Although the queen should be around her mid-40’s in age, she appeared surprisingly young, with an air of elegance. She wore a silver gown that exposed her shoulders, and she had tied her golden hair the shape of a smooth bun, decorated with jewels. The most striking part of her appearance was her red, ruby necklace, which she had paired with matching earrings. She bowed down.

[Elena]: Glory to the Empire. How are you, Your Majesty?

The King had a satisfied look on his face when he answered.

[Michael]: I am fine. You are as beautiful as ever.

She raised her head.

[Elena]: Your Majesty, you flatter me.

Next to her was a young man, who was the same age as me, with golden hair and purple eyes. He looked dashing.

[Cesar]: Father, I greet you.

He bowed to show his respect.

[Michael]: Cesar, it’s been a long time. I am happy to see you.

Cesar raised his head, a smile gracing his face.

[Cesar]: I am glad to see you in good health.

They then stepped to the right side of the king. The queen sat down in the first seat next to the king, followed by Cesar sitting next to her.

[Elena]: Edmond, how is the North? I heard rumors that you were captured by the barbarians once.

I heard the queen’s voice, so I fixed my gaze on her and answered.

[Edmond]: The rumors are very wrong. As you can see, I am fine. In fact, the very opposite happened. I intentionally got myself captured in order to kill their troublesome leader.

Cesar then looked at me with sharp eyes.

[Cesar]: You are in the presence of the king. Such vile conversations should not be discussed here.

I shrugged my shoulders, then continued to sip my tea.

That’s when the king decided to begin the agenda.

[Michael]: I have an announcement. Today, I shall formally begin the selection process for choosing the next King of Mauritius.

Everyone turned their gaze to the king in surprise.

[Michael]: The Crown Prince Cesar and The Crown Prince Edmond will be the candidates. I shall create a hidden organization to judge who is fit to rule.

I, for one, expected this turn of events, so I was not surprised. Neither was the queen, nor Cesar.

[Michael]: I am growing too old to rule the empire. Soon, my body shall give out.

Silence blanketed the room. I raised my voice.

[Edmond]: I have a question.

The queen’s eyes turned fierce.

[Edmond]: If we find out the identity of the judges, what shall happen to us?

The king turned to me.

[Michael]: Worry not. I shall not punish you, but the favor that will contribute to you becoming king will significantly decrease.

I nodded at his response and looked down.

[Elena]: Your Majesty, why won’t you judge them yourself?

The queen asked with a slight sense of irritation.

[Michael]: It’s because I may unfairly favor one more than the other. Was my decision unwise?

His voice was icy when he spoke, but he looked at her with gentle eyes.

[Cesar]: Father, will these judges observe from a specific area?

Cesar inquired with a puzzled look.

[Michael]: I don’t know. They may be the person beside you, or they may be a mere maid. I am not aware of how they will operate.

With that, the king stood up and declared the meeting over. After he left the room, the nobles followed him out, and finally, the advisors and generals exited, as well.

As I stood up to leave with them, one general held my shoulder.

[Christopher]: You little shit, I won’t forget what you did today.

I gripped his arm, shifted my body weight, and threw him to the ground. He laid there on the ground, quivering in pain.

[Edmond]: Christopher, the next time you raise your voice against me...

I glared at him with hateful eyes.

[Edmond]: … you will lose your tongue.

I let go of his arm and turned to leave.

[Edmond]: I hope we can get along.

I finished with a smile.

A few days went by after the king's shocking declaration. Word traveled fast in the city, and some citizens began to speculate.

I thought Cesar was supposed to ascend the throne automatically.

Others gossiped about me.

I hear Edmond has demonic skin. No one has ever seen him bleed.

Clearly, no one liked me. I mumbled to myself.

[Edmond]: I don’t need their support. Love is for the weak.

Alex, who stood beside me as usual, looked at me.

[Alex]: Your Highness, did you say something?

I turned towards him and asked.

[Edmond]: Are you loyal to me?

Alex quickly kneeled and answered.

[Alex]: I won’t forget the kindness you showed me. I will follow you to the afterlife.

Satisfied with his answer, I stood up and left.

[Edmond]: It is late. You’re dismissed.

Once I arrived at my room, I called out.

[Edmond]: James.

He appeared, as usual.

[James]: Your Highness, I found new information. The queen may attempt an uprising.

I sat down on the couch and looked at the ceiling, satisfied.

[Edmond]: I will finish what they started.