Death Penalty?

Deep in the forest, there is a house that two people live in. The house is different from the houses in the Vriareala's Kingdom. The house is very simple and only made of wood.

"It's impossible."

"But I saw it myself. He did everything well."

"There's no way that could happen. Someone can't do it even if they study for a short time."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"I'll check it myself."

"You want to go to the Palace?"

*****

This morning, the palace was already crowded. That was because the palace doors were opened to the public and all residents were allowed to watch Xavia's match with Princess Mystica. Whoever loses the match will be sentenced to death at that time. The match was also watched by the King and Queen as well as the concubines, including concubine Lyonna.

Minutes before the game starts...

"Hello." Xavia tried to greet Mystica who was sitting alone in the Queen's garden.

Mystica just smiled back at Xavia's greeting. Xavia sat beside Mystica.

"It's almost time. Why are you still here?"

"I didn't intend to come to that match."

"Why?"

"I have no intention of becoming the crown princess. If you want, I can help you become the crown princess without having to compete with me."

"You know what will happen if you refuse to fight?"

"I will lose. I know it."

"Do you know the punishment?"

"Punishment? What do you mean?"

"The ministers asked that if anyone loses the match, they will be sentenced to death. Not only us but also our families."

"What?! What kind of stupid rule is that?!"

"Forgive me."

"Why are you apologizing? Aren't the ministers making stupid rules?"

"I apologize that I readily agreed to the punishment."

"Damn it. If this is the way it is, like it or not, you have to compete seriously."

*****

The match between Xavia and Princess Mystica opened with a tea party. They were asked to pour the tea into a glass and drink it gracefully. Xavia and princess Mystica both managed to do it. Then proceed with the first match, namely archery.

In the archery match, princess Mystica got 57 points while Xavia got 56 points. Then in the next match, it was horse riding. Xavia got 80 points with the fastest time of 15 minutes, while princess Mystica only got 70 points with 20 minutes. Then the next game is cooking. Xavia got 60 points, while princess Mystica got 62 points. The provisional result for princess Mystica was 189 points, while Xavia's was 196 points. For now, Xavia's points are superior compared to Princess Mystica's.

After going through three matches, Xavia and princess Mystica were given 30 minutes of rest.

Mystica, who was walking around the Palace met Valery's concubine. Third-degree concubine in a sunflower dress. That indicates the position of concubine Valery is lower than concubine Lyonna.

Now Mystica was with concubine Valery in the north pavilion. More precisely, in the residence of concubine Valery.

"Why are you holding yourself back? Why not show your skills? I'm sure you can be superior to those lowly people."

"I just don't want to be the crown princess. That would make my father even more greedy."

"I don't agree with what you said. I think what your father did was for your good."

"What's my good? He just wants to reach a higher position."

"Even so, aren't you two mutually beneficial? You help your father become the head of the council, while you will get the crown princess position."

"I don't like that, and I don't intend to make my Father Head of the Council either."

Mystica stood up and intended to leave the residence of concubine Valery.

"Then you should be prepared to die after the match is over."

Mystica, who heard that stopped her steps and turned to face Valery's concubine. "I'm not afraid of death. If death makes my father less greedy, then I prefer to be executed with my father."

After saying that Mystica left the residence of concubine Valery. Hearing Mystica's words made Valery's concubine's hands clench tightly. He was really angry at Mystica's words.

"It's fine if you refuse to become the crown princess now, but I will make sure that you will become the crown princess, not the lowly people chosen by Queen Afia and Lyonna's concubine." Concubine Valery spoke softly with a faint smile on her lips.

*****

The match starts again, and this is the last match which is to make an evening dress for the royal formal party. Of the five skills that the Queen must possess, only four are contested, namely archery, horse riding, cooking, and sewing.

Xavia started sewing as well as princess Mystica. Xavia made an evening blue dress with an immortal flower embellishment. Meanwhile, Princess Mystica made a black dress decorated with white orchids. Famous fashion designer Princess Fanny gave 95 points for a dress made by Xavia and 94 points for a dress made by princess Mytica. The reason is, the dress made by Xavia is unique and she has never seen or made such a beautiful dress even though there are some messy stitches. While she gave it a 94 score for princess Mystica, the reason was that the stitching was very neat and uncluttered.

The final result of the match between Xavia and Mystica was 283 for Mystica and 291 for Xavia. When the final results were announced, the entire population cheered for Xavia's victory and her current position as crown princess.

Now is the time for punishment. The king gave Xavia the power to decide whether the prime minister's family and princess Mystica received the death penalty or not.

Xavia who was given the choice fell silent. She looked at concubine Lyonna, who looked restless from a distance.

"Why is concubine Lyonna so restless and so frightened?" Xavia thought.

Then, he thought of concubine Lyonna's words a few days ago.

"When you succeed later, you must make a decision that will not create a grudge in the future. Because what you do now will have a big impact on your life later."

Did the meaning of concubine Lyonna's words a few days ago signify that concubine Lyonna knew she would win and asked to save Princess Mystica and her family?