DUKE ROWAN was just waiting for that one signal that Tori would give. But the latter was busy staring at the second prince. Her red eyes shone wickedly to match the glaring golden eyes of the second prince.

Do you want to test my power, Prince Corean?

Tori tapped her wrist in front of the second prince to show him that time was ticking as they were dumbly staring at each other.

His prideful golden eyes shifted to Tessa who was busy enduring the public shame that Tori once faced. His hard exterior cracked as he assessed the gravity of the situation. Prince Corean slowly turned to Tori much to his dismay. He once vowed he would never ask for her help but looking at this situation changed everything.

The sullen look of the second prince caused Tori to smile triumphantly. But before she stood, Tori met Duke Rowan's pair of cobalt eyes.

You are now bound to me, my dear Cory.

With just one nod, Rowan whispered to the chancellor the words that Tori asked him to say. "The second prince and the accused needs to talk privately. Give us half an hour."

Since it was the right of the accused to seek counsel, the chancellor agreed immediately. "By the request of the accused to seek noble councel, we will give her half-hour of respite!"

The commoners exploded while the nobles and aristocrats whispered against each other. Amidst this chaos, Tori walked towards a private chamber that she was very familiar with. Behind her was Lily and just some steps away from them, who was busily throwing daggers at her, was the second prince and his knight, the knight that Tori once bribed. The irony.

Lily opened the familiar door and immediately prepared the tea for them. Just as Tori was about to sit, the door opened for the second prince.

"Blessings to the Empire's star, Prince Corean." Tori stood up to curtsy to the newly arrived prince. His demeanor spoke nothing but dominance.

"Let's cut all this nonsense and go straight to the point. Make that dog of yours wag his damn tail elsewhere and let Tessa go."

The demanding voice whipped Tori while it almost made Lily stopped in her tracks. She was not used to hearing someone commanding her mistress. She was so used to Lady Victoria doing the command all the time.

Tilting her head, Tori flicked her golden ringlets away from her face. "I'm here to see you beg, my dear darling prince. So beg."

"How dare you!" The knight's outburst was stopped, not by the second prince's signal, but by Tori's challenging look.

Never forget who owns you, young sir. It will be such a waste of time to pluck you.

Prince Corean saw how Tori was so confident with the outcome of the court trial. He knew how scheming the young lady was in front of him.

Tori calmly sipped her tea as she nodded towards Lily signaling the latter to leave her with the prince alone. Lily tugged the knight with her.

"Now, where were we?" Tori asked with a smile on her face as she served tea for the second prince. Tori was savoring every minute of the half-hour respite. After all, it was not her that needed this time the most but his beloved Tessa.

"Will you stop drinking your damn tea and for once listen to me?" Prince Corean's frustrated voice boomed again inside the room where Tori once spent comfortably with him a year ago during her noble trial.

"I am listening, your highness. You are not just saying the right words that I can understand."

Prince Corean's jaws clenched from Tori's obvious mockery. "What-what do I have to do?"

Tori's eyes gleamed as she practically beamed when the second prince finally lowered his royal pride. "Took you long enough to ask the right question, your highness."

"Well, before I save little Tessa. May I ask to what extent his highness will do?" Tori already expected his undying love for Tessa to be his downfall but would it be his breaking point? I want to know.

"I will do anything just to let her live. Tessa deserves better and not the guillotine." The sincerity laced upon his voice

Tori's sugary smile hid the loathe that threatened to explode inside her. Instead, she shoved all her unnecessary emotions inside the Pandora's Box in her heart. What a lucky bitch. Oh, I forgot. I'm the bitch then, what a lucky sewer rat.

"Anything? Even it means that you're exchanging your mother's safety?" Gone was the sugary smile on Tori's face. A cold no-nonsense look replaced Tori's angelic face.

The fury that reflected upon Prince Corean's eyes could melt Tori's ice-cold look but no one flinched. Their eyes conveyed the weight of the situation. Tori was daring him that if he chose to continue this, he would endanger his position, his mother, and his faction.

The second prince understood but he chose to hear everything from Tori. "What do you mean, Lady Victoria?"

"There will be two scenarios for her. The first one will be your favorite. You have to acknowledge her. Simple as that but there's a catch." Tori set her teacup down as her red. "You will turn the fault to other people and the only one who publicly announced her animosity to the accused is your mother. The noble faction will use this opportunity to corner her since she is a threat to them since the beginning. You only survived this far because of your mother, your highness."

"And you said I'll prefer the first one. What's the second one?"

Serving another round of tea for herself, Tori continued. "Deny Tessa. But the catch is bigger this time. Face your brother's faction heads on. You will shift the blame to them. Tessa will live but she will probably be exiled to a foreign country. The point is she will live. But you can't guarantee for how long since you will face the faction earlier than expected. I told you, you would choose the first one."

His face was torn between his mother and the woman he loved. "What can you do for me? You swore your allegiance to, so I am asking you, what will you do for me?" Prince Corean bore his golden eyes to her.

Clasping her hands on her lap, Tori replied with a cunning smile. "Since I anticipated that you will rather choose the first one, I can guarantee the queen's safety with the Monakre and Ming's power in my hands that is an easy task. But the price will be bigger."

