Chapter 5

Draco vanished into the North, and soon all word from him ceased, exactly as it had in our previous life.

At the worst possible moment, the aging King collapsed and slipped into a coma. With Draco missing and the realm leaderless, the court had no choice but to name Lysander acting regent.

Lysander and Amelia finally dropped their masks. With Lysander holding the reins, Amelia became more arrogant and vicious than ever!

As the days without any word from Draco stretched on, the nobles who had once fawned over me gradually began to freeze me out.

But I couldn't have cared less.

A month later, the report came from the front: Draco had fallen in battle!

The entire capital erupted.

Amelia was beside herself with delight. In our previous life, Draco's death in the North had widowed her young and made her the laughingstock of the shifter world. Now she was certain I was about to inherit the same misery!

One day, while I reviewed intelligence reports in my study, Amelia swept in with a pack of fawning courtiers.

"Well, look at our mighty future Queen. Have you been hiding in here sobbing?" Amelia stopped in front of me, savage triumph blazing in her eyes.

One of her lackeys hid a coy laugh behind her hand. "Lady Amelia, why call her Queen? With Prince Draco dead, she has no rank at all! The court will cast her out any day now!"

Another man chimed in. "Exactly! Prince Lysander is regent now, and the people adore him. Soon the true King and Queen will be Prince Lysander and Lady Amelia!"

Amelia lifted her chin and stared down at me. "No matter how hard you fight, Elena, you will always be nothing! You swaggered around under Draco's protection before. Let's see what you can do without him!"

I remained in my chair, watching her petty triumph with icy amusement.

"Are you done?" I picked up my tea and took an unhurried sip. "Then get out of my room."

"You still dare talk back?" Amelia slapped the cup from my hand. "Elena, the old King is dying. They're almost ready to pull the plug! This afternoon, the Council of Elders will name Lysander King, and I will become the most powerful woman in the realm! As for you, I'll grind you so far into the dirt you'll never crawl out!"

A cold smile touched my lips as I watched her, so certain she understood everything. She believed choosing Lysander had put her on the road to glory. She had no idea it led straight to hell.

That afternoon, the royal court convened.

The old King lay on a padded divan beside the throne, each breath a struggle. Every noble in the capital had been summoned.

Lysander stood at the center of the hall. Amelia clung to his arm, beaming with barely contained excitement.

"With Father too ill to rule and my brother fallen in defense of the realm, I, Lysander, must accept this burden for the sake of stability..." He could barely contain his excitement as he addressed the court.

Amelia could wait no longer. She wheeled toward me and shrieked, "Elena! The new King is about to take the throne! Kneel, you cursed widow, and bow to your King and Queen!"

Every eye swung toward me, full of ridicule, pity, and malicious delight. Amelia trembled with anticipation, ready to savor the pleasure of grinding me into dust.

She was already savoring her coronation when the impossible happened.

A low, velvet voice rolled through the hall. "I'm not dead yet. Who dares force my woman to kneel?!"