The Silent King sat on his throne, reigning.
All about him, the palace bustled. Ministers saw to their purviews and clerks filed reports. Judges saw justice done. The kingdom ticked along smoothly.
It was never said, but the king was famous for his laziness. He’d learned at his father’s side and watched the man work himself into the grave.
He spent his first decade building a bureaucracy he could wind up like clockwork. Government became so self-sufficient he found himself without any duties at all, which pleased him.
He died sitting on his throne, and his subjects left him there.

“Dead Kings” by photographymontreal is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.

Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.

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