Tori knew that the second prince was as cunning as her so she did not need to elaborate for more. Understanding dawned upon him as he nodded grimly. "I will be king and you will be queen."

You finally snap out from your daydream huh. If you wish to protect the ones you tragically love, you must walk my path. You must walk a thorny path or so the title of this wretched Netflix says.

"That's a given, your highness." Tori stood up and crossed the distance between them. Prince Corean finally realized that he was now under her command. Tori straddled the second prince as she placed both of her arms on his nape. Her smiling lips were only a few inches above his. "I want you to announce our betrothal to the world. Only then, I will help you." Tori guided his right hand to her back as she pressed her body towards him.

She could feel the frantic beating of his heart. In the end, you're still a man Cory.

As Tori expected, the door opened and a shocked Tessa was standing before them. Betrayal, sadness, and anger reflected upon her eyes as she covered her mouth to stop the sobs that wracked her poor lips.

Prince Corean was frozen on the spot, he knew she could not push Tori away as the latter one tighten her grip on his body like a goddess-forsaken snake like she was.

Tori enjoyed the little exchange between the star-crossed lovers but she decided to butt in. After all, I am the villainess of this plot. Oh, I love being the villainess. Tori leaned to him hear while her eyes never left Tessa as she whispered to the second prince. "Tell her. Tell her that you will marry me. Only then, I will help you. Remember, you need me." Tori intentionally grazed his ears with her teeth which made Tessa's tears fell all the more.

"No, not now. Give me time."

Prince Corean gently pushed Tori to the couch and he hurriedly went outside, barely even glancing at the frozen Tessa. Are you guilty, my dear fiancé? Are you guilty that you had just a hard-on while your beloved was being sentenced?

As long as you are a man, you will never defeat me.

"Lady Tori, we need to go back." Lily appeared behind the crying Tessa.

Standing gracefully, Tori dismissed Lily politely. "Wait for me in the corner. I need to talk with the accused. I will give her the legal counsel."

Lily bowed before leaving the two girls alone in the room as she closed the door for privacy.

Tessa's eyes hardened as she addressed the smirking Tori who was confidently crossing her arms.

"Do you know why you can't be with your beloved prince?"

"Because of you. Because you are here! Why can't you let Cory be happy? Can't you see? He's suffering because he's a prince!"

Stepping right in front of Tessa, Tori touched Tessa's hair as her wicked red eyes met Tessa's frightened one. "That's the price of being on top, my dear one. Being in love is being at a disadvantage, you are his disadvantage. He's suffering because he's a prince? Don't be absurd. He's suffering because he's a lion and you're just a sewer rat. Can't you tell where the problem is, my dear scholar?" You are just not his match. He needs a lioness at that's me.

Tessa was visibly shaking from her uncontrollable emotions. Love, frustrations, anger, and sadness. Tori passed by Tessa but stopped a meter away from the latter to shake the emotionally wrecked accused. "But if you insist, blame this to the queen. Do you want to be happy? Get rid of the queen. I am not your enemy."

You need to get cornered, Tessa. That way, you'll eventually run towards your real master. And when that time comes, you will fulfill your purpose for me.

Walking away from the wretched fool, Tori smiled slyly to herself. Time would tell when the game will start rolling. After all, the seeds have been planted.

LIKE WHAT Tori instructed with Duke Rowan and the second prince, the latter acknowledged Tessa as his side woman as he announced his betrothal to Tori in front of the commoners and high society.

"You have a knack with tricking people, Lady Victoria. If only I am half as good as you." Crown Prince Yei Lin observed as the chaos ensued below them.

Smiling to herself, Tori replied to the amused crown prince. "No matter how he claims to love that girl, Prince Corean is a man."

"You're saying that now. Are you going to do that? You know the Duke will kill me and Allistair if he realized that we knew about this crazy plan of yours."

Laughing from his antics, Tori stood. "Easy. Pretend like you always do."

Tori did not let Crown Prince Yei Lin reply as she trotted down the grand staircase that led her to the ensuing chaos. Queen Aurina together with Prince Corean holding his mother was going down as well so Tori curtsied. "Blessings to the Empire's moon and star, Queen Aurina and Prince Corean."

"Lady Victoria, I am happy for the news." The happiness that the queen radiated from the news was evident. She linked her arms with Tori as they went down the stairs. Prince Corean was walking in front of them; he intended to talk with Tessa.

The happy faces of Tori and the queen were the first thing that Tessa saw when she turned for the man she loved. Yes, her life was spared by this court trial but at the expense of being acknowledged as the other woman. A sudden thought crossed Tessa's mind. It was the queen's fault.

In Tessa's eyes, the crowd part ways for the three; for Lady Victoria who's being used by the queen, for Prince Corean who's being controlled by the queen, and the queen who deprived her of everything. "You!"

Tori saw the shift of darkness within Tessa's eyes and that's when she saw the crazed look of Tessa as the latter aimed for the queen.

Prince Corean was busy being shocked as the woman he loved aimed her hidden knife at the queen. The familiar bread knife from that room glinted to Tori who quickly shielded her back to protect the queen.

Aah, I hate this plan.