Chapter 2

Odeliah mentally slapped herself, realizing that with such a powerful Koa already chosen, she needed to find the next best warrior and make do. "When can I leave?" she asked quickly, eager to begin her search.

The Koa submitted to the elves were kept by the castle's training grounds. Other noble ladies who were eligible were also there to have a look, though they could not pick a Koa to sponsor until all the princesses had made their choices. As Odeliah approached the training grounds, she noticed a small figure standing near the entrance. Her younger sister, Valeska, was dressed in an ivory gown that sparkled in the sunlight. Her golden curls framed her chubby face, and her bright green eyes glinted with mischief and arrogance.

"Odeliah," Valeska called out, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Finally decided to grace us with your presence?"

Odeliah sighed inwardly, bringing up a lush feather fan to her mouth as she steeled herself for the encounter. "Valeska," she greeted, forcing a smile. This sister of his was the King Consort's favourite child out of his surviving children, naturally she would be quite bratty.

Valeska smirked, twirling a golden lock of hair around her finger. "I doubt you'll find anyone worth sponsoring. You can't tell the difference between a pearl and a fisheye."

Ignoring her sister's taunts, Odeliah stepped past her and entered the training grounds. The area was bustling with activity, warriors demonstrating their skills and abilities. The air was filled with the sound of clashing swords, grunts of effort, and the occasional cheer from onlookers. The Nobel women bowed quickly once they noticed her and stepped aside letting her have the second pick. Once she was a good enough distance they began to talk casually about her exploits from the night before.

Odeliah moved around the court, her eyes scanning the warriors. She assessed each Koa meticulously, they all trained fiercely hoping to catch her eye. Despite her reputation, she was still a precious princess of the Elf Queen, only second to the crowned princess.

Suddenly, her gaze fell upon a tall, scrawny warrior practicing with a thin sword. His movements were weak, his strikes looked like they barely hit, and yet each strike was precise and quite deadly, he focused on hitting the weak points of the dummy. Each strike he took lacked power but would kill a man, nonetheless. His long black hair covered his face, meaning she could not see him clearly.

"Who is that?" Odeliah asked one of the attendants, pointing towards the warrior.

The attendant looked at the weak-looking man and couldn't help but sigh. The second princess really did not have a good eye for talent.

"He was a stray that ended up in the batch from Eden," the attendant explained respectfully.

Odeliah brought the fan higher up her face as she approached the man. The Koa on the grounds watched her in confusion as she headed straight for the weakest-looking warrior. The man, who was sweating and panting, only stopped his practice because he noticed a shadow on the floor coming closer to him. He looked up to see her gold eyes looking intensely at him. He immediately bowed, placing his fist in his palm. "The grace of the Kaiser be with you, princess!" he greeted respectfully.

She stood watching him, and he felt a bit scared that he was being scrutinized so closely.

"What is your name?" she asked him.

"To answer your highness, my friends call me Ahqi."

Her hand trembled for a moment.

"Look up," she said quietly, and he did, his black eyes meeting hers.

It was him, again.

"I choose you. Will you fight for me?" she asked, her voice steady but filled with an undercurrent of emotion.

Ahqi's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He had not expected to be chosen, especially not by someone like her. He had heard all about the second princess, lascivious and cruel, to spend a night with her was a death sentence, and yet here she was choosing someone as feeble looking as him. But he saw something in her eyes, a recognition, a connection that he couldn't quite place. She looked at him like she knew him, like she saw him, it made him feel uncomfortable. "Yes, your highness." He could only agree, if he declined, wouldn't it be seeking death?

A murmur of disbelief spread through the training grounds. The other Koas couldn't understand why she had chosen someone so seemingly weak. Was she purposely trying to lose? Or was she truly stupid?

Odeliah turned to the attendant. "Prepare a room for him by my chambers. He will be representing me in the Koa competition."

The attendant bowed, hiding his confusion and doubt. "As you wish, princess."

As she walked away, Ahqi kept pace beside her, his mind racing with questions. Why had she chosen him? Was this some sort of ploy? Did she just want to use him as her toy? He glanced at her from the corner of his eye but couldn't discern anything from her stoic expression.

"Odeliah, you always did have a peculiar taste," Valeska taunted, her voice dripping with condescension stopping Odeliah in her tracks just before she reached the entrance she came from. Valeska's attendants giggled, echoing her disdain. "Choosing such a weak-looking Koa. Are you sure he can even lift a sword properly?" She taunted.

