Princess Selene silently stood before the enormous war table.
Her golden eyes slowly moved across them one by one.
Then—
she closed her eyes.
And her thoughts drifted backward.
Twenty years ago.
Back then…
Kingdom of Norvoss had not been feared.
It had been vulnerable.
A kingdom blessed with rich lands, resources, and trade routes.
Which only attracted greed.
Bandits raided villages constantly.
Neighboring kingdoms manipulated borders and trade.
Mercenaries flooded the region.
And when Norvoss weakened…
its enemies smiled.
Selene still remembered hiding behind her mother's dress as a little girl while exhausted soldiers delivered reports inside the palace halls.
"The eastern town has fallen."
"Bandits attacked another supply line."
"We lost contact with the southern forts."
Fear had become normal back then.
Then came the invasion.
A neighboring kingdom secretly armed the bandits.
Funded them.
Supported them.
And when Norvoss was weakened enough—
their armies marched openly.
Selene still remembered the screams.
The fire.
The sound of steel echoing through the palace.
Norvoss fought back desperately.
But desperation alone could not stop overwhelming numbers.
The capital eventually fell.
And in that chaos—
she saw it.
Her mother standing beside her father while soldiers flooded the palace halls.
Protecting her until the very end.
Selene still remembered her mother collapsing onto the bloodstained floor while a arrow on her heart.
Still remembered her father kneeling beside her while enemies mocked him.
Mocked a broken king who could no longer protect his kingdom.
Yet even then—
King Idris shielded his daughter behind him.
As if refusing to let Norvoss die completely.
Selene never forgot that sight.
Never.
Afterward came years of humiliation.
Occupation.
Starvation.
Oppression.
People suffered beneath foreign control while neighboring kingdoms slowly carved apart what remained of Norvoss.
And during those years—
Selene learned.
She learned politics.
War.
Manipulation.
Economics.
Fear.
Conquest.
She learned exactly how kingdoms destroyed each other.
And more importantly—
how they survived.
By ninety years old…
the young princess already understood something most rulers never did.
Mercy alone could not protect a nation.
Weakness invited predators.
And if the world respected only power—
then Norvoss would become powerful enough that nobody would ever make them kneel again.
Years ago, before Kingdom of Norvoss became feared across the continent…
it was still kneeling beneath another kingdom's boot.
The once-prosperous nation had become little more than a controlled territory under the influence of Kingdom of Qtorn.
Taxes were stolen.
Resources stripped away.
Its people starved while foreign nobles feasted.
And during those years—
Princess Selene learned silently.
While nobles underestimated her because of her age…
the young princess had already begun moving pieces across the shadows.
One by one—
high-ranking Qtorn officers began dying mysteriously.
A commander poisoned during a celebration.
A military officer disappearing after meeting a beautiful lady.
A strategist found dead inside a locked room without wounds.
Different deaths.
Different methods.
No connections.
No evidence.
No witnesses.
Nobody realized the ninety -year-old princess of a broken kingdom stood behind all of it.
Sometimes Selene personally approached powerful officers herself.
Smiling.
Elegant.
Charming.
And afterward?
Those men were never seen breathing again.
Not even Qtorn suspected her.
That was the terrifying part.
Selene never fought battles recklessly.
She dismantled kingdoms quietly first.
And now—
only the king of Qtorn and the highest command members remained.
-------------
Inside the dim royal strategy chamber of Norvoss, tension filled the air.
Maps and reports covered the table while generals argued among themselves.
"This is insanity!"
One older general slammed his fist against the table.
"You cannot invade the royal palace directly!"
"We barely have enough strength to defend our own borders!"
Nearby nobles nodded nervously.
Another general spoke afterward:
"If this fails, Norvoss will disappear completely."
Yet through all the arguing—
Selene remained calm.
Silent.
She slowly adjusted the sword resting at her waist before finally speaking:
"I already know the palace layout."
The room quieted slightly.
"I know the guard rotations."
"I know which commanders will attend the gathering."
"And I know exactly where the king of Qtorn will be tonight."
Her golden eyes swept across the room afterward.
Cold.
Steady.
"Everything has already been prepared."
Even then, hesitation remained visible among the generals.
At the head of the chamber, King Idris looked toward his daughter with concern.
"Selene…"
His voice lowered slightly.
"It is too risky."
"The palace of Qtorn is heavily guarded."
"If something happens to you…"
For a brief moment, Selene's expression softened slightly toward her father.
Then she stepped forward calmly.
"Please trust me."
"Just once."
Silence filled the chamber.
Then Selene drew her sword halfway from its sheath.
SHIIING.
The sound echoed sharply through the room.
"If any of you do not wish to come…"
Her gaze sharpened.
"Then say so openly."
"I do not require cowards for this mission."
Several generals immediately looked away.
One finally spoke through clenched teeth:
"My princess…"
"This is madness."
"You speak as though killing a king inside his own palace is simple."
Selene's expression did not change.
"I never said it would be simple."
Then her voice hardened.
"But impossible things are exactly why Norvoss still kneels today."
That line silenced the room completely.
Nobody answered.
Nobody moved.
Then—
a single armored figure stepped forward from among the soldiers.
Aerys step before Selene.
At that time, he was only twenty-eight.
Not yet a general.
Not yet feared across kingdoms.
Just a soldier.
But his eyes never wavered.
"I already offered my life to Norvoss long ago, my princess."
His hand pressed against his chest armor.
"My sword exists for this kingdom."
"My blood exists for its glory."
Then slowly, he lowered his head.
"I shall fight beside you until my last breath."
The chamber became silent.
Then—
another soldier stepped forward.
Then another.
And another.
One by one, warriors of Norvoss moved toward Selene before kneeling.
Even several doubtful generals eventually stepped forward afterward.
Hands pressed against the royal crest of Norvoss.
Voices echoed throughout the chamber as oaths were sworn.
"For Norvoss."
"For our people."
"For freedom."
Selene looked at every kneeling soldier before her.
Then finally tightened her grip upon her sword.
And for the first time that night—
true fire appeared within her golden eyes.
"After tonight…"
Her voice rang through the chamber like steel.
"Norvoss will never kneel to anyone again."