King Harthur, or more famously known as King Athor, was renowned for his skill in fostering unity among different nations. He was a masterful negotiator, able to forge reliable treaties at any time. Other nations, such as Durasca, Brullasca, and many others, relied on the country of Moonatoria.

Throughout Moonatoria’s history, the people were known for their readiness and rebellious spirit against nations that encroached upon the territories of their allies. Only Thallerion was able to defeat Moonatoria, but it wasn’t a true defeat as it was merely a challenge between Hedromus and Xerxez. Due to the impetuousness of the Moonatorian king at the time, Thallerion reclaimed everything that Moonatoria had taken from them. Nevertheless, Moonatoria’s reputation as a great nation continued to thrive.

Neighboring countries like Durasca, Englondrax, Rhinecarus, and Philadelphinox feared Moonatoria. The nation became known as the “White Warriors” and was famous for its formidable “White Wall.”

Long ago, Moonatoria was called “Woz,” which meant “Wild Bear.” Wild bears frequently appeared to people, and they often found themselves battling these ferocious animals.

King Harthur had one daughter with Queen Azonia. The princess, named Whyte, was described as having god-like beauty, even at her young age. Harthur was very happy with his daughter.

When he first became king, he married countless women, but none of them bore him a child. This led him to divorce them and seek new wives in the hope of having an heir to his wealth and rule. This caused him deep depression. He threw himself into war, mercilessly eliminating his enemies, but he still found no happiness. His life became miserable; what good was all his wealth and fame if he couldn’t be happy?

Everyone believed he was infertile. He also had no siblings who could succeed him on the throne should he pass away. This meant all his plans for Moonatoria would be wasted. However, he had a cousin named Moldovar whom he considered a brother and friend. They had both lost their fathers, so they treated each other like siblings.

Still, worried that he might never have a child with any future wife, Athor considered making Moldovar’s future child his successor. In the eyes of the people, however, this would be a failure for a king.

One afternoon, while reading documents from other nations about their economic concerns, security systems, and various problems, he fell asleep from exhaustion.

A dream revealed a vision to him: he saw a woman dancing before him. But when he approached her, he saw that she had become a bear, which then vanished like a rain of ice. Afterward, he heard a man’s voice say, “Do not force yourself to find a woman who will give you a child. For in the coming days, you will find her, and she will come to you.”

“Who?” Athor asked, his face showing shock and anxiety. “It seems impossible that there’s still a woman who can give me a child!”

The man replied, “But at that point, a woman will outsmart you.”

“What? What kind of woman is she to outsmart me? Is she rich, highly educated? What?!”

The man just laughed.

“Who are you?” Athor demanded. “Don’t you know who I am?!” he continued. “I am Harthur, king of Moonatoria. No one in my entire life has ever surpassed my skill and intelligence!”

“You’re too full of yourself!” the man rebuked. “Why don’t you look at your own weakness?!”

“It seems you’re underestimating me… Why don’t you show yourself? Wait, what is this place?!” Athor was startled to find himself in a forest, where it was raining snow.

“This is a Dimension!”

“A Dimension?!” He panicked. “A world or place that is not connected to reality! Am I dead to be seeing this place?”

“Don’t be alarmed; you still have a war to face in your world, so you are not dead!”

“What?! But Moonatoria is peaceful right now. And no one would ever dare to fight my country?” he suggested.

“You really are full of yourself. Haven’t you considered that this could be the very thing that ends your life? However, because I have grown to like you and your character, I have a great gift for you.”

“You truly surprise me. Someone I can’t even see or know has the audacity to offer me a gift,” Athor laughed.

“I am Alioth!” the voice boomed. “I have chosen you to be the king of Ursa!”

“What!!!” Athor’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Ursa!!” He exhaled. “You know that since ancient times, the Moonatorians have detested the sudden appearance of bears, especially when they wreak havoc.” The tone and arrangement of his words sounded like a complaint and a rejection.

“Are you also saying that you hate the Ursas?”

“No— But my people dislike them. They hate bears. Some are afraid of bears. And they don’t want a large and dangerous animal!”

“If they are afraid of a dangerous bear, then what if someone like you becomes the king of bears?”

“Then they’ll see me as a monster too!!!”

“Let’s do this: you will show them that you can command and tame the wild bears. For example, this black bear!!!”

“What!!!” Athor suddenly felt anxious. He remembered when he was a child, a large, monstrous black bear suddenly appeared inside the wall. “That monster!!!”

“Yes, that’s him!!!” Its full form was shown before him. The only difference was that it had grown taller and fatter. It had scars on its face and terrifyingly long claws.