Odeliah's eyes narrowed, but she maintained her composure, she turned to face her little sister. "It's not the size of the warrior that matters, Valeska, but the skill." She really wanted to teach her a lesson, but despite being eighty-nine she still looked too young to be taken seriously.

Valeska laughed, a melodic sound that felt like nails on a chalkboard to Odeliah. "We'll see about that. I've chosen the strongest, most powerful warrior to fight for me."

She gestured to a giant of a man standing nearby, he looked like an aged warrior who was clearly very skilled. His face was set in a stern expression with light scars against his tanned skin and he radiated an aura of raw power and intimidation. "This is Darius. He is not only strong but has never been defeated in combat."

Darius stepped forward and bowed to Valeska, then turned his gaze to Odeliah and Ahqi, his eyes cold and assessing. "Princess Odeliah," he said, his voice a deep rumble. "I look forward to the competition."

Odeliah met his gaze without flinching. "Likewise," she replied coolly.

"Don't worry, sister. When you fail, I'll make sure to have a place for you in my court."

Odeliah did not say a word, her grip around her feather fan tightening as she stalked off.

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

Odeliah sent her Koa immediately to be scrubbed clean and given new clothes while she waited for his return in the Jharokha. It was quite sunny and warm, so she asked for some tea as she waited. Sitting back, she finally had the chance to look at her system. Despite consuming the Queen Maker system, she hadn't noticed any significant changes. Was there no gain in eating another system? Or was her current predicament because of the eaten system?

It was strange that her mission had suddenly jumped from graduating to becoming queen; the scaling was inappropriate. She wondered if it was because of the influence of her system.

She didn't know if she liked this unpredictable scenario. Something like this was definitely too hard for her; what did she know about ruling a kingdom?

More importantly, she was hoping to farm points in this world. A rebirth elixir was ten million coins, an insane amount of money, but she really needed to go back to the tutorial world. She already had two million, so this world should enable her to earn what she needed.

Part of her had given up on using the system. How on earth was it blocked by Number 11? She really wanted to know; in case she met another system user.

[It is because of the Queen Maker's system's unique ability.] The mechanic voice startled her.

'What unique ability?' she asked.

[They can sense other systems and interfere with them. I was unable to do so.]

'What is your unique ability?' She asked lightly fanning herself, did this damned system ever tell her anything without her asking first!?

[Gluttony.]

Was that ability even useful? 'What happens when you eat systems?'

[I can take their qualities and abilities.]

'So what has changed?'

[Enter your virtual space.]

Odeliah sighed, setting her tea aside. She leaned back into the soft cushions of the Jharokha and closed her eyes, focusing on entering her virtual space.

When she opened them again, she was in a grand, open structure filled with majestic columns and surrounded by vibrant, lush greenery. The ceiling was open, allowing sunlight to flood in. In the centre was a healing pool, its waters shimmering under the sunlight. Around the building, all her favourite herbs grew in abundance, their fragrances mingling to create a soothing aroma despite their deadly use.

[This is your new virtual space] the system explained. [The healing pool will aid in rapid recovery, and the herbs will enhance the system's alchemical abilities.]

Odeliah walked towards the pool, dipping her fingers into the water. A sense of calm washed over her; wasn't this too overpowered?

'This... is incredible,' she thought. ' My senior was really living grand, she must have been quite a high level to have this kind of virtual space, it's a shame she had to die at my hands.'

[Someone is approaching.]

Odeliah left the virtual world quickly, her body returning to the physical realm. The serene atmosphere of the Jharokha was interrupted by the arrival of an attendant carrying a tray with a delicate porcelain teapot and a matching cup. The attendant placed the tray before her, bowing respectfully.

"Your tea, Your Highness," the attendant said, her voice calm but with a subtle edge.

Odeliah picked up the teacup, but as she brought it closer to her lips, a warning flashed in her mind.

[Alert: Poison detected.]

Her eyes widened slightly, but she maintained her composure. The attendant's eyes watched her intently, betraying a hint of nervousness. Odeliah decided to act quickly. With a sudden, deliberate movement, she shattered the teacup against the marble floor.

The sound of breaking porcelain drew the attention of everyone nearby. Servants and guards turned their heads, startled by the unexpected commotion.

Odeliah looked at the guards in the inner room and commanded, "Call my brother." Her voice was cold and imperious. She then pointed to the attendant, whose face seemed pale, and said, "Detain her." She wondered to see who had the guts to poison her of all people.