Chapter 2. Sylvania's Affair

The clinking sounds of two glass cups clashing against each other echoed in a dimly lit room. Candlesticks hung on different areas of the walls, and beautifully designed curtains hung everywhere around the room.

The curtains that hung in front of the doors, around the wardrobes, and around the king-sized bed at the center of the room were designed with flowery patterns that ran across them vertically. The marble floor glistened under the bright orange chandelier, hanging from the ceiling in three different areas around the bed.

“What took you so long? I thought I’d never get to see you again after the war.” Sylvania’s voice came after the clinking sound. She raised the glass cup to her lips, inclining it to pour the drink into her mouth. She sat on a wooden chair along the circumference of a round-table with her right leg on top of her left.

“My apologies, queen Sylvania; I had some urgent matters to take care of before coming over to discuss with you about the progress of our plan. As you already know, a lot of other kingdoms have had their eyes on Andreia for a very long time because of how blessed it is, and now that the kingdom has no king, it puts it in a very vulnerable position.” King Japhet spoke.

My stepmother, Sylvania, got up from her seat and slowly walked over to the side of the table where King Japhet sat. She had a drunken, seductive look in her eyes. Her red dress revealed her right leg all the way to her upper thigh, and a large portion of her cleavage. She walked over to Japhet's seat, stopped behind him, and then slowly passed her palms over his chest.

“Oh, Japhet. How many times have I told you not to call me Queen Sylvania? I really do not like it. I am no queen unless you make me one. It’s been a while since we’ve been together, yet you sit here talking about things that don’t even matter to me.” Sylvania spoke with a seductive tone, rubbing her palms all over Japhet’s chest and slowly unbuttoning his shirt.

Japhet let out slow breaths, tightening his fists in an attempt to resist the urge to lay with my stepmother. He had more important goals in mind and couldn’t afford to get distracted by this wh*r* that stood behind him. I was sure he hated her as much as I did, but he couldn’t show his dislike for her now until his plan was complete; she was crucial to his goals. He quickly grabbed her right hand before she could finish undoing all his buttons.

“Listen, Sylvania. This is not the time for this, we have more important things to get to at the moment. Your kingdom is a blessed one, with the most fertile lands, cleanest waters, and beautiful people. Your prayers to the goddess are answered within minutes, and many kingdoms have tried again and again to take it but have failed.

The only reason I was able to take the western city was because it was the most sinful place in all of Andreia, the place you came from. The other kings believe that your husband’s bloodline is the reason the goddess keeps protecting the kingdom, and with him dead, there is only one person left to get rid of,” Japhet explained.

“Celene,” Sylvania said with a disappointed tone, letting out a sigh. She probably loved this man with all her heart but was tired of being treated like a means to an end. She walked away from him and sat back in her seat, folding her hands against her chest.

“I told you in my letter; I’m working on it. I’ll end her life and make sure the news doesn’t reach the other kingdoms until we both get married, but you have to promise me something, Japhet,” Sylvania continued with her brows furrowed.

“Anything for you, Sylvania,” Japhet replied, leaning forward.

“I want you to promise me that you’ll get married to me after Celene’s death,” Sylvania demanded with a stern tone, staring directly into Japhet’s eyes.

Japhet remained quiet for a moment. He broke eye contact with Sylvania and turned to the table. Then he replied as a drop of sweat rolled down his cheek. “I… promise….”

“Never mind, your reply took too long. Now I understand what my role is in all this,” Sylvania interrupted.

“What do you mean?” Japhet asked, raising his eyes again.

“I’m not the stupid wh*r* you think I am Japhet. There was a reason my husband chose to marry someone like me, an indecent prostitute from the western city. Your plan is to use me to do the dirty work, and after taking my kingdom, lock me behind bars forever. No one will question you because you will tell them I was the one who killed my husband and his daughter. I will be the one on the losing end,” Sylvania said softly, picking up her glass of wine.

“But that’s not true,” Japhet denied nervously.

“Oh? Is it not? Then let’s make another deal. You’ll get married to me, and after the marriage, I’ll kill Celene. After Celene’s death, you will announce to the public that Celene died of the same illness that killed her father.

With that family’s bloodline out of the way and you as the new king, you don’t have to worry about getting attacked by any other kingdom, and as the queen, I don’t have to worry about getting betrayed. Do we have an agreement?” Sylvania said, taking another sip out of her glass cup.

Japhet leaned back and pushed out a sigh. “Fine, Sylvania. We have a deal. When do you suggest we get married?” he asked.

“We’ll get married under the next blue moon. That night, the goddess’s throne is closer to the kingdom, and we have even more access to her blessings. Nothing will go wrong on that night; no betrayals, no battles, and no deaths. Only what she wills will happen, and the goddess never wills evil on Andreia,” Sylvania replied.

“Fine, we’ll begin preparations immediately. I have to take my leave now.”

“No! You’re not going anywhere until I tell you to. I spent so much time preparing myself for your arrival, and you’re just going to walk out on me like that? Either you satisfy my needs or our deal is off. You know you cannot become the ruler of Andreia without my help,” Sylvania snapped at him angrily.

Japhet stared at her for a moment. This woman was really bent on frustrating him. He was the king of one of the greatest kingdoms on the planet, and here he was being treated like a beggar by this prostitute. Although he was very furious on the inside, he kept a calm face. He had to be patient; he had to wait for his turn to make his own move.

“Alright, my love. Shall we move to the bed?” Japhet said with a smile. Sylvania smiled back, then got up from her seat. As she walked over to Japhet’s side of the table, a knock sounded on the door. Both of them turned to the door with puzzled expressions on their faces.

“My lord, we caught one of the maids eavesdropping on your meeting with the queen.” A male voice sounded from the other side of the door.

Sylvania’s eyes widened in shock as she heard his words. She rushed to the door and pulled it open. She gasped as her eyes met with mine. My eyes and heart were filled with fury as I stared at her. I would have launched at her and strangled her to death at that moment if the guards weren’t holding me back.