Kai looked at King Sullivan with wide eyes, having not expected him to be so direct, but he quickly controlled his emotions, seeing that the man wasn’t joking.

“I really don’t think you can just give it to me,” Kai said, wording out his realistic opinion.

I will,” Sullivan replied. “If you have enough men to stave off the civil war my sons will cause. Not to mention Regina.”

Kai’s brow furrowed at the name. “I believe she’s going to wage war against me either way.”

Sullivan nodded his head, agreeing.

“She hated Valkyrie after I gave her the medallion. Vowed to finish off her whole line in front of me.”

“And you did nothing.”

“I have tried,” Sullivan said, with a tired sigh. “But she’s not someone to trifle with—even for me. For years, I’ve just left the woman be. Whatever I’ve done… it’s never worked. I’m surprised she hasn’t already killed me, but I suppose she’d rather have her son take the throne. Doesn’t want to complicate things now that I’ve not many years left.”

Kai was taken aback, not just by the content, but by the candor. The King was speaking plainly, exposing his mortality most rulers would guard like treasure. He hadn’t expected that. But perhaps that was the point of this meeting. Sullivan hadn’t summoned him to posture or deceive.

So Kai dropped the last of his guard and met his gaze. “Why did you want to meet me? Is it to have me use the medallion for a reason?”

Sullivan didn’t answer immediately. His eyes drifted downward, to the medallion resting on his palm. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter.

“I wanted to see you. To know you better. I’ve heard what you’ve done these past few years, but hearing and seeing are different things. I wanted to look into the eyes of the man who might carry this kingdom’s future. As for the medallion… I don’t wish for you to follow what I said. It’s your birthright. You’ll use it as you see fit.”

Kai couldn’t help but nod.

“So tell me, what exactly happened in the fief war?”

Without waiting for a reply, the King began walking through the garden, his steps slow but steady. Kai hesitated only a moment before following, falling into stride beside him. The garden was quiet, save for the faint rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of birds.

Taking the silence as a signal, Kai began to speak.

He told him everything. Of Lucian’s betrayal. Of how the man, with the help of Baron Idrin, had slaughtered an entire village and blamed it on him. Of how Lucian had been working with blood drinkers—filthy creatures of the dark—and how they had backed his campaign throughout the war. He spoke of the bloodshed, the ambushes, the slow grind of fighting a war with limited supplies and no allies. And finally, of his brother’s death, and how he believed Regina had orchestrated it all.

Throughout his entire explanation, Sullivan kept a straight face.

Even when Kai described the blood drinkers and their allegiance to Regina, the King’s expression remained the same. He only gave a small nod before saying, “You had to go through a lot of trouble for someone else’s hatred and ambition.”

“I’m still alive,” Kai said. “And I won. But a lot of people didn’t. Common men without powers… they fought in that war. They died for it.”

Sullivan exhaled slowly, pausing near a bush of pale violet blooms. “We live in a time where blood is shed every day. More people die to blades than to disease. A good ruler ensures those they leave behind are taken care of.” He turned to look at Kai, his gaze surprisingly gentle. “And I think you are a good one.”

Kai’s lips thinned. The compliment felt strange, too genuine, too unguarded. But he didn’t reject it.

Sullivan continued after a beat. “As for Regina… I didn’t know she had blood drinkers under her control, but I suppose it makes sense. She never had the proper mana organs, yet she always wielded terrifying power. I always suspected that her strength came from darker, more demonic sources.” He sighed again, this time heavier. “Sadly, I’ve given up on taking her down myself.”

Kai could hear the tiredness in his voice. It was as if he’d long accepted that his greatest mistake would never be undone by his own hand. He also heard the unsaid words.

“But you want me to take her on.”

Sullivan shook his head. “I believe you’ll go against her no matter what I tell you. But yes… I want her out of my kingdom.” His voice hardened slightly. “I may have abandoned it in public, but I care for it. Sadly, it’s hard to clean off the rot inside your own home.”

He crouched down, fingers brushing the leaves of a flowering herb, inspecting it with the focus of a gardener rather than a King. Kai remained standing, watching him, the words lingering in his mind.

He understood.

Even standing here, in the royal gardens, with the crown’s authority behind him, he couldn’t simply walk up and kill Regina. The repercussions would be immediate and catastrophic. That’s if he could even pull it off.

Shakran’s words echoed in his head. Regina wasn’t just dangerous—she was embedded deep in the hierarchy of Maleficia, probably one among the top. And blood drinkers didn’t follow the weak. They followed power. Which meant Regina had plenty—whether through others she controlled or her own sheer strength. With all the politics involved, he only saw two ways to finish Regina off. And he considered them.

