Chapter 3

Brynn's POV

Taking over the Human Empire feels like a war with no end in sight.

Redistributing territory, purging corrupt nobles, overhauling the broken tax system. Every step feels like walking on thin ice. The old guard wanted to watch me fail. Instead, I used experience from my past life and an iron fist to shut them up.

The mithril mine rights from Varian became the turning point.

Within three months, the Human Empire went from near bankruptcy to a full treasury, stocked granaries, and secure borders. People talk about their new queen in the markets. Bards even started composing songs in my honor.

After the celebration ended, envoys from every empire left one after another. Except the Dragon Empire's delegation. More specifically, Varian himself.

He claims he needs to "inspect the mithril mine development progress." In reality, he shows up at the palace every few days, claiming he needs to oversee our joint venture.

I show him the rebuilt granaries, newly opened trade routes, reorganized military barracks. He walks beside me, nodding occasionally, offering suggestions here and there.

Once, after settling a particularly messy dispute between lords, I lean against a stone pillar in the corridor, exhausted.

He hands me a cup of water. "You're doing well. Even the old guard respects you now."

I laugh. "They don't respect me. They respect the rules. That's what matters to them."

The corner of his mouth lifts. It's the first time I've seen him smile.

I'm walking through the palace gardens with Varian, discussing border defenses, when the communication crystal at my waist vibrates.

Adelaide's signal.

I channel magic into the crystal. Adelaide's shrill voice cuts through. "Why haven't you answered my messages?! Are you ignoring me on purpose?!"

"Get to the point."

"I heard the Human Empire's doing well these days. Don't forget, if I hadn't married into the Wolf Empire to stabilize the alliance, you'd have been swallowed up by now! You owe me!"

In my past life, she destroyed the empire. In this life, she married into the Wolf Empire and I built it back up. How does she get credit for any of this?

"So?"

"So you owe me. Send me five thousand gold coins. And keep sending more whenever I need it."

Five thousand gold coins? She's lost her mind.

"Adelaide, I heard things aren't going well between you and Asher?"

"We're perfectly fine! Unlike you—you don't even have anyone..."

"Then why hasn't he marked you yet?"

A wolf's mate mark is permanent, sacred. It means they recognize their partner. But I've never heard of Asher marking Adelaide, which means her position in the wolf pack is precarious at best.

Adelaide's hysterical shriek comes through the crystal. "You're lying! He just... he just hasn't found the right moment!"

"Is that so?"

I cut the connection.

Varian looks at me, that hint of a smile returning. "You know a lot about wolf customs."

"In this line of work, you need to know things other people don't."

After that call, Adelaide stays quiet for a while.

Until the family's private banquet.

Father gathers the inner circle for an intimate gathering. Adelaide returns from the Wolf Empire. It's her first time back since the wedding.

She arrives half an hour late and announces her pregnancy the moment she walks in.

She wears an elaborate gown. Her stomach is still flat, but she keeps stroking it as if the child inside is destined to be the next Wolf King, her ticket to glory.

She sits, voice dripping with superiority.

"What's the point of killing yourself to run a kingdom? Honestly, it's a waste of life. A real woman supports her husband and bears heirs for the empire. Look at you, constantly dealing with petty disputes between nobles and border conflicts. So dangerous. When will you have what I have—a powerful empire to protect you? Oh wait, I forgot... you're still single."

I don't respond.

It's early summer. Magic crystals in the hall cast cool light. Yet Adelaide wears a heavy long-sleeved gown, her neck buried beneath ornate necklaces and silk scarves.

Her makeup is heavier than usual. Especially around her wrists and neck, where the foundation is caked on.

Mother frowns. "Aren't you hot in all that?"

Adelaide smiles. "Mother, I've felt weak since I got pregnant. The healers said I need to stay warm. It's all for the child."

She says it so righteously, shooting me a pointed look that makes it clear she thinks I wouldn't understand.

My gaze falls on her ankle, peeking out from under her dress. A bruise, dark at the edges.

"Adelaide, what's that on your ankle?"