Lee uncomfortably shifted in his seat for the fifth time on the princess' throne. As if the tight clothing wasn't enough, especially the dumb fucking panties, Rebel was hanging on the last thread of life down there. Lee felt fidgety as he couldn't bear to witness any more of this. The princess was supposed to be strong, taking after her mother, but she was… a child.
'Shit!' Lee swore in his guarded mind as the abnormally sized snake crushed his tail down onto the girl disguised as a male warrior. She was going to lose for sure because it was still a beginning of a fight, and she was already floundering in mud and her own blood.
"Princess?" A demanding voice shook Lee out of his pessimistic thoughts.
"Yes, my lord?"
Lee was a good-looking young man favoring women and not having a problem with their attention, but this man beside him was a whole other definition of beautiful. King Axel was so intimidating Lee felt his fake panties drop to the ground.
Axel quirked his eyebrows as an amused smile crept its way to his lips.
"My lord?" Axel hummed.
"Um…" Lee darted his gaze from one side to another, averting it from Axel's blue orbs. "Axel?" He blurted out and wanted to punch himself right in the guts. Lee had no idea what kind of relationship Rebel developed with the king.
"Are you listening to me, little girl?"
Oh, fuck! He totally forgot about the priestess babbling at his other side. Why did she replace Danu?
"Femme, leave princess," Axel ordered her, and with a huff, she stilled speechless. 'Just like that, bitch!' Lee thought to himself.
"Rebel, are you okay? If the fight is too much for you, I can haze you."
"Haze me?" Lee's lifted eyebrow depicted his astonishment.
Hazing was a forbidden technique, but nobody could use it anyways. The person wielding this power could cloud the target's mind and make him imagine anything he desired. That was a big no-no for Lee. If the king hazed him, their plan would be exposed, and they all would be as good as dead.
They were all risking everything for this hazardous plan. Their death wouldn't be merciful. On the contrary, they would suffer barbarous executions.
"Princess, I hate repeating." Axel tilted his head lazily as the matching smirk danced across his lips. The king was known for careless expressions in dire situations.
'How is she dealing with him?' Lee's face twitched into something between aw and ew.
"No, Axel. It's just the warrior is too weak, and I feel uncomfortable for her…him."
Axel faced the battle again, and instinctively Lee did the same as the unpleasant scene was waiting for him.
Rebel was drenched in blood and was limping as she barely hopped from the serpent's grasp before it could crush her. Lee sighed audibly as he found himself cheering for the princess inwardly.
"I can't make any assumptions unless the fight is over," Axel said lowly.
Lee sensed Femme boring into Axel's soul as if desperately trying to deserve his attention. 'Whore.'
"Because you can't scorn a person by how much he is suffering. The only indicator of his strength is how he deals with the hardships, and I can't see him giving up yet. That means he isn't weak."
Axel's words rang in Lee's head. The status of king suited him. He really was a king by nature. Maybe it was worth a shot to have faith in Rebel.
At least for the sake of Lee being tortured in these panties! How were women wearing those things?
But nothing mattered if Rebel won. Right now, she was sliding under the sword, which bounced due to the impact of the snake's tail colliding with it.
Lee leaned forward in his seat while clutching the throne handles. The princess' advances had piqued his curiosity. Lee's heartbeat sped up as he felt Rebel's powers fading, and Lee cursed under his breath. She had left only a few minutes before her true form took over. Penum, Lee, and even the princess would have to deal with the daunting consequences if that happened.
'I know you will win, hotheaded princess.'
***
[Rebel]
The gargantuan monster overshadowed me as the area around me darkened, and only a thing that lit up was his viperous eyes radiating the orange light in thrill.
As the anticipation placated the whole crowd, the dead silence pooled in my ears.
Swiftly, I grasped the sword and escaped the beast's deadly fangs. He lunged for me but smashed his head into the dusty ground instead.
I didn't let him regain his composure as I sprang up to my feet and slashed the snake's neck, biparting the head from the rest of his body. The blood erupted as it covered my already smeared legs.
A gasp was cut off as the purple serpent's body dropped limply before me.
The throng started shouting, yelling and cheering for me as I felt the vibration of them rising to their feet in unison.
Shit, my magic was wearing off! I wobbled to my feet as I involuntarily loosened my grip on the hilt of the sword. I faced the throne area and was met with Lee furiously applauding my work and assuring me that I was alive.
On the other hand, Axel was studying me. Oh, I had to hide until my magic vanished. He gave me a few jerks of his head before Ash strolled towards me and announced me as the winner.
I dropped the sword. I won.
I started fervently scanning the crowd for Penum. He couldn't call me since we didn't have time to agree on my new name in this form. Fuck! I sighed in relief as I caught a glimpse of agitated Penum motioning for me to run to him as he clutched the towel in his hands.
I didn't give it a second thought as I bolted to him. The excited exclaims followed me as Penum wrapped a towel around me and pacified my surroundings to pull me into a safe place.
"Good job, my lady. Good job." He murmured at last as I was shaking from the overwhelming experience. "You struggled for sure but still won." His arms wrapped around my body alleviated the pain.
"Penum, tell me about my mother," I mumbled.
"My lady-"
"Now!"
The lord inhaled before opened his lips again, "The monster I mentioned in the River kingdom has gained the magic very similar to your mother's."
"What are you hinting at?"
"Higher-ups have considered that your mother may be alive and being used as the magic source for that creature. The fact that the burnt body doesn't assume her death helps too."
"How do you even know that thing exists?"
"I am your faithful, my lady, but even I can't utter a thing about that."
I sighed and felt my magic fading as I shrank in size. I didn't know how to feel – jubilant that Eres was alive or acrimony because her powers were sucked out of her.
"One good thing about it is that if we free Eres, with mother, you will return your powers."
I nodded, worn out as I could barely stand on my feet.
"Princess."
"Yes?"
"There is one more matter."
I noticed as Penum got edgy, fumbling with his fingers.
"There is mating bond to be executed."
"And?"
"It's in a week."
"So?" I asked and felt Penum's unsettled gaze on me.
"You will have to bear king Axel's heir."
"WHAT?"