A total of seven candidates stood proud on the sandy ground of the coliseum. To their grandeur, the crowd roared. Some supported Prince William, some Prince Wolf, and a handful of other groups supported the rest of the participants. Chanting praises of their candidates, for they'd either gambled on their name or entrusted them with the king's title.
Allowing the crowd to grow tired and settle, Astoria placed her sceptre in front of her body and, with a lifted chin, addressed them with her radiant dignity.
"Declare yourself! Let the people know who you are and what you stand for; convince them to entrust you with their hopes!" Looking around at the gathered crowd, Astoria nodded ever so lightly with a gentle smile on her face. "That is your first test; do not fail your subjects before you've even begun. Let's hear if they'll cheer you on after hearing from the other candidates."
Stepping away from the window, Astoria retreated to her seat. Instead of looking through the window, she closed her eyes and shared the vision of the eye-shaped angel. Focusing on the first woman–a faunan reptilian dressed lecherously scanty, a foul scowl appeared on her eyebrows.
Smirking devilishly, the horned woman stomped her oceanic trident. Looking around at the many faces in front of her, she dared not flinch even though her attire was needlessly distracting. Oyster shells covered her breasts, and a band of sea shells dangled from her hips. Although her legs being covered in scales required no clothing, climbing up on them, the only thing covering her buttocks was a green straw skirt that barely covered anything.
"I am Kukei Rumblethunder! A representative of the reptilian faunan of Aestonian annexed land!" Raising her trident, she smiled carelessly. A roaring cheer erupted from one corner of the coliseum, and as everyone's gaze turned to them, no wonder they were all reptilians.
As everyone's eyes returned to her, she took a deep breath and placed a hand on her chest.
"I harbour no ill will," opening her eyes, she heaved a sigh and let her shoulders fall. "Our land is prosperous thanks to the old king's take over, but…"
Turning around, the faunan pointed her trident at William, cloaked from head to toe for some reason. Glaring daggers at the man with her teal-blue gaze, she gritted her teeth and slammed her trident again.
"If nothing else, I'll take down this monstrosity he has left behind!" Gasps echoed through the many sections of the coliseum. But then there were those who remained quiet, for they agreed with her wholeheartedly. "Be ready for my wrath, you scoundrel! You have no idea what you've done to our island with those false stamps and fake permits. We were prospering under your father, but since his death, you have no idea how much you've screwed our island over!"
Kukei's anger was palpable, and there were no limits to her bloodlust. She had not entered the race to win but to use it as an excuse to kill Prince William. Even so, as her eyes wandered over to his rival, Wolf, she directed her trident at him and declared.
"Do not get in my way; I'll have your brother's head as a shitter!" And with that, her declaration was over. But as she returned to her spot by the rest of the participants, the people who'd remained silent began clapping with their hands hidden behind each other.
Her townsmen weren't shy in showing their support either, and it went on for so long that the queen had to stomp her sceptre in her chair to silence the crowd.
"Next participant, step up this instant!" To her declaration, a long moustached man with a turban stepped forward. Stroking his curly facial hair, he smiled cheekily at the citizens. But instead of helping him sell his image, it only made it worse.
"As many of you already know," grabbing his tie that was tucked underneath a checkered sweater of red and green, the man presented himself as a salesman. "I am Rostei Heel, one of the bay masters that drive our fortunate economy!"
The turban, the ballooned pants, and the overall dusty appeal of the man were already upsetting the commoners. Rostei was a middleman, one most renowned for being the least trustworthy, and for him to stand before the crowd whom he'd plundered of profits, no wonder nobody wanted to see him.
'Move already, you idiots!' Having expected such a result, however, he eyed a handful of peddlers selling food amidst the crowd. Noticing his glare, they took turns faking a cough, and suddenly, a rush of cheers erupted through the coliseum. Smirking at the praises, he continued with his dialogue.
"How long have I served you, hmm? Since I was a kid of age five!" Although the paid actors continued to cheer, a round of booing began countering them as soon as he began speaking again. An awkward smile took over Rostei, but having come so far, he knew he couldn't back down. "I'll see our land prosper even more! I'll see the common folks are the ones with full pockets and not just the elites of the bay hoarding all of the resources!"
To the surprise of everyone, the last part of his dialogue drew clapping from the elite's elevated section of the coliseum. Keeping their hands low behind each other's back, they were trying to support him, but those who could see through the ruse knew that he was a bootlicking plant.
'SHIT! FUCK!' Seeing how even more booing erupted once he was finished, Rostei returned to the line of participants to try not to stand out anymore. Even then, he was booed for a full minute until the queen had to raise her voice again.
"SILENCE! I WILL NOT TOLERATE IMPUDENCE IN THE PRESENCE OF MOTHER AKRAMADIA!" Her voice thundered through the ground, and everyone felt a physical force pushing them back down into their chairs. Their hearts seized by the shock, the people grew silent, and after another minute of pause, Astoria declared. "Next participant, stand forth this instant!"
And thus came time for William to step up.