Chapter 34: Sovereign of Glacier’s Crown

MORNING

Karina was already awake. In truth, she had barely slept. The sheer magnitude of what she had done the previous night was still buzzing in her veins. She had stood in front of an entire court of hostile beast nobility and publicly declared her intention to divorce the four most powerful men on the continent.

The original Karina would have fainted at the mere thought of it. But as she sat in front of the vanity mirror, dressed in a high-collared, tailored purple gown that screamed authority, Karina only felt an overwhelming sense of liberation.

There was one notable absence this morning, however.

Leonidas was nowhere to be found.

According to the hushed whispers of the maids who had brought her hot water earlier, the Panther King had not returned to his royal chambers. He hadn’t been seen in the corridors, the grand hall, or the war room. He had simply vanished into the depths of the castle, or perhaps into the freezing mountains, completely swallowed by his own crushing humiliation and despair.

Good, Karina thought, pinning a silver comb into her fiery red hair. Stay out of my sight. I have a headache just thinking about your pathetic, desperate face.

A soft knock echoed through the room, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Enter," Karina called out.

The door swung open, and Valen trotted into the room. His ears were perked upright, twitching with a nervous, yet undeniable excitement.

"Hello," Valen said, stopping a few feet away from her vanity.

Karina’s icy demeanor instantly softened. A smile broke across her face as she turned on her stool. "Good morning, sweetie. Did you sleep well?"

Valen nodded, though his purple eyes kept darting toward the open doorway. "Nia and Silas are here," he announced, his voice carrying a hopeful lilt.

Right on cue, two small heads peeked around the heavy wooden doorframe. Silas and Nia, the twin panther cubs, stared at the Empress of Zyleria. They were dressed in simpler clothes today, soft woolen tunics and trousers meant for running and playing.

Behind them stood their mother.

Tanya.

The older sister of the delusional mistress, Renira.

Tanya stepped into the room, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. The voluptuous panther woman looked completely terrified. Her eyes were wide, taking in the intimidating sight of the Empress in her gown, and she immediately dropped into a deep, trembling bow.

Karina didn’t even acknowledge her.

She turned her gaze away from the bowing woman, completely ignoring her presence in the room, and instead focused entirely on Valen. "I’m glad your friends are here, Valen. We can head down to the indoor garden so you all have more space to run around."

As Karina stood up and smoothed her skirts, Lady Sophie and General Aldric stepped into the room from the adjoining antechamber.

Sophie’s pink hair was neatly braided, but her bright eyes were clouded with deep concern. She practically scurried over to Karina’s side, keeping her voice pitched to a whisper so the children wouldn’t hear.

"Your Imperial Majesty," Sophie whispered, wringing her hands. "Are you... are you alright? Truly?"

Karina paused, arching an eyebrow.

General Aldric stepped up beside Sophie, his eyes scanning his empress carefully. "You declared you would annul your union, Your Majesty. Not just with the Panther King, but with all of them. The political fallout.....it will be unprecedented. Yes, are you alright?"

Karina inhaled.

"Yes, I am well," Karina stated afterwards, lifting her chin. "I am the Empress, after all. I must act as such. I will not cower just because a few oversized cats might throw a tantrum."

Aldric let out an approving grunt, while Sophie let out a massive sigh of relief, her shoulders instantly dropping.

"Now," Karina said, her tone hardening to a crisp edge as she finally turned her gaze toward the doorway. "Let us deal with the lingering trash."

Tanya was still bowing, her knees visibly shaking from being in the position too long.

"Rise," Karina commanded coldly.

Tanya scrambled to stand up straight, swallowing hard. She looked like she was standing before an executioner. Her eyes darted nervously to General Aldric’s sword, then back to the floor.

"Your Imperial Majesty," Tanya stammered, her voice cracking under the pressure. "I... I beg your forgiveness. I deeply apologize for my sister’s behavior last night. You see, she... she doesn’t understand the boundaries. She is—"

"I am going to stop you right there," Karina cut her off.

Tanya’s mouth snapped shut instantly.

Karina took a step towards Tanya.

"Your sister is a fool," Karina stated flatly, not bothering to lower her voice. "A completely delusional, pathetic fool. Instead of attacking the man who lied to her, used her, and publicly embarrassed her, she chose to aim her misplaced anger at me. At the legal wife who wanted absolutely nothing to do with this miserable arrangement in the first place."

Tanya flinched, shrinking back as if struck.

"Women who fight other women over a man who belongs in the garbage are the lowest form of intelligence," Karina continued. "I have no use for fools. And I certainly have no patience for their enablers. Keep your sister far away from me, and more importantly, keep her far away from my son. If she so much as breathes in our direction again, I will not wait for the King to order his guards. I will handle her myself."

Tanya swallowed a heavy, dry lump in her throat. She could see the sincerity burning in the Empress’s red eyes. This wasn’t an empty threat. It was a promise.

"Of course, Your Imperial Majesty," Tanya whispered, bowing her head in total submission. "It will not happen again."

"See that it doesn’t," Karina dismissed her with a sharp wave of her hand.

The heavy tension in the room broke as a small, gentle tug on Karina’s crimson sleeve pulled her attention downward.

Valen was standing right beside her, holding a tiny porcelain plate in his hands. On the plate rested a beautifully crafted, golden-brown honey cake, drizzled with sweet syrup and dusted with crushed nuts.

"Do you like this?" Valen asked. "The kitchen staff gave it to me, but I saved it for you."

Karina’s heart, which had been frozen solid just seconds before, softened again. Her heart always softened when it came to Valen.

"Oh, thank you," She breathed, a smile replacing her glare.

She gracefully knelt down to his eye level, and took a small bite of the cake from the plate he offered. The sweet flavor of the honey and the crunch of the nuts exploded on her tongue.

She chewed slowly, closing her eyes in exaggerated delight. "Hmm... it’s absolutely delicious, Valen. Thank you."

Valen’s face lit up. He gave a firm, satisfied nod, his little panther ears flicking happily.

"Come on, Valen!" Silas cheered from the doorway, bouncing on his heels. "Let’s go to the garden! I bet I can run faster than you today!"

"No you can’t!" Valen shot back, immediately turning and bolting out the door after the twins, their childish laughter echoing down the stone corridor.

Karina stood up, wiping a small crumb from her lip, her heart feeling significantly lighter. She gestured for Aldric and Sophie to follow, and they made their way down to the indoor garden to watch the cubs play.

For an hour, the morning was perfectly peaceful. The sun warmed the glass roof of the greenhouse, and Karina sat on a stone bench, watching Valen chase Silas and Nia through the exotic ferns and blooming flowers.

She was just beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, the day would pass without any further dramatic interruptions.

Then, the iron-wrought doors of the indoor garden swung open with a loud, grinding creak.

A breathless palace servant scrambled inside, looking terribly frantic. He immediately bowed, his nose nearly touching the dirt.

"Your Imperial Majesty!" the servant gasped, his chest heaving. "Forgive the interruption, but... but someone has arrived!"

Karina sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Who has arrived?"

"Lord Cassian, Majesty!" the servant announced, his voice trembling. "The Sovereign of the Glacier’s Crown! He has bypassed the King’s guards and is demanding an immediate audience with you!"

Karina paused. She blinked, her brow cocking up in confusion.

"Who?"