The King's Rejected Lady

A Villainess In Heat

Standing in front of her bed, Prince Corean looked at her with a mocking grin on his face. Gone was the passionate look he had earlier and was replaced by a sinister cold one that Tori grew to loathe in a few seconds. "In the end, you are only a woman playing politics."

Tori steeled herself as she gracefully sat on her bed, she gave him a sly smile before she flipped her hair and touched her swollen lips. "Is that so? Then why are you acting like a virgin noble lady? I should be the one doing that. Besides, you are my fiancé. You own my body, your highness."

You will not break me. No one can. Not even you, my only chosen king.

Prince Corean kneeled on the bed and grabbed her shoulders with a smirking face. His face was a few inches above her so she had to tilt her head to meet his gaze. "Keep believing in that, my sweet fiancé. But will find Tessa only then, will I consider my betrothal to you."

Prince Corean leaned to kiss the corner of her lips before he walked away towards the balcony's door where he came in earlier. Without looking back, the second prince's silhouette vanished leaving Tori seething.

I did not let you live just to defy me like this, Corean!

A HOODED FIGURE trudged the dangerous Pivet Alley. With a single knight as a companion, the person walked with confidence in the dead of the night. Every step was calculated to avoid drawing the attention of beggars and criminals lurking on every corner.

Street children holed up together to provide warmth to each other. Criminals were drinking and singing a merchant song. Some of the beggars created a small fire in their corners to fight the cold breeze of the night. But the hooded person paid them no attention at all.

The hooded person could not take off the hood even with the desire to cover oneself from the wrenching stench of the dirty place.

Turning the last corner of the infamous Pivet Alley, the mysterious person finally saw a dingy-looking clinic. With the way the clinic looks, even a rat would not come inside it. It did not have any doors and the windows were broken.

"Are you sure you want to go inside?" said the hooded person's companion which the latter responded with a determined nod.

"Stay here." The hooded person did not wait for the companion's reply but instead, the mysterious person went inside the rendezvous point.

The clinic was not used anymore. With the way the things were trashed inside the place, and the dirt that piled up, even the very air the hooded person breathed were full of dust. This place was abandoned, a good place to meet up like this.

"You came," a familiar voice echoed inside the small clinic. The newly arrived person walked in front of the hood person with a sadistic smile.

"How can I refuse such an offer? But I can't picture you to be a traitor not even once."

The person before the hooded one only replied with a nonchalant shrug before giving the scroll that the hooded person desired. "Use this well and remember our deal."

The hooded person suppressed a greedy smile upon receiving the important scroll that would change the course of the future. "You will have it just give me time to reap the fruits of my labor."

A satisfied smile appeared on the other person's face while watching the hooded person's reaction. The hooded person hid the scroll from plain sight before walking outside the dirty place.

The hooded person was stopped midway upon hearing the other person's words. "See you later, Lady Sabrina."

Sabrina turned to the traitor. "You bet I will."

The person left alone in the clinic pondered what happened on the bridge this afternoon when the envoy got into an accident. Because of this, the plan to kill the second prince got interrupted and thanks to this the plague could not be used as an escape route. The coincidence of the Ming Country's envoy bringing tons of sand to the capital just to be confronted by an accident was over the top. It was clear that Victoria Rozenreff manipulated the scene just to stop the assassination.

Now the dam could not overflow the other side of the river, and the Vervain's toxic would not be able to flow into the dried streams that connected to the heart of the capital city. It would take time to remove the sands, by that time; the Vervain's existence would be too risky to be kept so they had to uproot the toxic plants and had to proceed to plan B.

THE NORTHERN most region of the Eckrett Empire was a land of ice and beasts. No one dared to venture there afraid to meet their deaths by the sharp glaziers or by the savage beasts that could only be found in that area. No one dared but two tribes, the Arin Tribe and the Teiwar Tribe. They were an equally savage tribe that strived on that land. Or so what the people of Eckrett believed but the king knew that beyond those dangers laid a mine that would change the power play of the seven continents. And so the king conquered the nomadic tribes beyond the Mynron Cliffs. King Elphaim waged war among the four tribes beyond the great cliff and won. But though the four warrior tribes were defeated and were now under King Elphaim's rule, their hearts remained like before.

They separated their lives from the newly unified continent called the Eckrett Empire. Because of the worse climate condition and the promise of feral beasts lurking every corner, no noble ever dared to venture beyond the Mynron Cliffs that served as a boundary between the northern region and the Eckrett Empire. This caused quite a headache to the king, he could not force his way to the mines, because if he did, other countries would have a reason to wage war against the Eckrett Empire.

After all, that mine held a great number of platinum.

And that's the hidden agendum in this Hunt, hiding behind the pretext of unifying the great empire.

The grand drapes of the King's throne room were something that Tori did not mind as her ruby eyes scanned her surrounding with great interest. Two days after the awful incident on the other side of the river happened, King Elphaim summoned all the Vestas candidates together with the two princes.

And here they were, the left side of the throne room was occupied by the aristocratic faction namely Prince Corean and Tori while the right side had Prince Lauren and Sabina. Before them sat the old king on his golden throne-like he had the entire world beneath his feet.

"I summoned you all here to announce that anytime now, I will formally call a royal edict to start the Hunt for the Elysian crown and the search for the winner of the Vesta Challenge. Unlike all the other Hunts and Vesta Challenges you have surely all read from the empire's history books, this generation will be different."

Of course. You have placed a hidden agenda in these events. Your greed knows no end, Your Majesty.

Tori glanced at the princely-looking Prince Corean. He was standing a foot before her but she could still make out the sharp contours of his angel-woven face.

Who will believe that beyond that angelic face lays a two-faced demon? Well, like I could talk when I am the same as him or much worse.

The King's sapphire eyes scanned Tori and Sabina before gesturing for them to step forward. Now Tori was standing side by side with Prince Corean. "Now, for the Vestas. You have only one task and that is to help your chosen king. Make him accept you before this week ends and if your chosen king will accept you then you can formally participate in the Vesta Challenge. Should you fail to get the approval meant that you forfeit your one-time chance to be the queen of this empire."

Tori's eyes widened upon hearing the condition to be able to formally participate in the Vesta Challenge. In her peripheral vision, she saw how the second prince smirked. Tori already realized how hard this would be for her.

I will conquer you, Prince Corean Shuia Eckrett. And when I do, I will wipe that smirk off your pretty face.

King Elphaim continued, "I will grant your free pass in the royal palace to earn the hearts of my sons. Use it well for there will be no second chances in this game."

Game. He's right. This is all a part of this old fool's game. The Northern Territory is the real prize of this game.

Tori's ruby red eyes glinted with mischief before she curtsied to the king together with her wretched half-sister. "Thank you for your benevolence, Your Majesty. May the blessings of the Goddess Gaia rain down upon you."