"SHE FINALLY snapped. You should have seen her face when she stormed to my office. You finally did it, Prince Corean."

Cory glared at the mocking crown prince, who just arrived at his chambers through his balcony. Their duo had a knack for climbing balconies. Sometimes he wondered if they were thieves in their past life.

"What will you do with that?" Prince Yei Lin pointed at the person still sleeping on his bed. Cory spent his nights on his couch as the royal doctor kept on giving the unconscious Tessa nourishment through liquid drops.

"Have you found her weakness?" Cory planned to use Tessa as the witness against Prince Lauren.

"She's an orphan. If anything, you are her weakness. She genuinely thought you love her. You know how to play your cards well, Prince Corean. That is some talent you got there, making girls fawn over you just by acting gently."

If he was indeed Tessa's weakness, then she would be a liability for his plan. "Then she will need to keep sleeping until we defeat my brother and convince my father."

"Convincing your father will be hard. You will need hardcore evidence against your brother to corner your father."

"Trust me, I know." His father's affection for his brother would be the greatest obstacle in his plan, now that he could finally focus since Victoria would be well-protected in the Arin Tribe.

"You won't kill her?"Prince Yei Lin sat next to the sleep Tessa. He touched her cheeks. "She has no use to us anyway."

"Indeed. But Tessa was just a victim in this sick plot of my brother. And if I am her weakness, then I pity her all the more."

Tessa was an assassin sent to monitor him and seduced him in the process. Corean gave Tessa many openings to kill him. Perhaps even Prince Yei Lin saw his crafted opportunities, but she turned a blind eye against it. The moment that Merilla brought Tessa back from almost being shipped out by the Ming envoy, Tessa was supposed to kill him. Instead, she engulfed him in a hug that led her to this state right now.

Prince Yei Lin scoffed. "Which are you, Prince Corean? A realist or an idealist?"

Cory nonchalantly shrugged. "I need to talk to the Arin Tribe's chieftain, the usurper, Keiran Arin."

"Don't forget that I am not your servant. You and Tori have an uncanny resemblance, I tell you."

SILVER EYES, the infamous trait of all the Arin Tribe's descent. They worshipped the Beast God instead of Gaia. Their caste system followed the ways of the primal beasts. Hence, this young chieftain earned the title of the chieftain when he defeated the strongest of the tribe, his father.

Cory liked the way the northerners showed their true colors instead of hiding behind the masks of deception.

Today was the day that Victoria would leave the capital. Cory was both relieved and worried. He felt relieved that she was now far from the clutches of his brother and Merilla. Cory was also worried that she would be away from his protection. But he knew that the latter was only his selfishness talking.

"How will you help me with bringing an imperialist to my den?" His words were straight to the point. He did not even give him the common curtsy as a prince in which he liked. This would mean that the new chieftain of the Arin Tribe would be hard to manipulate.

The brewing warfare in the north would be something that Victoria could solve even if her eyes were closed. "That imperialist will give you new ideas beyond yours. Prince Yei Lin vouched to that person too, right? That is why you are here to meet me."

"I am here to know what you will get by doing this for the Arin Tribe." His silver eyes held a no-nonsense look. He wanted Cory to be honest that the latter would happily do.

"I am planning to usurp the throne. The unification of the northern region will only be one of my stepping stones for that goal. But I need you and your north, Chief Keiran."

His eyes sharpened at the mention of usurping the throne. "Do you think I will gladly agree just because you desire something I did?"

Corean smiled at the outburst of the chieftain. "Our reasons may differ why we wished to usurp the throne but one thing will never change. We are not contented with the current system. I won't promise you anything, but absolute loyalty as a leader to a fellow leader. Though I have one wish to you."

His thick brows knitted together. "What is it?"

"Protect the imperialist. That person is far greater than the throne for me just like how your sister is to you." Cory stood up after nodding to the astounded chieftain. He walked out of his cabin. Cory needed to see if Victoria's cabin would be safe and comfortable for her.

As soon as he left the merchant ship, his carriage brought him to the direction of the Turvy. Merilla summoned the aristocratic faction for a meeting. By now, Prince Yei Lin would have escorted the runaway Victoria to the port. The merchant ship, Odyseus, would be waiting for her.

Cory closed his eyes for a little while. He needed time to rest his mind because he was always on high alert even in his sleep. The smooth movement of the rented carriage abruptly stopped, startling him and even the horse.

He was alerted when he heard three knocks from the knight who escorted him. Lifting the curtain that covered the carriage's window, Cory saw his knight with a white owl that brought a message from the only person he was in cohorts with. Prince Yei Lin.

"Give the message to me. I know the sender."

Cory paled after reading the message. It said that Victoria informed King Elphaim about her expedition through Merilla. Victoria created a path for Merilla to corner her! Corean could not allow that, he must stop her even if it would mean all his efforts would go down the drain.

Writing down his reply at the back of the torn parchment, Cory slid the message to the message holder at the neck of the white owl. "Go!"

Stall her, Prince Yei Lin. I will go with her on the journey. I need to convince her out of this. Meet us in the nearest port next to the northern region's port.

Pulling his hood, Cory went out of the carriage as he crumpled the message. "Give me a horse, now!"

The knight rushed away, leaving Cory and the wondering coachman. But Cory knew that it would still take to get a horse. His train of thoughts was interrupted by the loud clacking noise of the horse's horseshoe.

