Tanya De Lanra was the princess of the realm, the heir to the nine kingdoms of Valeria.

But no woman could be king. She could only became a queen.

And a queen could not lead a country.

That was the traditional reality of Valeria. King William the Fifth knew that the future of his daughter shall be grim, unless he could find for her the right partner. Someone that was kind enough to not kill her after he got the throne. And someone that was smart enough to know how to run a kingdom. And someone that was ruthless enough to strike down anyone in his way.

The Quest of Kingship was officially begun. Every noble, knight, and merchant with a glimpse of power flooded to the capital of Valeria in the hope that they might be the lucky one who shall become king.

"Why did you choose did cliche story?" Kaera said.

"Hey! I’m the Game Master. I can decide whatever the background of the game is!" The black cat replied.

"Just hurry up and skip the intro. I really don’t want to understand everything."

"Fine. Let’s jump straight to the plot."

The black cat snapped his finger. The table zoomed into Tanya, who was now princess De Lanra of Valeria.

In the capital, Tanya sat in her chamber. The servants had put on the most expensive makeup for her and her Lord Father had given her a dress that made from fabrics of all the nine seas.

She was the best that she could be. But that wasn’t her. That was only a gift that William V wrapped to gift his future in-law.

William entered the room. "Are you ready, my daughter?"

"Yes, Lord Father..." Tanya said. Sorrow filled in her tone. But William decided to ignore it.

He placed a hand on her. "I know it can be hard to accept. But it’s the only way for you to live. To survive in this bloody politic."

"I understand, Lord Father." Tanya nodded.

She led her hands to the balcony so that his people and the contestant could see her. The beauty of her that they shall thirst for.

"Ugh! A helpless girl in a helpless situation." Kaera commented. "You sure thought your way carefully about this game, anarch."

The black cat shrugged, "I give you a fair change, didn’t I?"

"Not really fair. You can create the background, if you give your servants powerful militarily and men. I am in deep shit."

"Who do you think I am? I ain’t playing those cheap tactics. Neither of us have any force other than the pieces. This is a fair husband choosing contest."

"Right... I still hate it though."

The game continued.

Tanya looked down to the hundreds of men on the town square. Each of them with their own unique appearance and personality. Somewhere in there would be her future husband.

And the competition began.

Kaera used a wooden piece and carved it into the handsomest, charming, and talented man. She dropped it inside the table world.

Then she carved another piece. She hid this piece from Mater’s eyes before dropping it into the table world.

"Why so sneaky?" The black cat chuckled.

"What? It’s in the rules."

"I didn’t say anything."

Kaera’s piece easily got into the top competitor. The demon observed the other competitor closely and tried to figure out which one was Mater’s servants.

’Obviously, he isn’t going to let them have their true face. I need to make sure that they cannot approach Tanya.’

The first day of the competition was over quickly. Kaera’s piece was the top contender.

Until now, the demon still hadn’t located one of Mater’s pieces yet. She had her doubt for a few characters but she wasn’t sure.

She ignored Mater and executed her plan. Her second piece, a sneaky thief, picked the lock of the palace and infiltrated into Tanya’s room.

Kaera didn’t care about following the competition. As long as she could take Tanya’s body, Kaera already won.

She wanted to do it the forceful way.

The thief went inside Tanya’s chamber. Her breathing was calm. She was asleep.

"Unless you have a piece hiding somewhere. I win." Kaera smirked.

The black cat shook his head. "I ain’t got any piece inside the palace."

Kaera’s smile froze. She knew that it couldn’t be that easy. There must be some kind of trick.

The thief pulled the curtains around Tanya’s bed away and jumped onto her bed.

Tanya had already woken up. Her smooth white legs kicked the thief and sent him flying into the wall.

"What the?!" Kaera frowned.

Her thief was a Rank-2 being. He was specialized in stealth and lock-picking. A mortal should not be able to hurt the thief.

"Tanya is a supernatural being in this game?" Kaera said.

The black cat shrugged again, "I never said she wasn’t."

"Cunning anarch."

Tanya rolled down her bed and pulled out a bronze spear. The spear extended and became twice as long. She slammed the spear on the floor. A loud ring immediately flooded inside the palace.

"The Royal Guards are coming. Your piece better run." The black cat said.

"Don’t tell me what to do." Kaera wagged her finger.

The thief got out of the room. He turned invisible and tried to get out.

At the same time, another group had entered the palace. They were men that came to the capital to attend the competition.

But that was only an excuse. Their true identities were soldiers from one of the nine kingdoms. A force that wanted to take over the ultimate throne of Valeria.

Suddenly, the ground shook as an entire army rushed into the palace.

The spies that hid within the competitor killed all the guards around the palace entrance and lowered down the gate.

"Let them in!"

The hostile army rushed inside the palace.

"I didn’t think that you would play it like this, anarch." Kaera said. "To win, you’re just going to wipe her family. Aren’t you afraid that she would hate you?"

"Those men aren’t mine." Mater said.

"Yeah, right!"

William V woke up in the middle of the night and called upon his army. But he was already too late.

The enemies rushed inside the palace. They killed everyone. The guards, the soldiers, the maids, the workers. Everyone was killed.

Tanya rushed to William’s room with her spear. She wasn’t just a useless princess but was also a fearsome warrior.

"Father!" She shouted.

A soldier rushed at William from behind with a bloody sword.

"Tanya..."