In a locked room, damaged and dark, lighted by just a small bulb that flicked, someone was feeling immeasurable pain.

"AHHH!!" he shouted in agony and pain.

His mind was getting increasingly numb as the blood came out of his body. Colouring him red all over. He stopped between screams to catch his breath and then screamed again.

"Mr. Liozel Marice, a loyal citizen of the Lynx kingdom, or, should I say, Anela Liz, a loyal dog of the Kingdom of Asphodel."

The woman talking to him inserted fear in his mind just by words, but her methods of pain were far worse.

"Leave me; I'll tell...Aaaa!!."

"There are rules to defection, Mr. Anela: either defect when you are caught or don't defect at all. You seem to break both; you could've saved your manhood and toes."

"Leave me alone; leave me alone!"

"No need to shout.. I'll leave you alone in a few seconds. Just help me get some steam out, ok? It'll need a few more fingers. Your actions have pushed a lot of new work on my shoulders." The lady's smile and gentle tone showed the darkness of her soul.

Within a few minutes, that man muttered every single piece of information he had, but his suffering did not stop.

The ladylady continued to torture him until her heart was delighted. Pushing needles deep into his chest, he screamed in more agony.

After she was done, an alive yet lifeless-looking body lay in the room with the pupils nearly white.

She walked out of the room, seeing a young man walk towards her. She wiped off the blood on her hands as she addressed him.

"Lady Milize, what is the situation? What did he speak of?"

"A huge naval fleet will attack Port Trafalgar in a day or two. It was just as I predicted."

The man looked worried, but there was not a hint of surprise on his face.

"Tch, it is a big problem. I'll get the forces arranged at this moment."

"Don't worry, Shin, we are not losing this. They are unfamiliar with the true power of the Lynx army and my tactics. I ruled and survived at the centre of the battlefield, oppressed by all sides until now. It's my time to show them my rage."

With a bright smile and confidence shining on her face, Milize Asina made a solid declaration.

The Kingdom of Lynx and their Queen were already aware and ready for Asphodel's attack.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day,

The Kingdom of Lynx was thrown into a darkness of chaos. Soldiers ran left to right carrying guns, and cannons were taken from one place to another. People leave their houses with their families and move to other locations.

"The attack is hard to even defend for us. We are losing the port."

"We cannot afford to lose the port; it will leave us crippled and helpless."

The voices, panic, and heated discussion resonated inside the hall, with the officers wearing green and white and carrying a single star on their dresses. The room was not big; the walls glinted brown with curtains covering the sunlight coming from the window.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Panic was on their faces as they sweated, men and women alike, but one person sat without a hint of alarm or trouble on their face.

"Silence." On these words, every person went silent. It was as quiet as no one was in the room.

"First, we need to enforce our port with maximum security. We must keep even one of our travel or trade ships. The attack will surely take place tomorrow morning."

The big topic of debate was the attack of Asphodel on the Lynx port; however, Milize just announced the timing of the attack, and the entire panel was quiet; no one raised a single question, besides one.

"Milize, how can you say it will happen tomorrow?" The question came from the door, which was just opened.

The person who stood there was Anju Asina, the twin sister of Milize Asina. Dressed in clean white, opposite her sister's complete black, Anju had a severe expression on her face.

"Welcome to the meeting, Captain Anju." Milize sneered.

The two sisters stood toe to toe with each other; there was no love between them, but they still fought together and trusted each other the most to save the treasure of their 'Father'.

Their relationship was the peak of the proverb "Blood is thicker than water."

"I had a question, my queen."

"Hum...." Milize gave nothing but a smirk as the answer to the question.

"Are you going to answer me or not?!"

"Calm down; it is because there will be fog setting at the port tomorrow. Asphodel's attack will make sense to be happening tomorrow."

The words raised every person's eyebrows; some even got goosebumps, but none asked a question.

"That does not make any sense. You know what season it is?"

Anju was the only one who raised the apparent doubt.

"Yes, I know very well that summer is going on."

"So, can you please tell me how fog can occur in the middle of the summer season?"

"Trash."

"?!"

"Trash, I am talking about the disposed of trash near the port; all of it was not something we ever supplied or sold. In the recent days, the liquids accumulating near the port's edges were mixed with some unknown substance, and in the recent winds, I got a hint of what it was."

"What do you mean?"

"The humidity in recent days has been high, so the air is filled with water, and all you need to make fog is something that can cool all that air, and with the storm happening in the north, it all connects. Right."

The news of this mysterious liquid gave the Milize the whiff of a spy hiding among the ranks.

"Yes"

Anju understood Milize's words, and Milize explained them to anyone in the room who didn't.

"That trash or liquid has some sort of chemical that will cool the air near the ocean and cause fog, or more accurately, a smoke screen, to descend near the port. Anyone can easily guess the rest. I already had an idea, and I was preparing for it a week ago. Don't worry much; we are not unprepared."

The Queen's intelligence and awareness were proven again in front of the military officers. She likewise showed why she was the queen and not her sister.

"If you knew about it, why didn't you inform us about it earlier?"

"Trust. I don't trust anyone besides the people in this room. The spy who conspired against us was our trading minister's head assistant. They told Asphodel when the port will be most vulnerable when our ships go far overseas for exports. "

"..."

"Another order: don't put too much effort into defending the port; just make sure there is not a source of food or a civilian in the town lining between the port and the capital city."

"!!!?

The whole environment was silent, and everybody was confused by Milize's words.

"You all don't seem to understand that all that matters is that we do not lose our boats. The port itself can be destroyed."

"Have you lost your mind? Trafalgar is the only offensive port we have, so you intend to lose it. How will you launch the boat without any ports left?" Anju lashed at Milize for her plan.

"Well, just sit down." Milize was calm and told her to sit down.

Although angry, Anju sat on the chair near the table and calmed down.

"So, it is ok if we lose the port; the main point is to defend me. I am the one who needs the most protection here."

"Shut up! I am done with this. Who do you think you are?"

Milize ignored Anju's words and kept speaking.

"As I was saying, there is another plan, which I believe they will be using."

"Another plan?"

"Well, it comes from an acquaintance from the past. I believe something very unexpected will happen tomorrow."

While saying this, Milize held a white knight piece from chess without a doubt; it looked old, like 2 decades old.

Some words were ingrained in her mind; from the short moment of meeting him years ago, Milize remembered every single word he said.

"'You just need to defeat the king to win the war.' Those tactics never worked before and never will against me, Yuuka."

Milize spoke to herself,

"I will win this war."

Her heart was set on defeating one person she could never beat.

From the time she first met him.

On the day she lost her beloved father,.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next chapters might be sloppy; I have no experience writing anything. So, please be considerate.