"Hey, give me that horse."

The widening eyes of the old coachman were the last thing that he did before Cory dropped a pouch of gold coins in front of him.

CORY SAW it all. How Victoria bid her farewell to her vassals and how she walked with conviction into the merchant ship. All those times, his golden eyes followed her as he stood at the darkest part of the ship's deck. He discreetly followed as a guide walked with her to her cabin.

Cory stayed outside her cabin, his back on her door with his sword on display. He needed to be alert, Merillia might send an assassin for Victoria. But the chances were slim since she would use this chance to corner her into a crime Victoria never committed, a crime such as treason. He would guard her.

HE FAILED in his first time pursuing Victoria. And he failed the second time. Cory kept on failing. That was the time that he realized the damage his plan inflicted on Victoria only to be trashed like this.

Where did I go wrong? Should I have risked Victoria's safety and tell her about the treachery of Merilla to us? Corean questioned herself.

Cory refused to go down. He would never stop fighting as long as Victoria's safety was not secure. But his last day on the ship, he still failed. If only he could drag her, but no, he already caused too much damage for Victoria to last a lifetime.

This time, he would continue his plan without hurting Victoria's feelings. Walking away from the merchant ship, he only had one thing in his mind.

He needed to own her crimes.

"STOP IT!"

Duke Rowan Castaña and Victoria's handmaiden shouted the words that he wanted to say. He needed to stay silent to make his plan happened. "Stop it! In the name of the Castaña Dukedom's power, I command you to stop!"

"How dare you interrupt a punishment for a criminal?" Merilla's angry voice rang. Cory's sharp golden eyes glinted towards her which earned the latter a faint gasp.

"Criminal? Did you investigate enough? Clearly not. Why? Because the criminal confessed to me!" Duke Castaña spoke the words that Cory told him to say in front of everyone.

Corean's heart broke as he looked at Victoria's kneeling form. His knight immediately secured his beloved, away from the shining blades of the guillotine. The sound of protests from the common folks rang next. The two crown princes were waiting for Victoria. They would heal her wounds. With the thought of her being safe, for the first time after so many months, Cory finally felt genuine relief.

"H-How? That's not true! Lady Victoria Rozenreff is the criminal! The letters are the proof!" Merilla's frantic voice depicted that she did not see this coming which made Cory smile mockingly at her. Merilla froze. She finally realized that he knew about her plan all along.

"This one here framed Victoria. He sent the letters. He is the one who made her go to the northern region. Isn't it right?" Duke Castaña continued as he grabbed her restrained wrists which shocked the commoners. The attention was now on him, not Victoria's.

"Yes, you are right Duke Rowan Castaña. I, Prince Corean Shuia Eckrett did it all. Lady Victoria Rozenreff is my collateral damage."

The conviction laced upon his voice made Merilla staggered from her seat. Lady Sabina's darkened face and the noble faction's murmurs were the scenes that Cory anticipated.

Though he was being dragged by the royal knights serving Prince Lauren to the capital's prison cell, Cory did not feel any negative emotion. Because finally, he succeeded in saving the only woman he ever loved.

TEARS FELL from her ruby eyes as Tori listened to the words that Crown Prince Yei Lin uttered. Not even blinking as she tried to digest everything, tears fell that she even had to touch her cheeks. Her mind did not say so, but why was she crying?

Staring down at her tear-soaked fingers, Tori started to quiver. "Why does he have to do that?" Her voice was hoarse. "Tell me, why?" She looked around the vassals that gathered in Crown Prince Allistair's pavilion where she was brought to be treated.

Crown Prince Yei Lin stood up and guided her back to the bed where she was resting. His firm yet gentle hands held her shoulders. "Haven't you realized it yet, Tori? Some people, those who love you most, will lay down their lives for without anything in return."

That's a lie! I lived my life twice now. I know the real price of trust! I know it!

Shaking her head, Tori pried his hands away from her. "Prince Corean might be planning something. He is fooling us all! That man is a sly fox and you are just being fooled."

The resounding slap of Lillian echoed in the room. Everyone froze, but Tori just cupped her cheek as she looked at the crying Lily in front of her. Though her left ear was ringing from the slap, Tori heard Lily, loud and clear. "My lady, you need to open up your heart. And just for once, look around you. His Highness begged me, a humble maid, just to give him a chance to save you. He trusted me, a simple handmaiden. He trusted me not because I can gain something from him but because he knew! He knew how I cared for you, Lady Tori."

"The world we live in maybe a dark one, but during those times, your chosen vassals will be your guiding light. Never forget that you chose us for a reason, Tori," said Prince Yei Lin.

"Trust is not to be exchanged just because you needed something from the other. But because you build that trust piece by piece," uttered the serious-looking Prince Allistair.

"So let us ask you again, Lady Victoria Rozenreff. What are your orders?" Duke Rowan Castaña kneeled in front of her followed by Prince Yei Lin, Prince Allistair, and Lily. They kneeled in front of her with their heads bowed as they waited for her reply.

The memories of the past as Talia, the memories of this body as the original Victoria, faded slowly replaced by the memories Tori had with Prince Allistair, Prince Yei Lin, Duke Rowan, Lily, and Prince Cory.

Yes. I am Victoria Rozenreff. I am the queen of mean and no one will take my chosen king from me.

"Raise your heads. We have a throne to take." Gone was the terror and doubt in her voice.