CHAPTER 20………………………………………
A King’s Making
Every human being wishes to make their name known in the world. Death is an unavoidable fate, but fame never dies—so humans inevitably crave its eternity.
In that sense, the crown has always been an object of greed.
How much blood has been spilled for that crown? For it, a brother killed a brother, an uncle killed a nephew, a son killed his father. And now, this wolf-like princess was telling her:
“Help me seize the throne.”
What a greedy and audacious human being she was. Elexena knew this kind of person very well. They were ruthless gamblers who would even stake their own bodies to obtain what they wanted.
Elexena actually liked working with such people, because she knew they would use any means necessary.
And now that such a person had rolled right into her lap, how could she not call it luck?
However, she could not immediately take the princess’s hand.
“I said I would take revenge, not commit treason.”
Elexena bared her teeth in a smile.
She liked partnering with gamblers. But she never did so lightly. Smart gamblers achieved maximum results with minimal investment, but foolish ones ended up selling even the wrists of those who stood beside them.
‘Shall I see whether the princess is foolish or bold?’
Elexena decided to test her.
“Why would you say something like that to me?”
How would the princess respond?
Sweet talk, excuses, threats—if she resorted to such polished words, Elexena would leave without a second thought. Predictable people were useless.
Fortunately, the princess gave an answer that met Elexena’s first condition.
“Because I thought it was what you wanted.”
There was no twist or deception in her words—only pure sincerity. Hearing it, Elexena let out a faint laugh. It was certainly better than expected.
But what came next made Elexena’s eyes widen.
“I thought you, Cardia, would want nothing less than a ‘perfect revenge.’”
It struck right at the core.
A perfect revenge. Elexena wanted to give Cardia exactly that. It was the greatest gift she could offer to someone who had given everything of themselves for her.
Elexena smiled coldly. She was truly fortunate.
Smart gamblers achieve maximum results with minimum investment. But those who are good at reading people obtain everything they desire with the least effort. The ability to understand people was a far rarer talent than intelligence.
“You are someone worth speaking to.”
Elexena smiled broadly. The princess seemed useful enough.
As the princess had said, taking the crown prince’s crown would be a good plan. It meant stripping everything from a man who had nothing but a hollow title—and if he feared that loss the most, there was nothing more to discuss.
Elexena examined the princess closely. What did she want? Why did she want to become an emperor who only had a name, with no real power?
“Your Highness desires more than the throne itself, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
The princess nodded. Watching the sun set, she spoke again.
“Sorry. I have to go. I’ll be waiting for your answer.”
She smiled like an untainted youth. Then she handed Elexena a letter.
Smooth paper. The imperial seal stamped on it. An invitation in the princess’s name.
Elexena opened it and read the contents. Then she burst into laughter.
Now she understood what kind of picture the princess had in mind.
“Your Highness, I will see you in two weeks.”
Elexena smiled in satisfaction.
Because of the meeting with the princess, too much time had been lost.
After leaving the imperial palace, Elexena quickly called for Panake in a secluded place. With a strong beat of wings, Panake returned. He looked exhausted earlier, but after a short rest he seemed perfectly fine again. Seeing him so energetic, Elexena chuckled.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“Had a lot to say?”
“More like I met someone unexpected.”
Elexena gently stroked Panake’s beak.
“I’ll tell you while we head to the temple. Stick to crowded areas.”
“Got it.”
Panake grumbled.
Elexena had fled from the Windcadius duke’s estate. With nowhere to go, she planned to stay at the temple for a while. If she wanted, she could ask Cardia’s grandfather, Pherenike, to arrange an inn or lodging instead.
But there was a reason she had to stay at the temple.
They needed to deceive the priests.
Marriage and annulments were handled by the family elders. Even if the crown prince said he would break the engagement, that alone was not enough. So Elexena planned to bribe the priests and manipulate divine will.
What kind of divine decree could annul a marriage?
The answer was simple: “That human belongs to the gods.”
Panake was by her side—the daughter of two great gods, the God of Life and the God of Death. Just the appearance of a legendary beast would make people think of the divine. It would be seen as the will of the gods.
But deceiving priests alone was not enough. Cardia’s fiancé was the crown prince. Even if the imperial family was weak, matters involving it attracted attention. They needed to show Panake to many people.
So Elexena and Panake deliberately took routes through crowded streets.
“Thanks to you, I even get to see Mother.”
Panake laughed at that.
As he said, they were on their way to the Temple of the God of Life. The God of Death was one of the great gods, but also considered ominous, so they had to borrow the name of the God of Life.
“Hope I don’t get punished for blasphemy. If I do, Panake, you better talk me out of it.”
“Mother won’t care at all.”
Panake shook his head.
The God of Life had little interest in human affairs. She would not interfere unless humans caused major problems.
“That’s a relief, then.”
Elexena sighed.
Gods were capricious and absolute. If she truly didn’t care, that was good—but just in case, proper prayers were necessary.
‘Prayer, huh. How long has it been?’
There was a time when Elexena was quite devout, influenced by her mother. She never missed a day of prayer and always offered sacrifices before traveling.
The gods favored her. At one point, she was even called “the beloved one.”
But after her execution was decided, she had never prayed for a thousand years. She had no grudge against the God of Life, but the act of prayer itself made her feel sick.
Shaking off that feeling, she took out the invitation.
“Right, Panake. Starting tomorrow, we’ll be busy.”
“What are you scheming now?”
“Scheming?”
Panake narrowed his eyes sharply. Elexena shrugged again. She understood his reaction, but it felt unfair. She only acted when necessary.
She spun the invitation between her fingers. It was stiff, making a faint rustling sound.
“I met the princess earlier.”
She did not mention she had wandered the palace. Nor did she mention Palakium. Panake would have been furious.
He would probably shout:
“You shameless bastard!”
So it had to remain an “accidental meeting.”
“It says here a hunting tournament will be held in two weeks.”
Spring had come. After the cold winter, when all life revived, festivals honoring the gods were held. The largest among them was the hunting tournament.
While other festivals were small, this one gathered the greatest hunters from across the continent. The finest prey was offered as a sacrifice to the gods. How this tradition had evolved into an imperial invitation was unclear, but that was its essence.
“Will you participate?”
“Of course.”
Elexena nodded as if it were obvious.
In the past, she had won every single tournament. She had once been the most outstanding human of her era. No one could compare to her. And that would still be true now.
“I won’t just participate—I’ll win.”
The hunting tournament was a good opportunity. One’s name had to be known first.
Up until now, Cardia had been known as an idiot. That reputation would not help future plans. To claim Windcadius, she needed honor.
However, there was one problem.
“So, Panake, we need to go somewhere.”
Right now, Elexena had no weapons at all. Naturally so—she had left the duke’s estate with nothing. She could ask Pherenike for help, but that would not be enough.
Just “good” would not satisfy her.
She would gain fame, higher glory, and greater honor. Nothing could be prepared carelessly.
“I need to retrieve my bow, made by the daughter of the God of Armaments.”
Elexena’s bow, made by the daughter of the God of Armaments.
A bow named Akephos—one that could pierce mountains and strike clouds when fired into the sky.
Two weeks remained until the tournament.
Within that time, Elexena had to reclaim her bow, Akephos.
