Electra’s POV

Irina rolled her eyes dramatically before giving me a pointed look. “Alright, since you clearly don’t want me to kill anyone—which, by the way, I still think is the easiest solution—do you at least know who you’re supposed to marry if you go through with this?”

I let out a sharp breath, tilting my head slightly before saying, “Coincidentally, I’m supposed to marry a prince from your kingdom.”

Irina’s face immediately scrunched up in confusion. “My kingdom?” Her brows furrowed. “Which one of them?”

Roxana chimed in, leaning forward with curiosity. “Well, considering King Vale wants Electra to marry a prince for political reasons, then obviously it has to be the prince next in line for the throne of Varin.”

The second the words left Roxana’s mouth, Irina’s expression soured like she had just bitten into a lemon.

She turned to me slowly, her jaw tightening as she spoke. “Please,” she said, her voice eerily calm, “tell me you’re not being set up with Prince Loric.”

I didn’t even have to say it out loud. The look on my face was more than enough.

Irina groaned so loud it almost echoed through the room.

“Are you kidding me?!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up. “Of all the damn princes, they picked him?!”

Roxana winced slightly. “So, uh… I’m guessing you don’t like him?”

Irina turned to her so fast I thought her neck might snap. “Don’t like him?! Nobody likes that hideous son of a bitch!” She scoffed before looking back at me, her expression pure horror. “Electra, you cannot—I repeat, CANNOT—marry Loric.”

I leaned back slightly, crossing my arms. “Trust me, I don’t want to either,” I muttered, “but according to my father, if I ‘obey the council’ and marry the future king of the second most powerful kingdom in the Seven Kingdoms, it’ll secure my position as both the future Queen of Elmeria and Varin.”

Irina looked like she wanted to throw something.

“Okay, first of all,” she snapped, getting up from the bed, and pacing the room like she was about to break into a full-blown rant, “Loric is a snake—a manipulative, arrogant, power-hungry bastard who only cares about himself.”

I grimaced slightly. “That’s… not surprising. I mean, I’m also quite arrogant and maybe a little power hungry.”

Irina scoffed. “Oh, I’m just getting started, sweetie. Trust me, you’re not half as arrogant as that son of a bitch is.” She pointed at me. “Do you know how many women he’s toyed with back in Varin? How many nobles hate him but can’t do anything about it because he’s next in line for the throne? How many times he’s literally gotten away with things that would have ruined anyone else? And this includes raping, and beating women, including little girls. He’s a literal beast.”

Roxana raised an eyebrow. “Wow. He sounds disgusting.”

“He’s a damn nightmare,” Irina spat before looking back at me, her eyes filled with something close to desperation. “Electra, listen to me. If you marry him, you will never have control over anything. He will never let you hold power. He will use you, pretend to be the perfect husband in front of the council, and then behind closed doors? He will make sure you are powerless.”

I clenched my jaw, already hating how much this confirmed my suspicions.

I knew the council wouldn’t just let me marry anyone. They’d choose someone they could control, and if Loric was as dangerous as Irina was saying, then they were probably betting on him to keep me in line.

Roxana, her expression serious now, looked at me carefully. “Electra,” she said quietly, “what are you going to do?”

I stayed silent for a moment, letting everything sink in—the ridiculousness, the absurdity, the sheer audacity of the situation, and then, without even meaning to, I let out a light chuckle.

Both Irina and Roxana snapped their heads toward me, their faces twisted in confusion.

Irina narrowed her eyes. “What the hell is so funny?”

Roxana tilted her head, equally baffled. “Yeah, because unless you suddenly figured out how to make the idea of marrying Loric disappear into thin air, I don’t see what’s worth laughing about.”

I shook my head, still chuckling, but this time, there was no humor in it—just bitter amusement.

“I just can’t believe,” I said, my voice dry, “that I’ve gotten to a point in my life where marrying a man is what decides my fate.” I scoffed, shaking my head again. “And the fact that I have to pretend to be interested in men just to keep my throne? Ugh.” I shuddered. “It’s enough to make my skin crawl.”

Roxana sighed, rubbing her temples. “Well, if it’s that difficult for you,” she said, “then why don’t you just… give up?”

I immediately snapped my gaze toward her, my amusement vanishing in an instant.

“What?” I said flatly.

Roxana lifted a shoulder, looking at me carefully. “I mean, wouldn’t it be easier? Just let Hunter have the throne and be done with it.”

I stared at her, my jaw tightening, but before I could even respond, she continued.

“Besides,” she added, “whether you like it or not, even if you do become queen without marrying Loric, you’ll still need a husband at some point, and an heir.”

My fingers curled into fists.

Irina immediately turned to Roxana with a look of disbelief. “Okay, what the hell, Roxie?”

“What?” Roxana raised her hands in defense. “I’m just saying what no one else wants to say.” She looked at me again. “Even if you win against Hunter, you still have to play by the kingdom’s rules, Electra. So what’s the difference?”

I clenched my jaw, anger building inside me.

Giving up? Giving up wasn’t an option.

I let out a sharp exhale, my voice firm. “I am not giving up.”

Roxana blinked at me, but I continued before she could say anything.

“I will never let Jella win against me, Roxie,” I spat, my tone dripping with determination. “I won’t let her have her way by giving up, and more importantly? If I don’t become queen, I might as well be dead. I’d be exhiled out of my own kingdom, and even more convenient, I’d be killed. So no matter what, I have to become queen. It’s the only way to survive.”

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