Chapter 131: Kariv’s Plan

Kariv had no interest in participating in his siblings’ drama. While the rest of the palace buzzed with rumors and speculation about the Crown Trial, while the princesses and princes fretted and argued and demanded answers from their confused Omas and Opas, Kariv sat alone in his chambers, poring over a map that was spread across his desk.

The map was old, its edges frayed and yellowed with age, its ink faded in places where time had worn away the details. But the path it showed was clear enough, and Kariv had spent weeks studying it, memorizing every turn and every landmark, preparing for the journey that would change everything.

He was planning how he would win the Crown Trial. Not how he might win, not how he hoped to win. How he would win. There was a difference, and Kariv knew it. He had no intention of leaving his victory to chance. He had no intention of relying on his own strength or skill or wit.

He would win because he would be more powerful than anyone else in that trial, more powerful than his siblings, more powerful than anyone could imagine. And he would achieve that power through means that no one else would dare to consider.

"Kariv, that is your last chance..." Kai’s voice was quiet, almost a whisper, and he was speaking more to himself than to his son. He was standing by the window, his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed on the distant mountains.

"The Empress Dowager was arrested, and after the Crown Trial, she will face the Solkanaia court for a fair trial in front of the sovereign. Sigh... If only she were quick to kill Eiravelle!" His voice grew sharper, more frustrated, as he thought about how stupid the Empress Dowager had been. She had been so close. She had been so very close. And she had failed.

"Opa, stop dwelling on what happened. It’s a good thing you didn’t associate yourself with the Empress Dowager, or she would’ve pulled you downhill with her," Kariv said as he looked at the map, his fingers tracing the path he would take.

He did not look up at his father. He did not have time for his father’s regrets, his father’s frustrations. There was too much to do, too much to plan, too much at stake.

"All I know is that the Crown Trial is my last chance to become the crown heir. Ama would be left with no choice if I win." He said confidently, and his voice was dripping with menace. There was no doubt in his mind. There was no hesitation. He had made his decision, and he would see it through, no matter the cost.

"Really, son? You’ll make sure you’ll win this?" Kai asked, and he was getting a bit excited. He had been worried, had been afraid that his son would fail, that they would both be cast aside, that they would lose everything. But Kariv’s confidence was infectious, and Kai felt a flicker of hope kindling in his chest.

"Of course, father. Why wouldn’t I? Besides, the newborn child of the sovereign is still an infant. She will be helpless." He added and laughed, a cold, cruel laugh that echoed through the chamber.

The newborn child. Qazaevelle. The child that Qazaethel had named after herself and Eiravelle, the child that had stolen the sovereign’s attention and love, the child that had made everything so much more complicated. But Qazaevelle was just a baby, helpless and weak and utterly unworthy of the throne. She was not a threat. She was nothing.

"What’s that?" Kai asked as he pointed at the map that Kariv was holding, his curiosity piqued. The map was unlike any he had seen before, its symbols strange, its paths winding through territories that were not marked on any ordinary chart.

"This? This is the map to locate the whereabouts of the power that will make me powerful before the trial even started," Kariv said, and he showed it to Kai, holding it up so that his father could see.

The map was detailed, far more detailed than any Kariv had seen before. It showed mountains and rivers and forests, and at the center of it all, a dark, swirling vortex that seemed to pulse with a malevolent energy even through the ink.

Kai gasped when he saw the map. His face went pale, his eyes widening with shock and fear. "You’re out of your mind!" he almost yelled, his voice rising with panic. He took a step back, as though the map itself might reach out and grab him. "That’s... That’s the Abyssal Realm! That’s where the Sovereign locked the most grotesque demon! You’re out of your mind!"

Kariv shook his head, his expression calm, almost serene. "Father, this is our only chance," he said, and his voice was steady, reasonable, as though he were explaining something simple to a child.

"No!" Kai’s voice was sharp, desperate. He could not believe what he was hearing. He could not believe that his son, his own flesh and blood, would even consider such a thing.

The Abyssal Realm was a place of nightmares, a prison for the most terrible creatures that had ever existed, a realm that had been sealed by Qazaethel herself. To go there was to invite death, or worse.

"I might be out of my mind, but do you think I’ll become someone?!" Kariv’s voice rose, and there was a fire in his eyes that Kai had never seen before. "Father, you have no influence or true connections despite staying for a long time in the Sovereign’s harem! If I lose, I will be forced to live with all these humiliations and failures!" He retorted, his words sharp and cutting, and Kai flinched as though he had been struck. Then Kariv straightened his posture, his expression hardening.

"And you will lose your only left power. The sovereign knew you were cheating with another alpha. If she can’t see any value on me, she won’t keep me, and definitely won’t keep you."

Kai was silent for a long moment. He stared at his son, at the cold determination in his eyes, at the set of his jaw, and he realized that Kariv was right. He had spent his whole life serving the Sovereign, had dedicated himself to her, had given her everything he had.

But he had also betrayed her, had been unfaithful, had been careless. And Qazaethel knew. She had always known. She had simply chosen not to act on it, because Kariv had value, because Kai had value. But if Kariv lost the Crown Trial, if he proved himself worthless, then there would be no reason to keep him. No reason to keep either of them.

"You’re right... You’re right..." Kai’s voice was quiet, resigned. He ran a hand through his hair, his fingers trembling. "We must do something about this. I can’t let that happen. I’ve spent my whole life serving the Sovereign. I would not allow her to throw me away like garbage just because I am not useful to her anymore!" His voice grew stronger, more determined, as he spoke.

He had made his decision. He would not go quietly. He would not let himself be discarded. He would fight, and he would win, no matter what it took.

Kariv smiled, a cold, satisfied smile that did not reach his eyes. "You will stay here, and I will go on my journey. The Crown Trial will start next month, and I have more time to gather all the power I needed from the Abyssal Realm to return powerful. And father..." He leaned down and whispered, his breath warm against Kai’s ear. "Plan carefully how you will kill Eiravelle. She’s no longer pregnant... So she can finally die."

Kai’s eyes widened, and for a moment, he was silent. Then a slow, cruel smile spread across his face as an idea struck him. "You’re right... Good idea, son. You may go now, and I shall carry out our plan!" He said, and his voice was filled with a dark excitement. He had been waiting for this.

He had been waiting for the chance to prove himself, to reclaim his power, to show the Sovereign that he was not someone to be discarded.

Kariv smiled widely, thinking he had finally found the door to winning. He rolled up the map carefully, tucking it into his sleeve, and then he turned and walked out of the chamber without looking back. The door closed behind him with a soft click, and Kai was left alone in the dim light of the room, his mind already racing with plans and schemes and the promise of revenge.

The Abyssal Realm awaited. And Kariv would not return empty-handed.