The Verdant Nexus pulsed with quiet intensity, a reflection of the tension within its walls.

  Selene stood at the center of it all, watching the Fae Lords and her vassals absorb the reality of what was coming.

  The Trial of Kings was no mere contest.

  It was a correction.

  A desperate attempt by the System to reinstate balance before the cracks in the world widened further.

  But Selene was not concerned.

  Because she did not react to balance.

  She dictated it.

  ---

  The air in the chamber was thick with contemplation.

  Strategy was already reviewing what little information they had, their golden eyes flickering with careful calculation.

  Sovereignty stood near the far end of the room, arms crossed, their expression unreadable.

  Foxes was leaning lazily against a pillar, flicking his tails, but Selene knew he was paying keen attention to every word spoken.

  Oaths was silent, but that was nothing new.

  And at the edge of the gathering, Duskwind and Fenric watched with veiled expressions.

  They were unsettled.

  Not because of the Trial itself.

  But because Selene was not concerned.

  She could feel their unease, their subtle glances toward each other.

  They had hoped this would be the moment she faltered.

  That she would be caught off guard.

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  But instead, she was exactly as she had always been.

  Unshaken.

  Unmoved.

  And that was what truly terrified them.

  ---

  Strategy was the first to break the silence.

  “We need to determine the conditions of the Trial,” they said.

  Selene nodded. “We will.”

  Strategy tilted their head. “If the System has declared this a ‘Trial of Kings,’ then it is likely that the Lords themselves will be forced into action.”

  Sovereignty exhaled slowly. “A contest of rule.”

  Selene agreed.

  “The System wants rulers who are stable. Who are capable of maintaining the world.”

  Her golden eyes flickered.

  “And it will remove those who threaten its control.”

  Foxes grinned. “So what you’re saying is… we’re already at a disadvantage?”

  Selene smiled slightly.

  “No.”

  “We are the greatest advantage.”

  ---

  The room was silent again.

  Duskwind frowned. “That’s a bold claim, even for you.”

  Selene turned toward him.

  He was nervous.

  He was hiding it well, but she could see it in the way his shoulders tensed, in the way his fingers twitched subtly.

  She let him sit in that unease for a moment before she spoke.

  “This Trial is not about strength alone.”

  She walked forward, past the gathered Fae Lords, past her human vassals, until she stood at the very center of the chamber.

  “This is about endurance.”

  She turned toward them, her voice steady.

  “The System is reacting to an imbalance, but it does not act with malice. It enforces rules. And rules can be played.”

  Her gaze swept across the room.

  “We do not need to conquer the continent. We do not need to destroy every other Lord. We only need to remain standing.”

  She smiled.

  “And that is something I excel at.”

  ---

  The next steps were clear.

  She needed to know who else remained in this Trial.

  She needed to know what the System’s conditions would be.

  And most importantly, she needed to secure her position before the first move was even made.

  Which meant she needed a new approach.

  Selene turned toward Oaths.

  “You will seek out the binding conditions of this Trial. If there are oaths to be sworn, if there are rules to be upheld, I want to know every loophole available.”

  Oaths bowed. “It shall be done.”

  She turned to Foxes.

  “I want information on the other Lords. Who they are, where they are, and what advantages they hold.”

  Foxes flicked his tails. “Stealing secrets? My favorite pastime.”

  She turned to Strategy.

  “We will begin reinforcing our defenses. We will not be forced into unnecessary battles. I want Ironveil’s fall to be silent and decisive.”

  Strategy inclined their head. “Understood.”

  ---

  Duskwind was watching her too closely.

  She could feel him measuring her words, her movements.

  He was looking for something.

  A weakness.

  An opening.

  Selene turned her gaze to him slowly, deliberately.

  “Something on your mind?” she asked.

  He hesitated for half a second.

  It was all she needed.

  He forced a smirk. “Just wondering if you have any doubts at all.”

  Selene smiled.

  “I don’t.”

  And that was the truth.

  Because no matter what came next…

  She had already won.