~Katrina~
The sporting complex looked smaller than it had the last time I saw it. The sheer number of people who showed up made it seem that way. It was overwhelming—I had never seen a crowd this large. The land, which once seemed vast, now felt cramped.
The decorations were stunning. I hadn't expected them to turn out so well. They mixed four colors—gold, black, white, and red—and somehow, it worked perfectly.
I sat in the gold arena, which was reserved for the royal family. The other women settled into their seats as well. I was lucky to find a spot in the front row, right next to Prince Elvin. I knew the king would be furious. The thought pleased me.
I wanted to bring up his marriage proposal to Lady Faustino, but Prince Elvin avoided the topic. I decided not to push.
Instead, we talked about the event. He explained why the seating was divided. The gold arena was for the royal family. The red was for the nobles. The white was for the low and middle-class citizens of Xylonia. The black was for outsiders—anyone who wasn't a citizen by birth or marriage.
The four arenas would compete against each other in the games. It was bound to get bloody, but everyone had placed their bets. The kingdom would make a fortune from it.
Still, Prince Elvin leaned in and whispered, "If you can't stand it, leave before it gets worse."
I was surprised. The games were chaotic, but calculated. There was no doubt the king was a brilliant man—one of the reasons he was more successful than his ancestors.
As Prince Elvin explained, the crowd's cheers suddenly grew louder. My attention shifted to the king.
I turned and saw him kiss Queen Fortuna's cheek. A cold shiver ran through me. I wanted to look away, but I needed to see it for myself. He cared for his wife, not me. What was I expecting?
Tears welled in my eyes as I looked away. My heart ached. I wished I had never fallen for him. He was never mine to have.
"Don't cry, Princess," Prince Elvin interrupted my thoughts, handing me a white handkerchief. "Those two are the craziest couple you'll ever see. Don't try to understand them."
I wiped my tears and glanced back at them. From here, they looked perfect together.
"Why do you say that?" I asked, curious.
"They're both strange," he said. "Forgive me for saying this, but they've always been inseparable. It started in childhood."
"How did they end up married?" I asked. Marissa didn't know the reason either.
"I don't remember. It's been too long," Prince Elvin admitted. "But Fortuna always loved and respected the king. Their wedding was the biggest in Xylonia."
"So Karl doesn't love her?"
"Does he love anyone?" Prince Elvin chuckled. "My cousin has no heart. If you think he'll love you, don't waste your time."
"I thought he loved Fortuna, not me," I said, trying to hide my disappointment.
"He knows how to impress women. They all want him, but he'll never love them. It's a pity. If he's capable of loving anyone, it's Fortuna."
"Why? Love doesn't work that way. Just because she's his wife—"
"They're the same. He loves blood, and so does she," Prince Elvin said, studying me for a moment. "You'll never understand them, so don't try."
I nodded and looked back at them. So many questions filled my mind. What kind of relationship did they really have? And why was Princess Arabella cast aside?
**
~Fortuna~
My mind was a mess today. The news of my sister's marriage broke me. How could the king make such an important decision without telling me first? Now everyone believed she was going to marry Prince Elvin in two weeks, but that was impossible.
She was dead. And no one knew.
I had to come up with a plan—something to protect myself. Just thinking about it made me restless.
Tonight, when the king told me he had forgiven me, I felt a small relief. For now, I needed to push my worries aside. They were becoming too obvious. I forced myself to focus on the event.
The dance competition ended well. I cast my vote for a woman who used to sing my praises at the village square. She danced beautifully, though others had performed better.
I pledged a large amount of gold, enough to make the king suspicious.
"Why do you want her to win so badly?" he asked.
It had been a long time since we sat together like this. Ever since Katrina stepped foot in this palace, everything had been chaos.
"I know her," I said with a smile. "But she danced well too."
"If you say so, but I think the other lady was better," King Karl replied, pointing at a woman in a green blouse. Her waist moved like a snake.
A small pang of jealousy hit me, even though I knew he wasn't the type to chase women. The only reason he had so many concubines was because we were searching for a cure for his illness.
"I don't think so," I said with a chuckle. "She doesn't deserve that much of my money."
He shook his head, amused.
"You're never going to change."
"Do you want me to?" I asked.
He was wearing a different mask today—gold instead of black. I wondered why the change, but I couldn't ask… not here.
"No, just be yourself. I like you the way you are, Fortuna."
"What about Katrina?" I blurted out. It was better to know how he truly felt about her. She was a distraction. Even from a distance, I could see him stealing glances at her.
"She is my woman. Have you forgotten? You and Mother agreed she should come to Xylonia," he reminded me.
Of course, we had. We wanted to find a solution for him. But if I had known Katrina would be such a headache, I never would have agreed.
"You like her too. But does she feel the same? If she did, she wouldn't sit so close to another man, laughing and whispering like that. That kind of behavior is unfit for a king's concubine."
"I don't see anything wrong with it."
"Really?" My eyes widened. Karl was a jealous man. He never liked his women getting too close to other men. Why was he acting like this one didn't bother him? Was he serious?
"Do nothing about it… When she's pregnant with his child, you'll see the truth."
I spoke out of spite. If I could turn him against her, she would suffer later.
He said nothing, just kept staring at them.
Prince Elvin would be furious if he knew what I had said. But who cared?
"Who knows? She might even try to claim the baby is yours," I added, reminding him of the past.
One of his concubines had tried that once. She and her lover were killed. The child had been sent to her family.
"I haven't slept with her. She wouldn't dare," the king finally said, his voice low. He looked… sad.
Really? That was surprising. I had assumed they'd already been together.
Now I understood why he was still so drawn to Katrina. He hadn't touched her yet.
But once he did… getting rid of her would be easy.
Now, how could I make that happen tonight?