These past few days, Felix always felt a pervasive eeriness. He would frequently see Lady Elizabeth with a gloomy face, sitting silently at the table, while her constant companion Catherine would sometimes disappear without a trace.

Betty Artemis, an alias for the charming Pusaya lady who once had a fleeting encounter with Felix, often visited Lady Elizabeth late at night. They would talk till late before parting ways.

Even without touching the sky, Felix could feel a storm brewing over the capital like never before!

As a pawn in Lady Elizabeth’s hands, Felix felt that all he needed to do now was to wait patiently. Wait to be thrust into the limelight by Lady Elizabeth, wait for the opportunity she needed, wait for his chance to make a significant move, and wait for the moment to break free from all constraints and soar above the clouds!

Beneath his naïve exterior, Felix, as a splendid pawn, had too much... too much at stake...

The Blue Crystal, a legendary space ring, lacked the fabled blood-recognition feature, but it couldn’t be opened without the setter's unique magical imprint.

The dimensions of the space created by Blue Crystal were quite limited, roughly 81 square meters, with both length and width around 9 meters.

Felix had stored valuable books, treasures, and spellcasting materials from Saint Erde Cathedral and the Felendia Magic Tower within it. Since he couldn't predict the unknown future, he believed there would come a time when they would be of use.

The magic tower left to Felix by the mysterious Gamma was an absolutely safe haven, but he didn't think hiding forever in a dreary tower with a succubus that drained vitality was a good idea.

Just going in occasionally to take some items, Felix was already vexed by the cunning seductions of the succubus named 'Vivian,' stirring his desires to an insufferable degree. To be frank, Felix was scared...

Without a doubt, succubi had the terrifying ability to sap the life force of men, especially those that fed on male essence!

Felix was no fool; in fact, he was quite smart.

As time passed and his understanding of Lady Elizabeth grew, he began to grasp what the enigmatic and ambitious woman, with her beguiling beauty, truly wanted.

She aspired to taint the throne of the empire, to be the real queen—a wildly excellent notion, though Felix thought being an emperor seemed exhaustingly tedious.

Clearly, this was not good news.

If all of this were true, Felix was almost certain that it was Lady Elizabeth who had rendered Prince Damoer incapacitated.

Success or failure, neither outcome promised Felix a happy ending.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

...

Lady Elizabeth, if successful, would gain complete control over her power, shattering Felix's plans to escape others' grasp.

The only consolation was the many pleasures of being the empire's queen's pet, such as dominating the most noble women of the empire and arranging the languid and tired queen in exotic and sensual poses...

If Lady Elizabeth failed, it would be a complete tragedy. Power struggles at the pinnacle often end with only one victor, and the stakes are life and death.

Lady Elizabeth would become an enemy of the empire, and Felix would inevitably be implicated. He had only two choices: hide in Felendia for a lifetime or flee as far and as fast as possible.

Neither ending appealed to Felix, so he made his subtle efforts in the background, hoping to surprise all those high and mighty women when he eventually made his move.

After perusing some secrets, Felix connected them to things absolutely scandalous. If Lady Elizabeth truly aimed for the Titans Empire's throne, did it mean the once-great and glorious Son of God’s Might had reached the end of his life?

If so, then this storm was too fierce to have arrived just now.

He hoped those high and mighty women would remember, in front of Titans stood a giant who had honed his grudge for twenty years.

...

"Milady, The Silver Hand has departed," the beautiful knight in tight black attire said, looking very seductive and provocative. Unfortunately, Lady Elizabeth was in no mood to admire or flirt.

Ever since the news that Emperor Jupiter Titans had drawn the Lost Enchanters' sword, a heavy weight seemed to press on Lady Elizabeth’s heart.

It was as if only now she remembered that this emperor, tormented by old wounds and increasingly scorned, was once among the closest to divinity on this continent.

Not just her, but all who lurked in the shadows aiming their spears at the once Son of God’s Might, were now filled with fear.

"Milady. The Lost Enchanters is more malevolent than you can imagine—it's the 'Devil’s Temptation!'" Catherine, who was accustomed to silence, gazed at Lady Elizabeth sitting in the shadows and spoke, "Emperor Jupiter has drawn the Lost Enchanters. Even if he has not perished, he is at the end of his life."

"I am sixty percent confident I can kill him," the beautiful knight said quietly, lowering her gaze to polish the Viking greatsword in her hands.

Lady Elizabeth lifted her head, rare bloodshot in her sea-blue eyes. She shook her head and whispered, "You are my biggest gamble. If I lose you, even if I take the palace, the victory will be for others to savor."

Catherine, unfazed, continued to wipe her greatsword, her fingers inadvertently caressing the blue crystal bracelet on her wrist.

After all these years, even with such intimacy, am I still just a chip in your game?

...

"Since Emperor Jupiter has dispatched The Silver Hand, it signifies his absolute confidence in bringing that woman back..." Pondering the woman unknown to the public, a flicker of fear crossed Mrs. Elizabeth's charming face.

"What is it that makes Emperor Jupiter so confident in gaining forgiveness from an 'exile'?"

Confusion spread across Elizabeth's alluring face, which then transformed into resolve. She is a proud woman, one who would not surrender even at the final moment!

"I need the power of Queen Angelina! If she truly returns... Felix... he could make me and Queen Angelina truly 'intimate allies'!"

...

No one can predict the future, nor can anyone account for all life's events.

Just like Mrs. Elizabeth could never guess that Emperor Jupiter Titans never intended to seek the exile's forgiveness, he only wished for his sister's return, to unleash his vengeance, and to meet his true end!

Like everyone guessed that Emperor Jupiter's days were numbered, they did not foresee that while he lives, he is already dead...

It seems the schemers hidden in darkness have underestimated the once glorious and honorable Son of God’s Might, and even more so, the underestimated return of the Daughter of the Sea...

Felix's stage is set in the very rifts between them!