Wicked Reign

The Golden King

Tori stood at the center of her room. The drapes were drawn close, not allowing a single spec of sunlight to disturb her trip to memory lane. Amid the darkness, only a pair of ruby-red eyes glistened with tenacity as she remembered the details of the Thorny Crown Season 3.

Though she hated Thorny Crown for the development of its characters, she could not help but admire the cinematography of Season 3, especially when it came down to gore and war scenes. Tori remembered how she praised this particular season among all the seasons she binge-watched.

"If this is really Season 3, then 'that' man should also be here and it will only be a matter of time before he shows up," said Tori. She walked toward the table where a newly customized chess board was laid.

Instead of the traditional white and black pieces, gold and red pieces were neatly arranged in front of them—and Tori was playing the red pieces.

She took the red rook, the castle, and the representation of the Imperial Family. While holding it, her calculative pair of eyes were transfixed on the golden king piece.

The Golden King, Ryzen Theodas Altera, was my favorite character in this season and the reason why I lasted until Season 5.
He was a war hero. A young king who rose to the seat in a bloody war for the throne. In the season 3 flashback, he was portrayed as someone who would bid his time until the last moment before he would eat his enemies when they least expected them.
Fuck it! That damn golden king has been in my wet dreams for months!
Tori did not know whether she would laugh or cry upon the thought of meeting him in flesh!
Ryzen was portrayed by a hunk Hollywood actor so maybe that's why I got those lewd dreams.
A surge of memories bombarded her mind—a series of season 3 clips that were stored in her because she simply love these scenes. They were: the kidnapping of Sabina where she was almost sold to the traders, the conspiracy of the fallen nobles, and the arrival of Lucia Louvnier who would become a torn for Sabina and Lauren.
Tori loved these scenes because they were perfectly crafted by Ryzen like a chain of natural reactions—when in truth it was far from ordinary.
But now, everything was different. Sabina's role was taken by her and Lauren's became Cory's. If the plot was progressing to Season 3, then any sane person could deduce that she would be the one who would face those troubles that Ryzen would cause.
"I am sorry, Golden King, but the Red Queen is here to stop your plans." She took the red queen piece and placed it on the golden king piece. "You and Lucia can simply not exist in a world that I am aiming to create."
Her train of thought was cut off when a knock pulled her from a trance. "What is it?"
"The Secret Council is here," said Lily from the other side of the doors.
"And the princes?" She kept the chess pieces back in their small compartment before she placed an armor plate around her left arm.
"They are all waiting for you in the indoor garden, Your Grace."
"Then let's go and plan some tricks to fish out that slimy golden pest."

"YOU HAVE MY GRATITUDE for coming here after sending you a short notice." Tori's voice resonated in every nook and cranny of the indoor garden the moment she opened the door and spoke with her usual sultry voice.
Tori, with Lily in tow, was welcomed by a sight that she had grown accustomed to over the course of time.
The northern chieftain was patiently teaching Yei Lin about the battle strategies of the north which earned the crown prince a couple of sharp looks from the impatient chieftain of the north.
On the other side of the duo were Alice and Rowan who were both wielding their swords for swordplay inside the fucking indoor garden.
The moment she arrived along with Lily, the four men immediately stood straight, stopping whatever atrocities they were doing.
Waving her hand in a dismissing way, she took the head seat. "Take a seat, Lily."
Lilian had earned her seat in the Secret Council when she established the greatest spy network within the noble and aristocratic households by using the handmaidens to do her bidding.
When everyone was seated, it was Tori who personally brewed the Oolong Tea for everyone as she started speaking. "As I said, you have my thanks for coming here after receiving the notes from Talia."
"Oh, please! We are more afraid that we won't come here. Just for the record, you disturbed my practice," said Alice, the next in line for the throne of the Monakre Kingdom.
Rolling his eyes, Yei Lin handed out a scroll forward. His chinky eyes spoke volumes when met by a pair of red ones. "All the recent events, the big ones, in the Kingdom of Altera are in here."
Tori nodded her head as she immediately opened the scroll. As she read, her grip on the parchment tightened and her ruby-red eyes gleamed—a telltale sign for those around her that she was ready to commit a crime because of her fury.
Yei Lin, who was able to read the contents of the scroll, could not help himself to frown. "Is there something about the Kingdom of Altera that bothers you?" Yei Lin asked.
"Kingdom of Altera? Father told me through letters a week ago they have just got themselves a new king after all those years of bloodshed for the dragon seat," Alice chimed in. His fingers were playing with the pastries before him then he suddenly stopped and looked around him. "Why? Why are we talking about them?"
The Golden King has ascended, huh?
Closing the scroll, Tori wandered her gaze to the members of the Secret Council. She sighed and patted the scroll. "The Kingdom of Altera deserves the title of the sleeping dragon. Right now, that dragon has fully awakened and it has set its eyes on the Eckrett Empire."
"Why do you say so? That Kingdom of Altera can barely keep its shit together after the civil war that lasted for a decade. And besides, the newly crowned king is a former prince who did not show much interest in the throne." Alice's tone was laced with mockery as he felt that it was all absurd for a giant like the Eckrett Empire to be wary of an ant like the Altera Kingdom.
Tori scoffed.
It is that attitude that almost led the empire to its untimely demise.
"It is a bit interesting how an 'uninterested' prince survived the civil war that killed all his brothers while he became the king all of sudden," the chieftain of the north said. As someone who experienced civil wars in the north, he was rather quick to notice the underlying real problem.
Alice was no fool. His countenance changed when a realization struck him where it hurt the most. His gaze shifted to Yei Lin before it met a pair of bestial red eyes.
"You are the nearest kingdom next to Altera, Alice. I say beware of their new king," said Tori. "That man has the guts to clean his hands while making his brothers die. He is patient and smart, a pretty good combination for an ally and a dangerous one for an enemy."
"You speak as if you know him quite well." It was Rowan who spoke the words that the others could not dare to say. Looks of admiration were pinned on him from Yei Lin, Alice, and Lily.
The ice-cold chieftain of the north remained silent. He was neither interested in how Tori knew this man nor was he interested in politics beyond the Eckrett Empire.
Tori picked up her teacup and took her sweet time sipping her Oolong tea with a cold smile plastered on her face. "Let us say, I have a decent amount of time admiring him. If you admire someone, you are bound to know his deepest, darkest side."
Completely taking the wrong idea when they all heard the word 'admiring', all of the members of the Secret Council had a myriad of imaginations while thinking about the obsessed emperor.
Contrary to what the others were thinking, Tori was already setting a series of traps for the so-called golden king.
If the coronation happened this month, then the first big incident that will serve as his stepping stone will be the death of Alice's father. His death will open the sea that connects the empire and the continent. And in order to stop that...
"Alice, deliver this invitation to your father, the King of Monakre. We will be talking about the Centro with the Emperor."
"W-Wait! Does the emperor know of this?" Alice knew that Tori pretty much held the leash around the emperor, but he saw a side of the seemingly tamed emperor that not even Tori had witnessed.
For Alice, Emperor Corean Shuia Eckrett was no pushover.
"Don't worry about him, worry about your father, Alice."
But of course, there were exceptions. And for the emperor, Tori was his only exception.