Chapter 65: Ch 65.Ambition Selena

Vee’s question made Selena shake her head; she looked at her servant and at Brok, who was also staring at her curiously.

"It’s nothing, it’s just a little hot in here." Selena wiped her forehead. "His skin isn’t hardened anymore. When he wakes up, take good care of him because he might be weak for the next few days."

Brok nodded obediently. "Yes, Your Majesty. There’s no danger, is there?"

"No, but after this, he won’t be able to use the Dragon Core anymore. I’ll start looking for a suitable remedy for him," Selena said before walking away, causing Brok to let out a heavy sigh.

"How much longer must His Majesty endure all this? Why is the Curse of Extinction so troublesome?" Brok grumbled, though there was nothing he could do.

The Curse of Extinction was indeed a complicated, complex, and deadly affliction. For now, he was simply grateful that his King was still alive, since countless beasts had perished from the curse.

At least Selena still cared about the King—that alone made Brok grateful. Although he felt she was taking too long to treat him, given the many other problems she had to resolve on her own.

***

Selena had been extremely busy all day; she even went with Vylen to treat several Fox villagers who had turned into monsters. The medicine came from Briella, but Selena administered it herself to ensure it was safer.

After that, Selena went around to several parts of Eldoria, including the Eldorian court office, and treated several members of the judicial council who had also been affected by the narcotic powder.

It didn’t end there. After Vylen left early to attend to urgent matters at his palace, as night began to fall, Selena also visited several places that caught her eye.

Those places were where the medicinal plants needed to heal her five husbands grew, so she went there herself, following her instincts as a healer, accompanied by Kav, Kev, and Vee.

"Your Majesty, we’ve gone too deep into the forest. I’m worried the conditions in there might be dangerous," said Vee as she held an umbrella for Selena.

The weather had suddenly turned a bit bad, and a light drizzle had begun to fall. Wandering around the area near the forest and then venturing deeper into it in the rain certainly wouldn’t be safe for Selena; Vee didn’t want her to get sick.

"There’s one last plant I want to gather over there," Selena said, wiping the sweat from her face. "These plants are useful for Stevan and Dorven. I need to speed up their healing process—especially Stevan’s—because they can’t afford to stay weak for long. Their status as kings means they must remain vigilant against any attack."

"But you look tired—your legs are even trembling a bit from walking back and forth all this time," Vee said anxiously, causing Selena to gaze at the sky, which was growing darker. "The rain might get heavier any minute now, Your Majesty. We’d better find some shelter; your horse-drawn carriage is already too far away."

Selena sighed softly. "Just a little longer. I have to pick that plant first—if I don’t get it tonight, it’ll wilt by tomorrow," Selena said, causing Vee to look at Kav and Kev.

"How about you show us where it is? We’ll go get it."

Selena was silent for a moment, then looked at Kev, who immediately nodded in agreement.

"300 steps from here, the plant is yellow and stands out the most. It’s shaped like a tongue—be careful when handling it because the edges are prickly. Pull it out by the roots and bring it here," Selena said, causing Kev to nod in understanding and immediately walk away.

"Your Majesty, we should head to the horse-drawn carriage now so you can rest," Kav suggested, causing Selena to let out a heavy sigh and stare at her feet. "Kev can make it back here just fine—the wilderness was our home before we enlisted as trained guards at Young Master Hawksen’s residence."

"Wait a moment—my leg’s a little cramped," Selena said, then limped over to a large tree nearby.

Vee carefully helped her sit down, while Kev had already taken off his fur coat to give it to Selena so she wouldn’t get cold.

Selena massaged her leg, prompting Vee to hand the umbrella to Kev so he could hold it while she joined in massaging Selena’s leg as well.

"Your Majesty, why do you have to go to all this trouble to find medicinal ingredients for them? They’re the ones who need them, right? Just have them look for it themselves, like you ordered the Wolf King to do," said Vee, looking at Selena with a sympathetic expression.

