The throne room was decorated for the next round of the Queen trials accordingly.
A team of special investigators was ford to investigate the murder of Luna Rena, but Amora said they couldn’t stop the queen trials, a ritual that would bring bad ons if stopped midway.
Besides, the entire nation’s eyes were set on this royal ritual that happens once every few decades.
The seats of the council mbers were shifted back along with the guests who were allowed inside the throne room, while the center of the hall was set to test the remaining Lunas on a strategic basis.
Ten tables were set, all containing a board with the Werewolf kingdom’s main map.
The generals who were supposed to sit against the Lunas were already entering the throne room one by one, taking their seats on the side rows.
"Everyone! King Cyrus Valentino!" The guard on the doors announced.
Cyrus stepped inside the throne room, his dominance unbeatable, making everyone stand and bow to him in respect.
Fabian and Kyle walked alongside him, with Kyle still wearing a mask, sothing that didn’t go unnoticed by Rosaline, who raised her brows.
She could see that whoever this new subordinate Cyrus had found was quite important to him if he brought him straight to the throne room.
However, why wasn’t he ntioned in the subordinates list? Just what was Cyrus playing at?
Amora nodded at her grandson, and the man nodded briefly before taking the throne seat.
He looked at Kyle, who found his place a few steps below the throne seat, the first seat that usually belonged to Fabian.
Fabian was initially unhappy with the new changes, but hearing their king talk to Kyle last night filled him with happiness.
After all, their king finally found his lost brother. It was still a mystery to him why they weren’t revealing it to the rest of the family, but after what happened to their forr king, he understood, too.
"I welco you all to the second phase of the Queen trials," Cyrus said, his gaze sweeping over all the guests before he took a deep breath.
"I know what everyone has been waiting to hear. We deeply apologize to the Alpha of the Moon Masters Pack and assure them we will find their culprit soon. The culprit would face nothing less than a brutal death even if they won the queen’s trials. This death won’t go in vain. There is no place for such betrayal." Cyrus said.
The Alpha of the Moon Masters Pack stood and bowed to the alpha.
"We believe in the royal judiciary," he said and sat back.
Cyrus nodded, then looked at his grandma, who nodded, urging him to call the participants for the second round.
Cyrus looked at Fabian.
"Call the participants who won the first round into the hall. Their board ga is ready," he said.
Soon, the eight Lunas who won the first round entered before taking their places, respectively.
Cyrus looked at two empty tables and realized one of the tables belonged to Luna Rena.
He took a deep breath.
The guards realized their mistake in setting up the tables and were about to remove the table when Cyrus shook his head.
"No need. Let it stay in honor of the Luna who won the first round," he said.
The Alpha smiled gratefully at the King at his words.
"Where is Participant Alia?" Amora asked, his brows drawing close in annoyance.
Alia walked inside shortly, her panting form a clear indication that she ran all the way here.
"I am sure everyone was given the timings one day prior. How hard is it to follow the rules?" One of the Lunas sitting on the sidelines comnted.
Alia didn’t make a sound and instead looked straight at Cyrus, who nodded at her with a small smile.
Her gaze then shifted to Kyle, who smiled without a care in the world.
Amora noticed Alia looking straight at Cyrus and couldn’t help but clear her throat so others wouldn’t think they were biased if Alia won later.
"Be seated at your designated table, everyone," Amora said, and Alia walked to her table before settling down.
Cyrus wanted to talk to her and ask what had kept her, since they had dropped her off on ti. But he knew it had to wait, and thus, without wasting another second, he asked the generals to sit before the participating ladies one by one.
Alia gazed at the general briefly and noticed the long scar running down across his face, his skin scarred from burns.
The mask he had been wearing slipped a little when he sat after bowing to her for a healthy ga of play.
As if afraid he would scare her, the general quickly picked up his mask and was about to wear it again when Alia stopped him.
"That mark speaks of your honor and your heroic battles. Don’t let anyone call it a scar," Alia said without looking at the man.
The man paused in his actions. His hand trembled a little.
Why? Because his own family had abandoned him at his peak ti because of his ugly face.
"What do you know? It’s easy to say." The general scoffed.
Alia nodded.
She didn’t add much. She wasn’t here to preach advice to anyone but to win this strategic test.
Alia looked up right before the ga could start. Her gaze t Cyrus’s one last ti.
He sat there, in all his glory. His expression was impassive as his fingers drumd against the armrest while he looked back at her.
His expression was concealed. No more concern, pity, or care for her. However, his eyes were a completely different story. His eyes scread about his trust in her, and she smiled inwardly.
"The queen candidate shall be placed in command of the Western forefront. The opposite side, led by our seasoned generals who have fought battles for our kingdom, will simulate an invasion of the Riverfall Bloom Ridge. The goal is simple. Defend it for twelve moves." Amora’s secretary announced the rules.
The hushed whispers started to echo in the earlier silent hall as every board was displayed on the large screens.
Alia looked at the board set up before her, her brows drawn close in concentration.
Everyone knew Riverfall Blood Ridge was a cursed defense point—a suicide scenario.
Alia’s lips stretched into a smirk for a brief second. She had read about this riddle. I’ve heard of it in one of the groups that shared stories about the Queen’s trials of the forr queens. It was like a tea-ti story for them, but it was interesting.
This plot was undeniably unwinnable. That was what they called it. And with a setup like this...
"Your pieces are already in place, Miss Alia. We wouldn’t want to tire your pretty hands with unnecessary planning," the General said before her.
Everyone laughed at his comnt while the other Lunas and Hannah looked at the screen to see if the royals were favoring Alia.
However, they didn’t find any change in their boards. Everyone’s board was the sa. Which ant the mockery was not necessarily for Alia only. It was for all of them.
Alia smiled. She looked at the board for a few seconds, her rage concealed as her heart drumd fast against her chest, though her expression remained calm and collected.
She had been a pawn her entire life, for her father, for her sister, for Alpha Killian, and probably for Dominic too, but she didn’t want to be a pawn anymore.
She wanted to take control, just as her powers craved it and just as her father had instructed her to.
"Thank you, General Wren. That was very thoughtful of you. However, I would like to play my pieces." Alia looked straight into the general’s eyes for the first ti, her expression stoic, taking the man off guard for a second.
"But the pieces are already there, and the rules are clear. You—"
"The test is for them." Cyrus’s cold voice echoed, and everyone fell silent imdiately.
The pieces were placed back in their original places, making everyone look at Alia.
So of the Lunas hesitated to pull the pieces back, while so followed Alia’s path.
"To keep the competition fair, the Lunas wouldn’t be allowed to see others’ boards anymore," the secretary said, and soon a do-like structure appeared around all the tables. The caras inside showed the guests what was going on inside, but the Lunas couldn’t see the screen anymore.
"Won these days can be quite feisty," General Wren comnted, and Alia smiled.
"n always have a way to make it a woman’s fault, don’t they?" she said.
The secretary looked at Cyrus, and once he got the nod of approval, he asked the candidates to start the ga.
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