four satisfactory qualities that make a great Queen, then the seat beside her is yours," Mr Fin said as he lifted his hand and placed it on the podium before him.
Amos turned and stared at Joanna after Mr Fin made his question known.
"The four qualities that make a good Queen…," Amos muttered as he dived into deep thoughts.
Everyone waited to hear his answer but for some reason, he didn't say a word. He just kept on staring at one spot which was Joanna's face.
[Why does he keep staring at me intently, do I have something on my face?]
Joanna subconsciously lifted her right hand and touched her face when Amos wouldn't stop looking at her.
"It's ok if you haven't ever thought of that…,"
"For me, a Queen needs to possess the following qualities to be considered a great Queen…," he trailed, his gaze still fixated on Joanna's face.
"She must be smart to be able to assist her husband. Virtuousness has always been one of the qualities that determined a good Queen. And lastly, she must not be too humble or too arrogant," Amos said. He finally tilted his head to look at Mr Fin after listing out his points.
"Can I ask you why you made your last sentence?" Mr Fin asked. His eyes followed the young man who was moving to stand in front of the class.
"Because as a Queen, being too humble will make your subjects undermine your authority. While being too arrogant because you are next in line to the King will make you lose your subjects' love and respect," As he talked Amos gestured with his hands as he moved about the front of the class.
Mr Fin couldn't resist shaking his head hearing Amos' wisdom-packed reply.
"Ok, I have heard your answer but can you tell me the reason why you didn't mention powerful as one of the qualities?" asked Mr Fin.
His question caused an uproar in the once quiet hall.
"I knew that no matter how good his reply was Mr Fin would still find fault in it. I can't believe I was right," Joanna heard one of the ladies sitting behind her comment.
"Seeing how all of you are mumbling does that mean you all want to give me a response on his behalf?" Mr Fin asked, his stern glares focused on his students.
It wasn't so surprising to see the hall go quiet once again.
Mr Fin averted his gaze back to Amos. "Are you trying to tell us that physical strength is not a quality a Queen must possess?" Mr Fin demanded.
"The reason I didn't mention physical strength is that…," Amos trailed as he spun so that he was looking directly at Joanna's eyeballs.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm[Why is he looking at me again?]
Joanna bit her lower lips as she stared back at Amos.
"That quality should be for a warrior and not for a Queen… I mean what is the use of a warrior if the Queen has to be selected based on the qualities of a warrior…," A student interrupted Amos with a raise of his hand.
He went ahead to talk after Mr Fin permitted him. "Are you trying to tell us that it doesn't matter whether our beloved King married a weak woman?" The guy in a brown long sleeve shirt challenged Amos.
"Don't get me wrong everyone…. I didn't say our Queen should not be powerful but I was trying to say being powerful should not be criteria for selecting a Queen," Amos explained further in case anyone misunderstood his points.
"Instead our Queen being powerful should be a bonus if she possessed all the above-mentioned qualities," Amos said. He brought back his attention to Mr Fin.
[I knew that His Majesty would never disappoint me with his reply. No wonder he is such a good King despite being surrounded by a bunch of hungry wolves who call themselves ministers…. He has yet again enlightened me]
There was sheer admiration in Mr Fin's eyes as he looked at Amos.
"Was my answer good enough, Sir?" Amos asked.
"Before I give my verdict I would like to ask whether anyone has a contrary opinion to what he just said…," Mr Fin trailed as his eyes moved from one calm face to the other.
"If anyone among you thinks there are better qualities a Queen must possess then come out and challenge him. If it's this topic we will deal with the entire day then I am ready to give you all the floor to educate me," Mr Fin urged them on.
Amos turned and faced the class waiting for anyone to come out to challenge him.
Unfortunately, none of the students was confident enough to step forward.
"Since none of you has anything to say, let me tell you that I do," Mr Fin said to the surprise of Amos and the other students.
Joanna's smile faded in an instant.