Chapter 26: Ch 26. Enjoy Your Death
Amena looked at Selena, who had just asked the question, then smiled wickedly and gazed at her triumphantly.
"Yes, what? Are you surprised? The Fox King’s father doesn’t like you at all, Selena Grece... It’s only a matter of time before you’re pushed out of his son’s life, and I’ll take your place." Amena laughed; her cat-like face looked infuriating when she laughed like that.
Selena decided to stay silent, curious to see what else she would say or do. Meanwhile, Amena, who had been watching Selena’s silence all along, felt even more triumphant.
She glared cynically at the Fox’s servants and guards, then lashed out again.
"Let me go! It’s only natural that I slapped her—she’s just the Fox King’s Healer of Extinction! I’m the one who should be your Queen, and in fact, I am your Queen, recognized by the Old Fox King!" she said threateningly, her gaze intense. "If you don’t let me go, when I become your Queen, you’ll be the first to die!"
The Fox guards looked at Selena, as if seeking the opinion of their Queen, who was sitting there calmly. Amena, who understood the meaning behind their gaze toward Selena, snorted scornfully in displeasure.
"Why are you all looking at her? What she has to say is useless! She won’t be your queen forever! You’d better listen to me, because I’m clearly going to be your queen!" she shouted like a madwoman. "You’ll regret it if you don’t listen to me after this! If you don’t believe me, call the Old Fox King, tell him Amena Cots is here and wants to meet him to collect on his promise!"
Selena finally laughed after Amena finished speaking. Her mocking laughter instantly made Amena glare at her with an angry, fiery look.
"What are you laughing at, Selena? There’s nothing funny here!" she snapped angrily.
"There is," Selena replied, struggling to stop her laughter. "Just keep her in check—after all, she’s your future Queen, or at least that’s what she thinks in her dreams," she added, making Amena’s face flush crimson and the Fox guard’s grip on her arm tighten even further.
Selena stood up, still laughing, making her movements as graceful as possible. Walking toward Amena Cots, who was glaring sharply—like an angry cat whose food had been taken away—Selena laughed again right in her face.
Damn it, she truly found this girl—who used to be her friend—utterly ridiculous. How foolish and naive Selena Grece had been back then; no wonder she’d been trampled on by her five husbands, not to mention by the servants in this palace.
"What are you waiting for? Report Amena Cots’ arrival to the Old King," said Selena, looking at her servant, who immediately furrowed her brow.
"Your Majesty, I don’t have the key to get in there. Only His Majesty the King can enter the Old King’s cell," the servant said innocently.
"Ah, that’s true. So that old man is being held captive, is he?" Selena muttered, her look of surprise so natural that it made Amena, who had been listening to their conversation, tense up immediately.
"What do you mean?! The Old Fox King is being held captive?"
Selena looked at her, then smiled casually and nodded. "Yes, he was imprisoned after I exposed his crimes. The Fox King himself is the one who imprisoned his father, so we couldn’t tell him you were coming. We also don’t know when the old man will be released from captivity. But his crimes are very real and proven; without my permission, the Fox King wouldn’t dare to free his father," said Selena, clicking her tongue and shaking her head.
Amena stared in shock; her face looked disbelieving, but judging by Selena’s demeanor and the way the servant behind her nodded in agreement, there was no reason for her to think this was a lie.
"Damn it, how could you imprison the Old Fox King?! He’s a man of honor and was once the king who led the Fox clan! You’ve committed a grave sin, Selena Grece! Do you have any idea what punishment the Judicial Council could impose on you for doing this?!" Amena shouted, panicked and outraged.
But Selena just smiled nonchalantly. "You don’t understand a thing—it’s pointless to explain it to you. I’m just curious—how did the Old Fox King come to know you? That arrogant, annoying man even said he’d grant you the title of Fox Queen? I’m so surprised and impressed," Selena said, clapping her hands. "How did that happen? I want to know."
Amena clenched her jaw, glaring sharply at Selena, who stood firmly before her.
"This woman’s attitude has completely changed—I don’t recognize her at all anymore. Damn it! Where did that weak, foolish Selena go?!" Amena thought hard to herself, scanning Selena from head to toe, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
To think this woman might be impersonating Selena—that’s completely impossible! No one looks quite like Selena Grece! Even though she was known throughout her life for being foolish and weak, her identity as the Healer of Extinction is incredibly noble. Of course, many people would want to be her—plus, she’s also the Queen of the Five Beast Kings.