"This plant isn’t specific; I can only sense its presence and purpose when I’m close enough to where it grows. So, only I can find it," Selena said, then smiled softly and leaned her body against the tree behind her.

"If that’s the case, next time bring them along to look for it. That way you can command them just like Kev does—wouldn’t that be a good idea too? You’re a Queen, after all. The Gods are so cruel for making you go through all this trouble on your own. Even though they aren’t good husbands—they’re the very same men who would force you to die the moment they deemed you useless," Vee lamented again, making Selena smile slightly.

"Sometimes I want to heal them as soon as possible so I can be free," Selena said, causing Vee to raise an eyebrow. "I don’t want to be just a queen and a womb from which they produce children to succeed the throne. I want to have my own territory and rule over it alone. That’s why I intend to resolve the issues within their clans, so that later, once I’ve finished treating them and they’re fully healed, I can leave with peace of mind."

"Your Majesty, are you serious?" Kav asked in disbelief, making Selena smile softly.

"Yes, basically, they didn’t marry me out of love either. They don’t love me; they’re kings who will certainly prioritize power over me. I’m a woman they have to fight over right now because they need me, but I’m not sure this will last once they’ve recovered," Selena replied, leaving Vee and Kav speechless.

"That’s why I don’t see myself staying on as their wife much longer. Once I’ve healed them, I plan to leave. By then, they won’t stop me because they won’t need me anymore. My goal is to heal them in less than two weeks; after that, I’ll be gone," Selena said with a smile, gazing upward as she leaned back.

"But... there’s no such thing as divorce in Eldoria, Your Majesty," Vee said softly, causing Selena to look at her. "It’s forbidden—anyone who’s married is prohibited from divorcing because the gods might get angry and impose a punishment. Marriage here is a sacred bond that has received the gods’ blessing; if a couple divorces, they will face punishment."

"If divorce really isn’t an option, I’ll just leave. It’s up to me how I choose to live my life—I want my own domain, and I want to become an influential woman so I can change some of the ridiculous rules here. Even though I know it won’t be easy, let’s just consider that my goal," said Selena, then smiled as she looked at the two of them.

"I’ll still take you both with me, but don’t tell the Five Kings about this. They don’t need to know what I plan to do—do you understand?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Kav nodded, and so did Vee. Selena smiled softly, still leaning back comfortably as the rain began to fall a bit harder.

"Why is Kev taking so long?" Selena muttered, staring in the direction Kev had gone.

"He’s coming, Your Majesty. He’s on his way here," Kav said, looking in the same direction.

Selena nodded slowly. "Good. Was he carrying that plant in his hand?"

"Yes, I saw him holding something."

Selena asked Vee to help her get up; now that the cramp in her leg had subsided, she was already feeling much better. It was better for her to go home now since she was feeling pretty tired; she’d brew the medicine with these herbs tomorrow—she just didn’t feel like doing it tonight.

Soon Kev joined them, showing them the plant he’d managed to bring back, and Selena nodded in satisfaction.

"Let’s go home now—I’m afraid the rain will get heavier."

Selena walked, supported by Vee, while Kav held the umbrella and Kev carried the basket filled with the medicinal plants they’d gathered.

As she walked, Selena felt her energy draining away. For some reason, she felt exhausted, even though she’d never felt this way before. Was it because her survival skills were starting to wane? It had only been a few days, but her strength wasn’t as strong as it had been at the beginning.

"Damn it, the universe always finds a way to push me into having sex with them! This second chance at life isn’t giving me any more self-respect at all!" Selena grumbled to herself.

"The horse-drawn carriage is quite a distance away. I should go there first and bring it here so you don’t have to walk too far, Your Majesty," said Kav, but it was Vee who nodded in agreement.

"Go ahead—I was just about to suggest that. Your Majesty, we don’t need to walk any further; you seem to be getting more and more tired," Vee said, prompting Selena to nod in agreement at last.

"Be careful—the path is a bit dark—"

"Kav, watch out behind you!"