Suffocating, imprisoned, and helpless. Those were the words that best came to mind. How ironic was this? That the future queen of the kingdom, a person with near limitless power, would have no choice in the matter. Yet, it was the truth, the sad pitiful truth. Elizabeth had given up on thinking and drowned herself in a sea of work. She hoped it would erase her doubts and change her mind overtime. That never came to pass. When she became the Royal Army General and went to the frontlines, she had the time to reflect. Was this what she wanted? Doubts bubbled up one by one. The inheritance race proved that she was not the only one who could become queen. There were others too, other powerful, popular, and ambitious candidates. Compared to them, she was like a wall flower, a pretty cosmetic. Being a queen… did not suit her, no matter how much other people tried to convince her.
That realization finally came to light when the next queen was announced. After much sadness and anger, there was… relief and joy. It felt like dawn after a long night. Someone else would take that burden from her, and the Alzar Kingdom would carry on. She was not needed. She did not have to push on. She could rest! The weight lifted from her shoulders. That was right. She was glad to lose. She would decide on her own future! So, when she faced Queen Samanthie, there was no deception. Elizabeth looked at the new queen with satisfaction. How glad she was, that it was not her standing there instead. That was her genuine emotion!
"…Yes, the trip was fair," Queen Samanthie replied simply, her face unreadable. "I heard much about your exploits here. You've done well as the Royal Army General."
"Thank you for the praise, Your Majesty. I couldn't have done it without everyone's help."
"Glad to hear it… Before I move on, may I have my possession returned?"
"Your possession?" Elizabeth was confused.
"The Holy Reingolian Medallion belongs to the crown. Please relinquish it."
Elizabeth understood, Ah, so she's trying to assert her authority here.
The Holy Reingolian Medallion was more than a pretty trinket after all. It represented the crown authority, the right to rule. Under normal circumstances, having the completed medallion meant becoming the next monarch. That was the tradition and rule passed down between generations of royalty. That was how it always was. That is until Elizabeth came along. Although she had the full medallion, and thus the right to rule, the Royal Family, Royal Assembly, and Grand Nobility Households did not accept her. It was not enough. That was why the inheritance race was created: to determine who deserved it the most. Since Elizabeth lost, the medallion should naturally go to Queen Samanthie. To demand it here in front of everyone… it was nothing short of a display of power. She wanted Elizabeth to physically and metaphorically surrender her right to rule. She wanted Elizabeth to acknowledge her as the true queen of the Alzar Kingdom.
Elizabeth sighed. What a pain. This scheming and trickery was precisely why she disliked the idea of becoming queen. Her hand clasped the medallion around her neck. While she was content with losing the inheritance race, she was not content with losing her medallion. She had it for her whole life, so it carried deep sentimental value. Perhaps, people took her hesitation as defiance, but the air quickly turned frosty. A subtle pressure weighed on her. Elizabeth's face darkened. Were the Royal Guards trying to intimidate her? Although she lost the inheritance race, she was still a princess. This kind of behavior was distasteful. They would have never tried this stunt if Sir Winstin was here.
"My apologies. As Your Majesty said, this belongs to the crown. Please."
"Very well," the queen called a servant to take it, while she moved to the next person.
"Congratulations on your accession, Queen Samanthie," the Conquestian said warmly. The queen was the former Royal Ambassador for the Zino Kingdom, so they were well acquainted.
"Thank you. The Zino Kingdom has done well to support us," she replied curtly.
"Your Majesty, General Petra at your service."
"Good work, general."
The lower the standing, the shorter her praises were. Her attitude was somewhat rude and arrogant. However, that was hardly surprising. She ruled the Alzar Kingdom and oversaw the Zino Kingdom. With the Imperial Council's collapse and the Four Great Nobility Families in disarray, that left the Alzar Kingdom as the strongest force in the Xingyuu Empire. What did this mean? It meant that currently the Alzar Kingdom had control over most of the human world. And as the queen of said kingdom, Queen Samanthie was the most powerful person in the entire world! Her arrogance was expected. When she reached the Imperial Princesses and Imperian Qiang, another tense moment emerged.
Ming smiled and bowed gracefully; her motions impeccable. "I am Princess Ming Tzu of the Xingyuu Empire."
Xiuying mimicked her sister and added, "I am Princess Xiuying Tzu of the Xingyuu Empire."
Together, they said, "We welcome Your Majesty, Queen Samanthie."
It was practiced, yet respectful. Nobody could complain. However, the queen said nothing in response, and continued to regard them coldly, like it was beneath her to acknowledge their presence. The two girls immediately felt uncomfortable. To not accept their bow was a sign of tremendous disrespect. Like Elizabeth, they were genuine princesses and the next-in-line for the empire's throne. They would be empresses one day, a position rivalling Queen Samanthie's own. To be this hostile with the future empresses, especially when they would be working together for the years to come, seemed overly shortsighted. Except it was not that unusual. They were princesses from a hostile civilization, one that warred with the kingdom for over five hundred years. Their father, the late Emperor Lianghu, had started the Second Great Kingdom War and killed King Harth. Not to mention, they were a generation younger than the queen. Xiuying and Ming debated how to would escape this awkward situation.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. I am Imperian Qiang Li, the… former patriarch of the Li Family. Shall we continue this inside? We have meals and a show prepared."
"Very well." She pardoned the two girls. "Please lead the way."
"As you wish."
Everyone walked towards the Imperial Court. Elizabeth saw her friends from the corner of her eye. She smiled and shook her head. Because this was an official ceremony, they could not participate. They would have to stay outside.
Once everyone disappeared inside, Shirley muttered, "I can't believe how rude she was. She wasn't like this when I talked to her before."
"When did you do that?" Benedict was stunned.
"I met her last year in the Zino Kingdom. She wanted to meet Freon and his uncle, if I remember correctly. That was when she offered to treat my mother and gift me a mansion."
"It's probably because my uncle caused the 'heavenly phenomenon' in Firecast. He drew too much attention to himself," Freon stated bitterly.
Benedict nodded. "Her Majesty must've wanted to determine if your uncle was a threat or not. At the same time, Her Majesty wanted to get into your good graces by helping your mother and gifting a mansion. That would explain the difference in attitude."
"I'm surprised that a knight would talk about Her Majesty like that," Freon chuckled.
"Very funny," he replied. "I haven't sworn my loyalty to the Her Majesty yet, so there's still some flexibility… I think."
"Do you think Elizabeth will be alright?" Shirley wondered.
"She'll be fine. This isn't her first time doing this," Freon said. "More importantly, how will the Four Great Nobility Families react?"
Inside the Imperial Court, Elizabeth had the same thought. After they took the capital, the war entered a quasi-ceasefire. The Jun Family had given up their territory and retreated to the Jian Family's territory in the south. There, they fortified their position and left their armies on high alert. It would be very difficult to siege them. To the north, the Li Family had consolidated their territories, securing the Samfeng Province, the Yunyun Stronghold, and the Quiton Gates. Their armies grew everyday, making them a dangerous threat. In the west, the Shui Family was in turmoil, because most of their subjects refused to ally with the kingdom. This led to multiple riots and rebellions across their territory. It was clear that the Shui Family's influence was much weaker than the other Great Nobility Families. As for the Alzar Kingdom, General Petra had stabilized the central provinces and much of the Jun Family's territory. Together, the Xingyuu Empire had been roughly divided into four parts.