But it was absolutely impossible for anyone else to be impersonating this woman! The Healer of Extinction—and a face like Selena’s—had been verified to exist as only one in the entire world of Eldoria!
"What are you daydreaming about? I’m asking you a question," Selena said after slapping her cheek.
Amena’s eyes widened in shock; the slap didn’t hurt that much, but in her entire life, Selena had never raised a hand or struck back at anyone who hit her. But today, Amena had seen with her own eyes that the woman had hit her and was now staring at her with a blank expression.
This woman has truly changed!
"Don’t waste my time—tell me the truth. How did the Old King come to know you and promise you the position of Fox Queen? In all the time we’ve lived together, I’ve never seen anything unusual about you, but do you have another identity behind my back?" Selena asked without further preamble.
Amena swallowed hard, growing even more shocked by Selena’s calm and firm manner of questioning. She hadn’t expected there would ever come a time when this woman would interrogate her—especially since Amena had always thought Selena would remain a useless, foolish girl forever.
"If I don’t want to tell you, what are you going to do about it?" retorted Amena, trying to muster her courage.
She didn’t want to lose here! She didn’t want to lose again!
"There’s nothing I’ll do—at most, I’ll just banish you far away to the border. Make you a slave under the guarding troops; I think that’ll be fun since you’re a bad person," Selena replied expressionlessly.
Her demeanor and words made Amena swallow hard. The courage she’d been trying to muster seemed worthless; even though they were standing just as tall, in front of her, Selena appeared like a majestic woman who couldn’t be disturbed or challenged.
"Damn it, since when has this woman’s aura become so powerful? Not to mention, the light radiating from her body seems to have an intimidating power! Damn it! She really doesn’t consider me her childhood friend anymore..." Amena held her breath, suddenly feeling as if something were choking her throat, preventing her from breathing steadily.
Selena also noticed a faint light emanating from her body. She didn’t yet understand what it was, but her gaze—that of an Extinction Healer—detected that Amena’s condition was becoming unstable.
Her cat-like ears twitched restlessly, not to mention her face, which was turning pale. But the Fox’s servants and guards present seemed perfectly fine. It appeared the light emanating from her body was targeting only Amena.
"Wh-what are you doing to me?!"
With a small smile, Selena looked very relaxed as she spoke. "I didn’t do anything, but as a Healer of Extinction, my abilities know when to kill an enemy and when to let them live. The choice is yours—if you’re willing to answer my earlier question, you can still walk out of here alive," she said, smiling again.
Amena clenched her fists, but she tried to restrain herself. "Selena... I didn’t expect you to be this cruel to me. We’ve been friends for a long time and grew up together since we were little. The Old Fox King only promised me the title of Queen, while you remain the Queen of the other four Kings. Why are you so stingy that you won’t even share with me?" she said, her face beginning to show sadness.
Selena smiled cynically. "You don’t want to answer, do you? That’s fine—as it happens, I’m a pretty patient person. It’s just that your life isn’t my responsibility, you know. If you lose your life because you refuse to answer my question, don’t blame me," Selena said, making Amena swallow hard.
She was quite curious to see what Selena would do. With her chest feeling increasingly tight, Amena tried to hold on as Selena glared at the guard holding her like a prisoner.
"Lock her up near the Old Fox King’s cell. Good heavens, that man is going to die tomorrow night, yet this woman doesn’t care about her own life, so she refuses to answer my questions. Just let her have her fun and enjoy the tightness in her chest," Selena said to the guards who had been gripping Amena’s arm the whole time.
"Yes, Your Highness," they replied obediently.
Selena smiled casually, stretching her body calmly. "Let’s go—I’m starving," she said to her servant.
She took two steps and then stopped, gazing at Amena’s increasingly pale face with an elegant smile.
"Enjoy the final moments of your life, my Old Friend. I won’t disturb you—take your time, okay?"
Selena offered a warm smile with her devilish expression, then continued walking away. This caused Amena to clench her fists as her chest felt increasingly tight.
"Selena! W-wait!"
"I don’t have time—I’m hungry," she replied casually.
"No, please..."