The King's Rejected Lady

Tessa's Intention

Tori flicked her hair slowly, her ruby eyes never leaving his sapphire ones. She gave Prince Lauren a sugary smile that could fool anyone except the two princes. "Have you forgotten that I am a Vesta candidate, your highness? I will be queen no matter who is the king." Tori did not blink under his scrutinizing eyes which earned her a nonchalant shrug from Prince Lauren.

"Never forget the last part of our deal, Lady Victoria. The information in this scroll is mine alone to own."

You are really Prince Corean's older brother.

"You have my word, your highness."

Tori's grin could not be contained with the way things were moving around her. Looking outside the window, Tori's eyes glinted while watching beggars fight for a piece of bread. They reminded her of nobles fighting for an ounce of power. Glancing slyly at the first prince without turning to him, Tori saw how immersed he was in what he was reading.

The northern region of the empire is a land of dispute. The newly conquered tribes are still finding a way to rebel against the crown. It is the only land of the Eckrett Empire where no nobles or aristocrats are holding to govern. The northern region is separated by the Mynron Cliffs which serve as a boundary for the four warrior tribes beyond the cliffs.

There are four tribes. The southern tribe which is nearest to the Mynron Cliffs is the Tekaran Tribe with 2,820 active warriors. The southwestern tribe is the Noshin Tribe with 2,652 active warriors. The northeastern tribe is the Teiwar with 1,465 active warriors. And the feared among all the nomadic tribes, the northern tribe of Arin with 4,186 skillful warriors.

According to Crown Prince Allistair, if I can control the four tribes then I can control the northern mine that the noble faction is currently eyeing.

Aah, father and Marquess Zoliel are both interested in this mine. After all, the ores in this land are sought after by many countries for arsenal purposes.

I think I need to pluck Marquess Zoliel's feathers one by one. It will be quite enjoyable to see him fall. Let him feel the freedom and might of the sky before pulling him down to hell, that way the pain would be tripled from simply killing him. No. Disposing of him is an act of kindness for the dead would no longer feel anything like shame, rejection, helplessness, anger...

Now, I must endure and observe. Oh well, all good things come to those who wait.

THE GRAND GATES OF the Castaña Estate welcomed Tori's official carriage. She was now with Lily who was just waiting for her while she was with the first prince.

Lily observed Tori. Her fierce red eyes hid the exhaustion she always saw in her mistress' eyes. Lily could not help but bit the insides of her lips with worry. The only thing she could do to ease her mistress' fatigue was to ensure the specifics in the estate would not disturb her mistress.

Tori was now leaning on her chair the entire ride. She was also occasionally massaging her head while her eyes were closed.

"I will ask the butler of the Castaña Duchy to prepare a Chamomile tea for you, Lady Tori."

Tori did not bother to look at Lily as she was busy massaging her forehead. She waved her hand in dismissal. "No need. Just give me the gloves that I told you to bring."

Lily grabbed the box she was holding since earlier. She carefully opened it for Tori to see the black-colored gloves the latter would use later on.

The carriage stopped. The moment they stepped out of the carriage, a trudging Duke Rowan welcomed them. His dashing look never failed to make the two women smile. Even the surrounding servants could not hide their admiration for the young duke. Though he was raised from a humble origin, his countenance showed every bit of nobility. With the broad shoulders of knights and the wisdom of a duke, Duke Rowan Castaña was among the top bachelors in the capital.

Lily saw how the exhaustion in Tori's eyes vanished like it was never there at all as the latter walked together with the young duke.

Tori wore the gloves she got from Lily while walking side by side with Duke Rowan. He kept on glancing at her. "Prince Corean visited you right after he got out of the confinement. He lashed at his knights. I don't know how he knew where you were with Sir Larat, but he managed to hurt you because I am still lacking."

Tori abruptly stopped walking making the others stop as well. "Worry not, Duke Rowan. I heard that Crown Prince Allistair detained him just now. I can't let him interrupt my plans." She resumed walking. Duke Rowan led Tori and Lily to the Castaña estate's holding cell.

Duke Rowan nodded knowingly."I heard that today is the opening of the dam. The construction was rushed this morning. The first prince wanted to use this to stop the Hunt."

"No. I gave him a clue about the Hunt. He knew that I am gathering information for the hunt. This plan is not engineered by the first prince, it is too easy."

"It's Duke Luwen Rozenreff and Marquess Zoliel, right?"

Tori smiled at him. "Yes. Marquess Zoliel is being a pest these days. He is also pushing for Oswald to join his trading company. What a greedy bastard."

"Do not worry, Lady Tori. I got the leverage for Marquess Zoliel. You can corner him anytime you want. You don't have to overexert yourself."

Tori did not like the way the young duke soften his voice to her. She hated the false sense of security of happiness should she choose to surrender from his concern. Instead, Tori chose to change the topic. "How is the prisoner?"

Opening the dingy doors to the cell, Duke Rowan bowed to Tori. "Better see it yourself, Lady Tori."

Duke Rowan together with Lily gave privacy to their mistress as Tori closed the steel door of the cell where the lying body was being held. The cell was better compared to the place where Tori stayed in the capital's prison cells. She was standing before the unmoving form of Tessa who was lying on the ground.

"You can stop pretending now, Tessa. I finally get it."

The shady death of Prince Corean in Season 2 is not due to plague, I am right. The second prince did not die from the plague in the original story. He was assassinated by the person he only loved.

A bitter end like the original Victoria.

"Cory will never love you. He will never forgive you." Tessa finally showed signs of being alive but she did not move from lying on the floor on her stomach. Her voice was hoarse but it was still laced with tenacity and pride/

"Says the person who claims to love the second prince, who committed treason against the queen and is planning to kill the second prince in the disguised of the coming plague," Tori replied. Her voice laced with a mocking tone. Tori's words stirred a reaction in Tessa.

Tori saw how the latter jolted upon the mention of the plague. She grinned.

"You can be quite desperate, Lady Victoria. Are you that afraid to lose Cory? Wake up. You will never own him, not until you will take the risk of trusting someone. But looking at you, you're just a scared little girl who chose to abandon him first just because you're afraid of being betrayed."

Gritting her teeth, Tori stepped on Tessa's fingers on the floor. The resounding sound of bones cracking frightened the mice away.

The latter screamed like a banshee which earned a sadistic smile from Tori. "You speak like someone who will not abandon him. Aren't we the same? Oh no, we are not. You plan to abandon him before the plague is at its peak then you'll come back just to give him false hope as you will stab him in the back by poisoning him with Vervain."

"H-How did you?" The tremble in Tessa's voice confirmed Tori's deductions.

You killed him in the original plot. And you dare lecture me? We are tragically the same but we both choose the wrong path to exact our goals. You chose to trust the first prince while I chose to trust no one.

Tori pressed her heels on her fingers which made Tessa scream again.

Tori could not help but observed the drug-induced body of Tessa who was so weak that she could not even lift her head from the floor.

"I told you, didn't I? I own Corean Shuia Eckrett." A pair of red eyes gleamed under the cloak of darkness.

Happiness, huh? What is that? I don't need something trivial like that. What I desire is to live in a world where I am supposed to be dead.