A clean assassination? Unlikely. She’d survived this long in a den of vipers like the royal court. He didn’t doubt she had layers upon layers of safeguards in place.

That left the second option—creating a situation where killing her became acceptable. Not just acceptable. Necessary. A public enemy. A war criminal. A traitor.

Only then would the blade carry justice, not consequences.

His gaze flicked to Sullivan, still crouched by the plant. “Do you think a civil war will actually help the country?”

The King stood immediately, turning to him with sharp eyes that had seen decades of blood and burden. “I don’t know,” he said frankly. “But I also know that if you want to rebuild something… sometimes, you have to break it first.”

He took a step closer.

“Why?” Sullivan asked. “Are you really up for that?”

“I’m not sure,” Kai admitted. “But I have a feeling the kingdom is heading toward it either way. It feels… inevitable.”

Sullivan gave a slow nod, his gaze distant. “That’s true. The nobles blame me for it—say I’ve failed by not naming a proper heir. But you know what?” He exhaled through his nose, weary. “If I do, the civil war will just come faster than expected.”

He turned to Kai, his eyebrows turned up in worry.

“The worst thing as a father is to choose between your sons. And the worst thing as a King is to choose someone unworthy. All three of mine want the throne. And all three are incompetent in their own ways. Unfortunately, being a King isn’t something you can learn on the job. You have to be one from the day you understand what power means.”

“Then what’s the solution?”

Sullivan ran a frustrated hand through his thinning hair. Kai simply stared at the man when he grabbed the medallion and pressed it into his hand.

“You know the solution, Count Arzan. That’s the only one I see that doesn’t end with the kingdom falling to someone unfit to tend it. And if it does… it might not be ours for long. Foreign powers will take advantage. It’ll never prosper.”

Kai opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He wanted to say that one of his sons had started Mage wars in the near future that burned across the continents. That it had built an Empire, yes, but also led the world to the brink of ruin. He wanted to talk about Eldric and his mad reign that had broken the world or how he suspected it had been Regina, pulling the strings all along, twisting fate through Maleficia.

But he didn’t. Because the King was right. The only way to stop it from falling into the wrong hands was to take it himself.

Even if he’d been preparing in the shadows, laying the groundwork, gathering the people and pieces… taking over wasn’t as easy as holding a medallion. Power had its own weight. And the throne demanded more than ambition—it demanded sacrifice. And now, it seemed, it was demanding him.

Looking at King Sullivan, Kai finally said, “I’ll think about it.”

“Please do,” the King replied, his tone softer now, yet firm with the weight of everything unspoken.

With that, they resumed walking through the garden, the scent of herbs and flowering shrubs lingering in the summer air. The King, seemingly more relaxed, moved from topic to topic as they strolled—speaking of noble houses that would likely oppose Kai in the assembly, ministers who were easily swayed, and those who could be brought to their side with the right pressure or promises.

Kai didn’t hide much. He knew the King likely already had eyes on his every move in the capital. With how much attention he had drawn, there was no real point in pretending. And strangely enough… he found himself liking this second meeting far more than the first. There was no testing, or hidden meanings. For a brief second, it felt like it was just two men walking through a garden, talking about a kingdom both of them were trying to save in their own way.

And time passed without notice. By the time their conversation began to quiet, Sullivan spoke. “I believe it’s getting late, Count Arzan. I won’t hold you off any longer.”

Kai nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I enjoyed our conversation. But yes, I do need to be somewhere else.”

“Another meeting? With whom, if I may?”

Kai hesitated a few seconds.

“…Regina,” he said finally. “She sent a letter. Want to speak with me.”

The change in Sullivan’s expression was instant. The warmth drained from his face, replaced by something far colder—not fear, but caution sharpened by years of familiarity with a dangerous enemy.

“That one,” he said slowly, “might take… a lot of your time.”

***

No matter how much Kai walked, the wide corridors kept going on and on. Somehow he managed to maintain a steady expression on his face, but beneath the surface, his mind was anything but still. Thoughts from his meeting with Sullivan played on a loop.

The King had turned out to be far better with people than Kai had assumed after their first encounter. He hadn’t looked bored or distracted this time. He’d listened, spoken with intention, and more importantly, had planted the seed of what he wanted without ever demanding it. The medallion, the throne, the kingdom—it had all been laid before Kai as if it were his own choice.

And perhaps it was. But that didn’t mean the old man wasn’t playing his own game.

Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly as he walked. He wondered what exactly had disappointed Sullivan so much about his sons. Enough to wish none of them ruled after him. Or was it simply fear? Fear of Regina, her secrets, and the power she had amassed in the shadows? Maybe pushing Kai into the role was less about belief and more about desperation—placing his bets on the one man who had escaped Regina’s snares not once, but repeatedly.

He didn’t know the answer.

But he knew this wouldn’t be their last meeting. Sullivan wasn’t done with him. Not by a long shot.

Kai reached the bottom of a spiraling stairwell, pausing to talk to the guard about what he was doing here. The guard directed him upward. “You can climb the stairs to Your highness Queen Regina’s wing, my lord,” the man said with a polite nod.

Kai gave a nod back and ascended.

The moment his foot touched the first step, his mana spread out around him, sweeping through the stairwell like a cautious tide. He probed the corners, the crevices, the spaces where enchantments liked to hide. No traps… yet. But he didn’t relax.

He hadn’t expected to meet Regina so soon. Their long-delayed confrontation was happening here, now, in the quiet halls of the castle.

She had tried to kill Arzan more times than he could count. Perhaps this was her attempt to finish the job—with a smile and poisoned tea. But that seemed… unlikely.

Kai didn’t believe she’d be so reckless. Not with the Assembly looming. Regina never dirtied her hands, not directly. She was the type to prefer to sit in the shadows, weaving threads and letting others dance on them like puppets. Killing him openly now would be a step too far, even for her.

Which meant she wanted something. The question was what?

Kai reached the top of the stairs. The air felt heavier here. As if the walls themselves had learned to hold their breath around her. And still, he walked forward.

Finally, he reached a set of grand double doors—tall, dark, and etched with golden inlay, depicting coiling serpents and thorned roses in a twisted, beautiful design. Two Knights flanked the entrance, far more alert than any he had passed so far. They stood rigid, armored from head to toe in blackened steel trimmed with crimson, their visors narrow and gleaming as they turned toward him.

“State your name and purpose,” one said, his voice metallic behind the helm.

“Count Arzan of Veralt,” Kai replied. “I’m here to meet Her Highness, Queen Regina. She sent for me to find her attendant.”

The Knight held his gaze for a moment, then gave a short nod. “Wait here.”

Kai obeyed, planting his feet and crossing his arms. He hoped Regina wasn’t about to play some pathetic power game by keeping him waiting outside. That would be beneath even her, and she should’ve known he was already inside the castle.

Fortunately, the Knight returned not long after—barely two minutes had passed—and this time he was dragging someone with him. A young man, clad in deep maroon robes lined with gold thread. The uniform marked him clearly as a court attendant, but his wide, cautious eyes and slightly ruffled collar made it obvious that he didn’t like being here.

“Please walk with me, Count Arzan,” the young man said politely, giving a small bow. “I will bring you to Her Highness.”

Kai gave a nod and stepped forward as the great doors creaked open behind the attendant. Beyond them was yet another corridor.

Of course.

That was what he hated about large castles: too much walking. Flying through would be faster, but disrespectful. And in a place like this, everything was about decorum. Power wasn’t just in words or magic, it was in every step taken, every door opened, every moment drawn out.

The attendant said nothing as they walked, and Kai didn’t bother to break the silence. They passed arched windows, silent guards, and portrait-lined walls that seemed to watch him with every step. Eventually, the young man stopped at a smaller yet elegant door of darkwood carved with convoluted vines.

“Queen Regina is waiting for you inside,” he said, his voice softer now. “She’s been looking forward to this meeting for a long time.”

Kai smiled faintly. “So have I.”

The attendant pushed the door open, and Kai stepped through. There she was.

Queen Regina.

Seated at the center of the room on a long velvet sofa the color of dried blood, perfectly posed, as if the entire scene had been composed by an artist. She wore a deep violet gown trimmed with onyx lace. Her hair was white, similar to Edric, swept into a regal updo, pinned with crystal thorns. A single strand curled intentionally over one shoulder, like a serpent poised to strike.

Her skin was pale, unmarred, porcelain-smooth. Her eyes, though—those were the things that unsettled. Icy blue, flawless, and utterly emotionless. They didn’t match the soft smile on her lips.

“Arzan,” she said, her voice like silk brushed over a blade. “Why don’t you take a seat? It’s our first meeting, and I want to make it… memorable.”

Kai didn’t miss the pause before the last word. He gave her a smile in return, one that didn’t reach his eyes. “I believe it will be.”

Then he moved toward the seat she had gestured to, every sense alert. Whatever game Regina had prepared tonight, it wouldn’t be played from the shadows. Not this time. This time, it was face to face.

***

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