Chapter 1

The large bedroom belonging to the princess was quite cold as the morning breeze flooded in through the open ceiling-length windows. The delicate sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling mingled with the faint whisper of the wind, pushing the princess into a deeper slumber. The gentle lull was abruptly shattered by the sensation of movement around her.

Bodies?

Her eyes shot open at that thought, and with one sweeping glance over the large bed, she gasped at the sight of lavishness and debauchery. How many men were there? She didn't even want to count. Her hands trembled, and for a second, she forgot where she was.

[Marianne, calm down.]

The system's reminder jolted her back to reality. She quickly pulled up the sheets to cover her bare skin, her heart pounding furiously.

'What's happening right now!? ' She screamed internally.

[The princess threw a party last night.]

What kind of party was this!? A headache began to throb at her temples, and she could only peel herself away from the bed, stepping out onto the veranda wrapped in the bedding. She was met with the breath-taking view of a sprawling forest kingdom below her. She was standing in the small corner of a large castle and could vaguely hear people moving around and see movements in the trees.

She desperately tried to access her memories, praying for them to be intact.

She was Princess Odeliah, the only princess of Thalia, the elf kingdom hidden within the depths of a dark forest.

'What's the mission?' she asked with a sigh, trying to focus her mind. Anytime she tried to search through her memories, all she saw were indecent scenes she could not bear to relive.

The door to her room pried open and she jumped a little, startled at the sudden intrusion. A young man in black silver armour, a large spear attached to his back and a sword to his waist. Long, straight, white hair that flowed down to his midback, narrow green eyes that looked at her unfavourably and pursed, unimpressed lips that showed how he felt at the sight of pure hedonism in her room.

"Brother..." she acknowledged in a small voice, shying away. She knew he was fuming. He hated when she lost herself to her desires like a common elf.

He did not say anything. Instead, he got to work at once. Reaching for the sword at his waist, he drew it before stabbing the closest body. Odeliah gasped, her hands clasping her mouth as she watched him kill everyone in the room. The scent of blood soon became overwhelming, and her bed was soaked in it.

Her brother moved with an eerie calmness, his face devoid of emotion. His movements were swift and precise, a practiced efficiency in the way he dispatched each man. He pulled his sword from one body with a sickening squelch, then plunged it into the next, the blade slicing through flesh and bone with a chilling ease. Blood sprayed in arcs, painting the room in splashes of deep red.

The elf flicked his sword to rid it of the blood and re-sheathed it. He turned to Odeliah, his cold eyes meeting hers. "I hope you can finally grow up, Odeliah," he said, his voice devoid of any warmth. Then, without another word, he turned and left, the door closing behind him with a definitive thud.

Odeliah looked at the bodies, her stomach churning. She gagged before throwing up violently over the veranda railing. The sudden, brutal violence had shocked her, leaving her trembling and unable to summon the courage to walk back into the room.

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗

Avoid Death

Win the Fight of Succession

Lead Leone to Prosperity

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

Wasn't that too hard? The sudden jump in difficulty was overwhelming. What did she know about ruling a kingdom? What was this?

She leaned against the railing, trying to steady her breathing. The forest below seemed so serene, a stark contrast to the chaos within. The distant sounds of the kingdom waking up filtered through, but she felt disconnected from it all. The sunlight filtering through the forest canopy cast dappled shadows on the castle walls, a reminder of the world outside that continued to turn despite her turmoil.

The door to her bedroom opened once more and a woman walked in, wearing a simple phthalo green chiton held to her waist and shoulders with gold. The woman had pointed ears, her brown hair tied up in a simple low bun with braids along the side of her head. Her hair was adorned with a simple gold wreath. For a second, Odeliah thought she was looking at a fellow princess, but her memories could not recognise her.

"Your highness, please allow us to help you." The lady said with a light bow, as she finished her sentence, a few more ladies with the same dresses and hairstyles walked in quickly. Some began to clean up the bodies and others walked up to Odeliah and led her back, carefully walking around all the blood to a side room hidden behind the muslin curtains that lined her walls.

The bathing room was quite large, only a bit smaller than her bedroom. The air was filled with the gentle scent of flowers and incense, wafting from the golden incense burners placed around the room. The central feature was a large marble pool filled with lotus flowers floating gracefully on the water's surface. Her attendants carefully assisted her, helping her into the pool. They worked diligently, washing away the remnants of the earlier night's activities. Their movements were gentle but efficient, scrubbing her skin with fragrant oils and rinsing her hair until it shone. One of the attendants offered her a delicate bowl filled with chilled water to sip on.

