Chapter 18: Chapter-18

She pointed down at her injured leg, her expression dark. “You know what happened when I dared to touch her? I insulted her in front of the entire court, questioned her authority, had her removed . And look—” She gestured to her ankle. “My leg got sprained. I don’t even remember the moment it happened. One second I was fine, the next I’m in agony.”

System 427’s eyes widened in horror.

“Do you understand now?” Heena’s voice was quiet but fierce. “If I had ordered her beaten, what would’ve happened to me? Broken bones? Internal injuries? If I’d tried to have her killed?” She shook her head. “The world’s correction force would’ve crushed me.”

The system floated down to examine her ankle, though he couldn’t actually touch physical objects. “It’s swelling,” he observed quietly. “Pretty badly too.”

“I know.” Heena leaned her head back against the throne, exhaustion seeping into her bones. This was the part of world-hopping nobody talked about—the invisible rules, the protagonist halos that protected certain characters from consequence, the way reality itself would bend to keep the “fated” storyline on track.

“So what’s your plan?” System 427 asked. “You can’t just let her run free. She’s still manipulating the male leads, still working to overthrow you.”

Heena looked at the system seriously, her eyes glinting with calculation. “Do you remember what happens in one week?”

System 427 paused mid-float, his golden form flickering as realization dawned. His eyes went wide. “The Grand Tournament!”

“Exactly.” Heena nodded, a satisfied smile spreading across her face . “This is one of the plot’s strongest parts. In the original story, the male leads won the tournament prize and presented it to the female lead—who was Empress at that time.”

She gripped the throne’s armrest and stood up slowly, stretching her arms overhead despite the pain. “But now that I’m alive—” A sharp gasp cut her off as sudden agony shot through her sprained ankle. She grabbed the throne for support, gritting her teeth .

After a moment, she continued through clenched teeth. “Now that the male leads are under *my* control, of course I cannot hit them or kill them directly.” Her smile returned, sharp and dangerous. “But who said they could participate in this tournament?”

System 427 looked at her with confusion, his lion face scrunching. “Are you going to stop them? But as Empress, you can’t—the tournament is open to all nobility and military officers. Banning your own consorts would cause a massive scandal.”

“I know, I know, small guy,” Heena said, waving her hand dismissively . “I cannot stop them, nor can I hit them. Every pain I inflict comes back to me.” She gestured to her throbbing ankle as evidence. “The plot armor protects them.”

Her smile widened as she leaned forward conspiratorially. “But dear System, do you *really* think they can survive riding horses and hunting for hours after what they’re experiencing right now?”

The system’s jaw dropped open in understanding.

“Think about it,” Heena continued, limping slowly toward the corridor while System 427 floated alongside her. “They’re suffering the effects of sixty drops of Lily Valley Apocalypse. For three days straight, their bodies will be hypersensitive to every touch, every movement, every sensation . They can barely stand, barely walk, barely *breathe* without agony.”

She paused at a column, catching her breath. “The tournament is in one week. That gives them only four days to recover after the aphrodisiac wears off. Four days to regain their strength, retrain their muscles, and prepare for the most physically demanding competition of the year.”

“But they’re all warriors,” System 427 pointed out. “Prince Kieran especially—he’s a legendary fighter. General Lucian has survived countless battles. Won’t they push through?”

Heena’s laugh was cold and sharp. “Push through? With what bodies?” She shook her head. “System, you don’t understand how Lily Valley Apocalypse works. It doesn’t just create arousal—it burns through muscle tissue, depletes energy reserves, causes severe dehydration, and leaves the nervous system completely fried . After three days of that torture, they’ll be lucky if they can walk normally, let alone mount a warhorse or draw a hunting bow.”

The system’s eyes went wide with horrified admiration. “You’re not stopping them from competing. You’re making it physically impossible for them to compete.”

“Exactly!” Heena’s smile was triumphant. “And the beautiful part? I didn’t break any rules. I didn’t ban them, didn’t injure them in combat, didn’t sabotage their equipment. They drank the aphrodisiac themselves—thinking it was just wine . Any weakness they show at the tournament is simply the consequence of their own actions.”

She continued limping down the corridor, each step carefully measured. “In the original plot, they won and presented the prize to Seraphina, cementing her position as the ’true’ Empress in the public eye. The people saw their devotion to her, their willingness to fight for her honor.”

“But now?”

“Now they’ll either withdraw from the tournament—admitting weakness and breaking their promises to Seraphina—or they’ll compete and fail spectacularly in front of the entire empire .” Heena’s eyes glittered with satisfaction. “Either way, their reputations take a massive hit. The invincible war heroes, the legendary warriors, reduced to shadows of themselves.”

System 427 was quiet for a moment, processing the layers of manipulation. “And Seraphina?”

Heena rubbed her forehead wearily, staring at the ornate ceiling of her chambers . “The retaliation from this world’s halo is quite strong.”

System 427 nodded, his golden form dimming slightly. “Well, that’s also why so many hosts weren’t successful. Most couldn’t handle the cosmic backlash from defying protagonist halos this powerful.”

Heena shifted her gaze from the ceiling to the darkening sky visible through her window . Her voice was quiet but firm. “If this goes on, God knows how many hosts will die before even completing their missions. That’s exactly why I need to do this—establish dominance early, break their coordination before they can unite against me properly.”

She flexed her injured ankle experimentally, wincing. “Anyway, if my calculations are correct, tomorrow they’ll all be able to move their limbs again. Well, except the priest—he’s the weakest among them physically. Raphael will need at least another day.”

The system paused mid-float, turning to face her directly with concern evident in his large golden eyes . “But you know, right? They’ll all retaliate against you together once they recover. What will you do then?”

Heena just shrugged, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips . “Well, my Empress powers aren’t that weak. I have the imperial guards, Duke Robbiston’s loyalty, and legal authority on my side.” She met the system’s worried gaze steadily. “And it’s not like if I’d left them alone, they wouldn’t have tried to kill me anyway. They’re like snakes—they won’t stop until you break their fangs to remove the venom.”

System 427 looked at Heena for a long moment, then sighed deeply, his whole form seeming to deflate . “Senior System is really something, giving us such lousy worlds all the time. Not caring about our safety, our lives, or anything. Just throwing hosts into impossible situations and expecting miracles.”

Heena’s smile softened slightly. She stood, testing her weight on her injured leg, and began walking toward the window despite the pain . Each step was measured, controlled—she refused to let even an injury slow her down for long.

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