“Your Majesty… do you want to become stronger?”
Claudia’s voice was like a whisper from the abyss, every word hooking into Yekaterina’s swaying heart.
The Guest Hall was deathly silent.
The air was filled with the warm aroma of black tea, but at this moment, it was torn to shreds by the sinister chill radiating from that black longsword.
Yekaterina stared fixedly at the sword.
It lay there before her, its blade as black as night, engraved with crimson Magic Patterns that seemed like living things.
They flowed slowly under the dim light of the Guest Hall, as if breathing.
That was not Holy radiance, nor was it an arcane glow; it was a heart-palpitating… darkness.
“What is this thing?”
Yekaterina asked hoarsely, while taking a slight step back to distance herself from the sword.
“This is Power.”
Claudia’s answer was simple and direct, her hands holding the sword without the slightest tremor.
“It is the Power that can allow you to straighten your back and ensure that no one dares to look down on you again.”
“I don’t need it!” Yekaterina blurted out, her fists instinctively clenching. “I am the Queen of Valoran, I…”
“You are the Queen, yet your Kingdom must rely on an outside Prince from another country to be saved.”
Claudia interrupted the Little Queen without mercy, the corners of her mouth curling into an almost cruel arc.
“You are the Queen, yet the man you love was snatched away by your Royal Sister like a trophy of war, and you didn’t even dare to say a single ‘no’.”
“You are the Queen, a weak… Queen who cannot even realize her own will.”
These words pierced her heart, word by word.
The color instantly drained from Yekaterina’s face, turning her as pale as the fine porcelain cup in her hand.
Claudia stripped away the layers of the decent facade she used for self-comfort, leaving only the weak, helpless entity underneath, filled with Envy and resentment.
She wanted to retaliate, but found she couldn’t squeeze a single word out of her throat.
Yes, she was envious.
She envied her Royal Sister’s strength, she envied her Royal Sister’s ability to do as she pleased, and she envied how her Royal Sister could naturally take Wendy into her arms and enjoy him wantonly.
And what about herself? She had the name of Queen in vain, yet she was merely a prisoner nailed to the Throne!
“Your Majesty, Power itself has no good or evil.”
Claudia’s tone slowed, taking on a persuasive gentleness.
“The only difference lies in whose hands it is held. The Veid Family uses it to satisfy selfish desires, so it is evil. But you, you can use it to protect the Kingdom, protect the people, and protect the ones you want to protect… then it is Justice.”
The Grand General stepped forward and offered the longsword, its cold Blade nearly brushing against the hem of Yekaterina’s skirt.
“Look, how clever Prince Wendy is. He knows how to use the ‘Curved Shaft Plow’ to increase grain, ‘Bonds’ to fill the national treasury, and the ‘Imperial Examination’ to win over the people’s hearts… these are all open schemes, the power of wisdom. But Your Majesty, have you considered that all these things need time to ferment and be realized?”
“Before they truly bear fruit, what will you use to protect all of this? What will you use to withstand those enemies hidden in the shadows? Will you rely solely on Prime Minister Allison?”
Hearing this, Yekaterina’s breathing became rapid.
She could not deny that every word Claudia said hit the mark.
No matter how grand the blueprint Wendy drew was, it required a powerful executor and protector…
And was she qualified enough?
“With Power, you will no longer need to look at anyone’s face.”
Claudia’s voice circled the Little Queen’s ear.
“What Princess Astreia can do, you can do as well. You can even do better than her. At that time, for whom will Prince Wendy’s gaze linger?”
Wendy…
This name was like a bolt of lightning, instantly shattering the final Defense Line in Yekaterina’s heart.
It made her think of Wendy’s helpless yet slightly calculating expression, and the needle-like sting in her heart when he leaned into Astreia’s embrace.
If… if I were strong enough…
Once this thought was born, it was like a wildly growing vine, instantly entangling her heart.
The Queen’s hand, uncontrolled and trembling, slowly rose and reached toward that black longsword emanating a fatal temptation.
Her fingertips were slightly cool.
At the moment she was about to touch the blade, a chill originating from her neck suddenly snapped her back to her senses.
“Who exactly are you?”
Yekaterina abruptly withdrew her hand, staring at Claudia warily.
“You are not Claudia George! She is loyal to the Royal Family and would never say such divisive words, let alone bring out such an evil object to bewitch me!”
Facing the Little Queen’s sharp questioning, the expression on “Claudia’s” face did not change in the slightest.
She only said softly, “Is whether or not I am Claudia George really that important?”
The Little Queen fell silent.
“Claudia” smiled, a smile that was lazy and carried a mocking insight into everything.
“Is who I am truly that important?”
She offered the sword to the Queen again, even closer this time.
“Your Majesty, regardless of who I am or what my purpose is, you only need to know one thing.”
“What do you want to say?”
“That is, as a ruler… Weakness is the Original Sin!!!”
The moment those words fell, Yekaterina’s entire body trembled, and the last shred of hesitation in her eyes was completely crushed.
She reached out, and this time, she gripped that cold hilt firmly and powerfully.
Boom—!
An unspeakable, massive Power surged from the hilt into her four limbs and hundred bones! It was not a violent impact, but rather like a riverbed that had been dry for countless years finally welcoming a mighty flood.
Her blood was boiling, and her flesh and bones were cheering!
Every cell was thirsting for the saturation of this Power.
Yekaterina felt she had never been as complete and as strong as she was at this moment.
It was as if this was how she was meant to be…
The Queen slowly rose and casually twirled the sword.
The black blade drew a fatal and beautiful arc in the air, creating a slight whistling sound as it sliced through the atmosphere.
The smile at the corners of her mouth widened and twisted bit by bit.
It transformed from the dignity a Queen should have into an almost pathological madness.
Finally, it turned into bursts of low, sinister laughter echoing through the Guest Hall.
“Hehe… hehehehe… Hahahaha!!!”
Seeing this scene, “Claudia” looked as if she were admiring a perfect masterpiece and unconsciously began to laugh along, her tone carrying a hint of praise for the success.
“Very good, it seems you were born to be its Master. This sword is named ‘Greed.’ Rumor has it that it was once a weapon used by the Demon King of Lust, capable of devouring Desire and life to strengthen oneself…”
Psh—!
The soft sound of a blade entering flesh abruptly interrupted her words.
The smile on “Claudia’s” face instantly froze.
Her eyes bulged, and she slowly lowered her head in disbelief.
A section of the pitch-black sword tip protruded from her heart.
The crimson Magic Patterns on it were flashing with an eerie light, as if they had come to life and were greedily sucking away her life force.
And the one holding the hilt was the new Master who had just obtained this sword, the Queen of Valoran… Yekaterina!