After the bath, Eleanor was led to a comfortable seating area, where the attendants began to dress her. She was adorned in a fine gown woven with gold and ivory, the fabric seemed to flow like water over her form. Her short hair was brushed, neatly framing her face with strands of pearls and gold woven into the locks. The attendants meticulously applied light makeup to enhance her beauty, accentuating her high cheekbones and full lips.

Finally, they presented her with a mirror. As Eleanor looked at her reflection, she saw a vision of ethereal beauty staring back at her. She was an elf, a dark elf with white hair like her brothers', which was cut into a sharp bob that framed her delicate features. Her golden irises gleamed fiercely. From her memories, she could only recall her mother's eyes, which were a deeper, older liquid gold. Her right arm had thin gold tattoos that were almost imperceptible, but in the sunlight, they reflected the light brightly, appearing to glow.

She was taken care of like a pearl, and by the time she could step out again, her bedroom looked as if no one had been there. There was no blood and no bodies. If she hadn't seen the servants carrying out her blood-stained sheets, which she had used to cover her naked form, she would have assumed she was dreaming.

Odeliah couldn't help but wonder how many times they had cleared out her room from dead bodies of the people she had slept with, despite her status as princess, she had a nasty reputation as the reincarnation of gluttony. She couldn't help but feel faint. How could someone with her type of reputation win in succession?

She decided not to dwell on it or else she would just cry.

"Your Highness, please come downstairs; the young master is waiting for you." The servant who had first stepped in said coldly as she tried to usher Odeliah out of the room. Her cold tone made Odeliah very aware of how she was seen by her brother's servants. She did not have any servants, as they died too often for anyone to want to work for her, so her brother often allowed his servants to serve her, and she at least knew propriety and wouldn't dare touch people who belonged to him.

Odeliah took a deep breath, trying to steel herself against the disdainful looks and curt words. She knew her reputation was trash, but it wasn't something she hadn't dealt with before. As she followed the servant down the grand staircase, the sound of her footsteps echoed in the vast hallway. She reached the dining hall, where her brother, Prince Castiel, was already seated at the head of the table. His expression was stern, his eyes focused on the breakfast spread before him. The table was adorned with silverware and delicate porcelain, the air filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread and brewed tea.

"Good morning, brother," Odeliah greeted softly as she took her seat opposite him.

Castiel looked up briefly, acknowledging her presence with a nod before returning his attention to his meal. They ate in silence, the only sounds being the clinking of cutlery and the occasional murmur of servants as they moved about the room. Odeliah tried to eat, but the tension made every bite taste like ash.

Her brother, Prince Castiel, was the only one born from her father's lineage. He was only 26 years older than her, and he was her closest family member compared to their half siblings. He had always taken care of her and despite her destructive habits, he was still patient with her.

After what felt like an eternity, Castiel finished his meal and dabbed his mouth with a napkin. He looked at her with a piercing gaze, his voice steady and authoritative. "Odeliah, today you will go to the training grounds and choose your Koa."

She nodded, searching her memories in an instance. The Koa was a human warrior; every few years, the Koa were surrendered by their respective kingdoms to fight in a grand competition. They fight for glory, for riches, and most importantly, to be sponsored by an elf princess. The crowned princess had the first pick, a privilege that carried great privilege. The current elf Queen's consort was her Koa when she was only a princess. The fact that the Queen called for another Koa competition meant that she planned to start the succession wars soon enough.

"The competition begins soon," Castiel continued. "Humans will send their strongest warriors, and as the crowned princess, you will be the first to choose your Koa. This is an opportunity to prove yourself. Choose wisely, for the Koa you select will reflect your judgement and strength. I don't mind what you have been occupied with so far, but right now you need to choose the man who will make you Queen."

Odeliah felt the depth of his words. He was reasonably worried that she would choose a man for his looks rather than ability "I understand, brother. Do you know who the crowned princess chose?"

"She chose a bastard. She normally has a good head on her shoulders, I wonder what came over her this time. This is your opportunity."

Odeliah wasn't stupid; her sister was the perfect princess to choose a nobody. There must be something special about that person that the rest of the world was not privy to. "Do you at least know their name?"

Castiel thought for a moment, trying to remember "Anaia Pendragon."

With that kind of name, how is she a normal person!?