“That’s just one proof that the Ursa are wild!”

That’s when Athor woke up. “A dream? Could it be a warning that an enemy might enter the wall?” From then on, he placed guards and leaders at every passage to serve as watchmen against any approaching threat. He dismissed the dream, but he didn’t realize that what Alioth said in his dream about the woman would come true.

AZONIA: The Woman in Question

In a town under Moonatoria’s rule called Crescenta Village, Athor saw a woman who was considered an entertainer. Her name was Azonia, and the people there called her a “low-flying dove.”

In truth, Azonia was an orphan; her family had died, and her relatives had disowned her when they found out she worked in a place where women provided entertainment to men. What they didn’t know was that Azonia was a cunning woman. She never allowed any man to be with her physically. The truth was, she only wanted their money. She made sure her maidenhood was untouched because she had other plans.

She had many ways to avoid men. But because that was her job, everyone thought she was a “low-flying dove.”

Azonia had high aspirations despite her situation. She never stopped trying to live. She had no family to call her own. She had no formal education and was not accepted into the wealthy society of Moonatoria.

“One day, I will set foot in the Moonatoria palace,” she said to herself, looking at the palace from a distance. After Azonia became an orphan, because King Hedromus had her parents executed on charges of being foreign spies, all of Azonia’s relatives were affected and relegated to the lowest social class. Her parents were beheaded in front of a crowd, and Azonia was stripped of the right to an education. She was also forbidden from entering the city of the rich and, especially, the Moonatoria kingdom because she belonged to the lowest class of Moonatorian society—unless the king himself let her in.

So she took the job of a “low-flying dove” because she had heard that the king often went there to get drunk. This was her most effective way to get close to the king. ‘I will do everything to destroy the King of Moonatoria,’ she whispered to herself. “I believe, Agitta, that one day our family will return to a proper status.”

“Didn’t your own family abandon you because of your current job?”

“They will understand someday,” Azonia said. “I will find a man who will bring me to Moonatoria!”

“Stop with your fantasies!” said Agitta, another woman who sold entertainment. “Women like us have no room to dream of anything more than having a husband. The world despises us, so what you’re saying is pointless! And besides… what crazy man would get involved with someone like us, witch?” Agitta laughed at Azonia.

Azonia often heard the gossip about their king’s character. In the past, many women chased Harthur with the dream of becoming queen, but eventually, no one wanted to marry him because he had exhausted almost all the women in the land of Moonatoria in his search for a woman who could give him a child. They were disgusted by the number of women Harthur had been with. Sometimes, they even had to find women from other countries for Harthur to marry.

Due to his hopelessness of having a child, Harthur became engrossed in seeking amusement, drinking alcohol, and gambling. One day, Harthur and Azonia’s paths crossed at one of these places of entertainment.

“I want a woman!” he shouted to the owner of the establishment. At this time, Harthur was drunk. From a distance, Azonia recognized the shouting voice, so she quickly approached and walked with an alluring stride, purposely passing in front of Harthur. “You, do you want to marry me tomorrow?” he shouted at Azonia.

Azonia had an idea to use this opportunity to make her dreams come true, even if just for a short time. “I never thought the king himself would offer marriage to someone like me. How lucky!”

“Fine, on one condition!” Azonia said as she caressed the drunken king. “Do you agree?”

“For someone as beautiful as you, with a great bosom and alluring lips, I agree to any condition,” Harthur said, entranced by Azonia’s body and eager to take her to his room.

“Make me the Queen of Moonatoria!” Azonia said while…

The king was silent for a moment and stared at her with an unusual gaze. He then grinned like a madman.

“None of my previous wives became Queen of Moonatoria because they couldn’t fulfill the agreement, so they left on their own. You will only become queen if you give me a child?” the king said. “But if you can give me a child… I’ll tell you this: the moment our child is born, you will become the Queen of Moonatoria.”

Azonia stood up from her seat on the king’s lap. She frowned and ignored him. Azonia knew her wish wouldn’t come true because she would just end up like the other women who were married and then immediately divorced. The king wasn’t looking for a wife but for a miracle.

“That’s the only condition… if you agree to it, I won’t touch you tonight,” Harthur said. “I will restrain my desire for you.”

“It’s my job to bring dead roots to life, and I can make you feel it right now,” she said, trying to seduce Harthur. Azonia thought this was the beginning of her plan to set foot in the palace and get an opportunity, even for the short time she would stay there if she didn’t get pregnant. But she already expected not to get pregnant because she heard from people’s stories that Harthur was infertile.

“No, don’t… just get yourself ready now because I’m taking you to my palace to live there from this very night,” the king advised.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep