I wait patiently, sitting on the ever domineering throne.

The room was dark and the castle was silent as if the screams and bloodshed outside were but a scene enacted in a theater, and I am its puppeteer.

I then stared at the battlefield filled with black and white.

Playing as white, the first to make a move in this game.

Commanding this war laid out in front of me, with white having only sacrificed a few pieces and black losing most of its pieces making their victory look bleak.

“Check.” I said gleefully as I took down the horse and cornered the king.

This game of chess doesn’t bore me at all for the fact that all these pieces correlates to this kingdom’s survival or the start of its very ruin.

Everything was going according to my plan.

Looking away from the game, I stared at the empty seat just beyond the small round table in front of me. Closing my eyes as I reminisced about the memory that was once the past.

“Was… Going according to my plan…”

As soon as I finished my sentence the door to the throne room opened, a frown appeared on my face for a brief second.

But, as soon as I saw the silhouette that entered, I immediately burst into a fit of laughter.

“AHAHHAHAHHAHA Saintess! Welcome!” I stood up from the throne and spread my arms wide as if to show my hospitality.

“Where is he...” She looked at me with visible anger and disgust, making me smile even more.

‘Her expressions really do amuse me.’ I chuckled at the thought.

“Oh you mean the horse?” I raised my hand revealing the chess piece of the horse that I took down earlier and on my other, raised a limping body like it was a pile of tattered rugs.

“How… cruel” The Saintess’ voice was filled with irk, it was the same as the feeling of being looking down upon like I’m some kind of exotic pest.

“Now then, shall we dance gentlemen?” Throwing the rags and the horse piece, I bowed and smiled from ear to ear and as soon as I finished my theatrics the knight launched an attack.

‘Hmm I see… a horse, two bishops, a king and a pawn. Haa… She could’ve been a very useful sacrifice lest she’d been obedient enough.’ I then proceeded to dodge to the side as the knight continued with his attack.

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‘Blood wouldn’t have had to be uselessly shed like this, What. A. Pity.’

Swiftly moving my feet, I made my way to their rear and sliced their healer in half. Then, using its dead body as a shield against the mage, it was then easy to take the mage down.

“Two bishops down… now it’s another check, hurry and make your move Vinter or else all the pieces in your field will be destroyed hahaha HAHAHHAHAH”

I was so sure of my victory that I have gotten a bit complacent. Due to the barrage of attacks from the annoying knight I wasn’t able to see the picture in its entirety.

“UGH!” Getting launched towards the throne made me groan in pain due to the brute force of the knight that kept persistently chasing me.

But in the end that effort was useless, as getting rid of a knight was fairly easy.

“HAHHAHHAH YOU ARE ALL OUT OF MOVES VINTER! Now, time to claim my sacrifice” As I was about to stand, I couldn’t at all sense where the Saintess had gone.

‘What- where-..?’ maybe it was a coincidence but I happened to look towards Vinter. It... No, he was looking at me with a feeling of guilt and bitterness.

A question then appeared from the depths of my mind.

‘Why are you looking at me like that… is it pity…? No it feels a bit different….’ At that moment I felt a sharp pain from my back, a rapier had stabbed through me from behind the throne.

“Ugh... Cough… haha Saintess I didn’t know you had cough… such a… cruel nature in you... as well…” as I was about to lose consciousness I saw the chess board again.

The pawn had made its way towards the other side of the field, the captured queen piece missing.

“This is it for you Crown prince Veighnxer or in your terms it’s checkmate.” After pulling out her sword she stepped away from the throne

Noticing the table she moved her hand towards the chess board.

The moonlight illuminated her hair that was as dark as the abyss, her eyes sharp as a blade itself was ready to cut me further at any given moment.

She then took out the missing queen piece and knocked over my king…. With an expression like she had won the battle yet lost the war.

“Haha… bravo Saintess Deleighla and I guess… The now soon to be… Crown prince… Vinter” I mustered up all my strength to smirk and look down at both of them from the throne.

“You may have won against me… but your victories… would it still… continue to pile up… even after… this conclusion….do prepare to lose more… Vinter and Deleighla.”

“Brother, I have already lost enough. Linette won’t come back and nor would Eughen, that’s enough already brother you should rest now… stop destroying our lives any further…I beg you.”

Vinter who was almost at the verge of crying then looked at me with hollow eyes filled with utmost despair.

While at the mention of the name Eughen, the Saintess looked away with sadness visible in her eyes.

“Haha… I see… I see…” then the surroundings turned black, the noise faded into a tinnitus, my senses feeling numb and cold, my body feeling heavy.

‘Ah so this is death’ laughing at my own predicament I welcomed death with open arms.

….

…

..

<”An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7 just passed by the area and a possible aftershock estimated to be a magnitude of 8.3, the number of deaths speculated to have exceeded that of thousands.”>

Something noisy ran through my ears, I woke up on the sofa looking completely worn out as I stare at a glass of milk trying to make sense of what I’ve seen.

“A dream?... ok that was such a cliché line... gahhhh!” In annoyance I ruffled my hair with both my hands seemingly embarrassed with myself.

“Haa… this is all because of that Otome game!” I then stood up from the sofa yelling dramatically.