Chapter 31: Tired of the Farce

Every eye in the room was glued to the stunning woman standing at the foot of the dais

She looked like a woman who owned the room. Or, at the very least, a woman who thought she owned the room.

Karina sat at her table, her posture perfectly straight. She slowly turned her head, her red eyes shifting from the dramatic woman in red to Leonidas.

The Panther King looked like he had just swallowed a bucket of glass. The crystal goblet he had shattered was still dripping wine and blood onto the floor, but he didn’t even flinch. His broad chest was heaving, his jaw clenched so tight it looked like the bone might snap, and he looked panicked.

Rafael, standing behind the throne, was pale, his emerald eyes darting wildly around the room as if searching for an escape hatch.

Karina’s brain clicked.

Oh.

Oh.

The hair. The audacity. The way Leonidas looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a semi-truck.

This must be her. The mistress. Renira.

A translucent blue screen suddenly violently flashed in Karina’s peripheral vision.

[SYSTEM ALERT: NEW ANTAGONIST UNLOCKED]

[Name: Renira (Daughter of Lord Vane)]

[Status: The Delusional Mistress]

[Current Mood: Smug, Arrogant, and ready to be humbled.]

[System Advice: Host, show no mercy! Destroy her ego! Do it for the spicy beef noodles!]

Karina mentally swiped the screen away. She didn’t need the system to tell her what to do. The rage that had been simmering in her chest since the courtyard finally crystallized into ice.

She picked up a fresh linen napkin, delicately dabbing the corners of her mouth, before letting her lips curve into a breathtaking, perfectly poised smile.

"Hello," Karina said. Her voice was bright, clear, and echoed through the breathless hall.

Renira straightened from her bow, her fox-like eyes narrowing slightly as they landed on Karina. She had clearly expected the Empress to burst into tears, or scream, or cower behind Leonidas. Instead, she was being greeted like a mildly amusing houseguest.

Renira masked her confusion with a sickly sweet smile, taking a stylish slow step forward.

"Your Imperial Majesty," Renira purred, her tone dripping with passive-aggressive pity. "I must admit, your presence here is... quite a shock. Given the... current arrangements between you and His Majesty."

A collective gasp rippled through the nobility. The sheer disrespect of addressing the Empress of the continent this way was staggering.

Karina didn’t even blink. Her smile only widened, reaching her eyes with a spark.

"Surprises are the spice of life, aren’t they?" Karina replied smoothly, leaning back in her chair. "Though, I must ask, who exactly are you? The court jester? Your gown certainly screams for attention, but I wasn’t aware Shadow’s Edge employed entertainers during formal dinners."

Several nobles in the back hastily covered their mouths to muffle their snorts.

Renira’s face flushed a brilliant shade of pink, her perfectly painted lips parting in outrage. "I am Renira, daughter of Lord Vane!" she snapped, her carefully constructed elegance slipping for a fraction of a second. "I am a high-born lady of this court, and I—"

"A high-born lady?" Karina interrupted. "Fascinating. I assumed high-born ladies were taught basic etiquette. Such as not interrupting an imperial banquet, or addressing the crown unprompted. But I suppose standards differ in the provinces."

Renira’s hands curled into tight fists at her sides, her long nails digging into her palms. She shot a furious glance at Leonidas, expecting him to step in. Expecting him to put this useless Empress in her place.

But Leonidas was frozen, his eyes fixed on Karina with a mixture of terror and awe.

Realizing she had no backup, Renira turned her attention to the small boy sitting silently beside the Empress. She let out a soft, condescending chuckle.

"Well, it matters little," Renira said, her gaze sweeping over Valen. "It is a pity, really. Prince Valen being dragged all this way just to witness his mother’s final days in the kingdom. Poor child, caught in the middle of a union that was dead before it even began. Don’t worry, little prince. Soon, things will be righted, and you will have a proper mother figure in this castle."

The temperature in the room instantly plummeted to zero.

Karina’s smile vanished. The glass of water in her hand hit the wooden table with a sharp, echoing crack.

General Aldric, standing by the entrance grunted.

Karina stood up. She didn’t yell, she didn’t need to. But the malicious aura rolling off her was enough to make several nobles shrink back in their seats.

"Listen to me very carefully," Karina spoke, her voice extremely quiet, yet carrying to every corner of the grand hall. She locked her blazing red eyes onto Renira, who suddenly looked very small. "You can dress in all the stolen velvet you want. You can delude yourself into thinking you have a shred of power in this room. But the Prince is sitting right here. My SON. Child of the Empress of Zyleria, and you will respect him."

Renira opened her mouth to argue, her face pale. "I merely—"

"Shut your mouth," Karina commanded. "If you ever speak to my son with that condescending tone again, or suggest that anyone could replace his mother, I will personally have General Aldric remove your tongue and serve it to the hounds. Do you understand me?"

Renira physically recoiled, taking a trembling step back. She looked horrified, turning her desperate gaze toward the throne.

"My King!" Renira cried out, tears welling in her eyes. "Leonidas, please! Are you going to let her speak to me this way?! You promised me! You said the annulment was happening! Tell her!"

The entire court held its breath, waiting for the Panther King’s wrath. Waiting for him to publicly humiliate his despised wife and elevate his beloved mistress.

Leonidas finally moved.

He slowly stood up from his throne. The shattered glass fell from his bleeding hand, but he ignored it. He didn’t look at Renira. He didn’t even glance in her direction.

His eyes were locked entirely on Karina.

"Renira," Leonidas spoke. "You will apologize to the Empress. And then you will leave this hall."

Renira’s jaw dropped. "What?" she whispered, her voice cracking.

"And for the record," Leonidas continued, his voice rising so every noble in the room could hear him clearly. He took a step closer to Karina. "There has been a misunderstanding. I will not be signing any papers. We will not be annulling our union. Karina is the Empress of Zyleria, and she remains my wife."

Chaos erupted.

The nobles broke into scandalous whispers, their voices bouncing off the stone walls in a deafening wave.

Renira staggered back as if she had been physically struck. "No..." she gasped, tears spilling over her eyelashes, ruining her pearl powder. "No! You promised! You said she was pathetic! You said—"

"Guards," Leonidas barked, his voice devoid of any warmth. "Escort Lady Renira to her quarters."

Two massive panther warriors instantly materialized, grabbing the sobbing mistress by the arms and dragging her backward toward the doors.

Leonidas didn’t watch her go. He turned back to Karina, his broad shoulders dropping slightly. A fragile, hopeful look crossed his chiseled features. He had defended her. He had publicly claimed her. He had chosen her over the mistress he had favored for two years.

He waited for her expression to soften. He waited for the ice in her red eyes to melt.

It didn’t.

Karina stared at him, tilting her head.

"Well," Karina said, her voice cutting through the whispers of the nobility like a scythe. "That was certainly a dramatic display, Your Majesty. But you seem to be confused."

Leonidas froze, his hopeful expression shattering. "Karina...."

"We will be annulling this union," Karina stated clearly, her voice unwavering. "My decision has not changed simply because you decided to discard your toy in front of an audience."

Leonidas took a step forward, his hand reaching out. "No. Karina, please, you don’t understand—"

"Oh, I understand perfectly," she interrupted, a mocking smile returning to her lips. "I understand that you expected me to be grateful. You expected me to fall at your feet because you finally did the bare minimum of defending your legal wife. Good for you, Leonidas. Truly. But I don’t want you. Not anymore."

She gestured toward the doors where Renira had just been dragged out. "Keep your mistress. Console her. Marry her. You can have her all to yourself, for all I care. I grow tired of this farce."