Chapter 2

　　"My apologies for being late, Queen Sylvania; I had urgent matters to see to before this meeting. As you already know, a lot of other Sun-world kingdoms have had eyes on Andreia for a long time because of how blessed it is, and now that the kingdom has no king, it puts it in a very vulnerable position." King Japhet spoke.

　　My stepmother, Sylvania, got up from her seat and slowly walked over to the side of the table where King Japhet sat. She had a drunken, seductive look in her eyes. Her red dress peeled to reveal her upper thighs and her cleavage. She walked over to Japhet's seat, slowly passing her palms over his chest.

　　"How many times do I need to tell you not to call me that? I am no queen unless you make me one, my love. It's been a while since we've been together, yet you sit here talking about things that don't even matter to me." Sylvania spoke, rubbing her palms all over Japhet's chest, unbuttoning his shirt.

　　Japhet's breaths slowed, fists clenching to resist his sexual urges. I was sure he hated her as much as I did, but he couldn't show it. Not until his plan was complete. He grabbed her right hand before she could finish undoing all his buttons.

　　"Listen, Sylvania. This is no time for this; we have more important things to get to now," he pulled her hand away from his chest.

　　"Celene." Sylvania's voice dropped, letting out a sigh. Her love for him was evident, but she was tired of being treated like a means to an end. She walked away from, dropping back into her seat. Her arms crossed her chest.

　　"I told you I'm working on it. I'll end her life and make sure the news doesn't leave Andreia until we're married, but you must make me a promise, Japhet," Sylvania continued, her brows furrowing.

　　"Anything for you, Sylvania," Japhet replied, leaning forward.

　　"You will get married to me after Celene's death," Sylvania demanded, staring into Japhet's eyes.

　　Japhet stayed silent for a moment. His gaze drifted away from Sylvania, falling to the table. "I... promise...." he replied.

　　"Never mind," Silvania said. "I see no truth in your eyes. Now I understand what my role is in all this."

　　"What do you mean?" Japhet asked, lifting his gaze again.

　　"You'd have me do the dirty work, take my kingdom, and lock me behind bars forever. No one will question you when you tell them I killed my husband and his daughter. I will lose everything," Sylvania said, picking up her glass of wine.

　　"But that's not true," Japhet denied, a slight crack in his voice.

　　"Oh? Is it not? Then let's make another deal," Sylvania leaned forward. "You'll get married to me, and after the marriage, I'll kill Celene. After Celene's death, you will announce to the public that Celene died of the same illness that killed her father. Do we have an agreement?" Sylvania said, taking another sip out of her glass cup.

　　Japhet leaned back. He thought for a moment. "Fine," he conceded. "When do you suggest we get married?"

　　"We'll get married under the next blue moon. That night, the goddess's throne is closer to the kingdom and we have even more access to her blessings. Nothing will go wrong on that night; no betrayals, no battles, and no deaths. Only what she wills, and the goddess never wills evil in Andreia," Sylvania replied.

　　"Fine, we'll begin preparations immediately. I have to take my leave now."

　　"No! You're not going anywhere until I tell you to. I spent so much time preparing for your arrival, and you're just going to walk out on me like that? Either you satisfy my needs or our deal is off. You know you cannot become the ruler of Andreia without my help," Sylvania snapped at him angrily.

　　Japhet stared at her for a moment. "Alright, my love," Japhet said with a smile. Sylvania smiled back, then got up from her seat, biting her lower lip.

　　As she walked over to Japhet's side of the table, a knock came from the door. Both turned to the door.

　　"My lord, we caught one of the servants eavesdropping on your meeting." A male voice sounded from the other side of the door.

　　Shock flashed in Silvania's eyes.

　　She rushed to the door and pulled it open. She gasped as her eyes met with mine. My heart hammered as fury burned in as I stared at her. I would have launched at her and strangled her to death at that moment if the guards weren't holding me back.

　　"You ungrateful hag, I can't believe my father ever fell in love with someone like you. He was a good man, he treated you with all the kindness in the world, yet you betrayed him like this. I hate you!" I snapped, struggling to free myself from the tight grip of the knights.

　　"What exactly are you busy rambling about? I've done nothing against your father," Sylvania denied, folding her arms against her chest as the shocked expression on her face shifted into a confident one. She wanted to check if I'd really overheard her conversation with king Japhet or not.

　　"Don't you play dumb with me. I heard everything you and this foolish man were discussing. You killed my father, and now you want to kill me so you can have the entirety of Andreia to yourselves. I will never allow it," I replied, trying hard to suppress the fear I had for this hideous monster that stood before me. I had finally found a way to put an end to this wicked woman's reign for good. I couldn't let this chance slip out of my grasps.

　　"Oh? And what exactly do you think you could possibly do to stop me? Will you run out of here and tell everyone that I planned with king Japhet to kill your father in order to take his kingdom from him? Who do you think will believe a silly little child like you? I am the queen of Andreia, and whatever I say is law. Once I tell the people that you poisoned your father because he wouldn't let you marry one of the guards, you'll be locked away and eventually executed," Sylvania smiled sinisterly as she walked back to her table.

　　I remained quiet, staring at her as I came to the realization that she was right. Although I had many friends in the kingdom, none of them had the power to help me at this time. Everyone I knew would believe my story were like insects before the queen. Even if I had caught her red handed, I had no proof-no authority to make her pay for her crimes.

　　"You said you couldn't believe why your father fell in love with someone like me," Sylvania continued, raising the glass cup to her lips. After taking a sip, she set it down on the table and said, "The truth is that he knew the kind of person I was. A cheater, a liar, a woman who only knew how to survive by selling her body. After your mother's death, your father wanted to run away from his pain, he wanted to drown himself in alcohol and forget, for just a moment, what it was like being with his one true love, so he came to the western city; the forgotten city of Andreia. A city where the goddess's blue moon never shined upon. He met a lot of prostitutes there, but I was the only one who caught his eyes," Sylvania explained. As she spoke, she placed kisses all around King Japhet's face and slowly pulled off his clothes. Tears filled my eyes as the guards forced me to watch the two of them.