Reyna was only able to meet Calcus Traskan the day after arriving in Lyon. With the duke’s heat period approaching in just a day or two, Reyna was feeling anxious.

Eliminating Chloe Liden and imprinting with Hugrey Ulpaz would require Calcus Traskan’s cooperation. Yet the emperor kept postponing their audience, using the excuse of being busy.

“I greet Your Majesty, the Emperor of Elaion.”

“Why has a Tigrium noble come to see me?”

How long has he been emperor? Despite knowing full well that he had lived as a commoner buried in the countryside, this emperor’s attitude was unbearably stiff.

There were even rumors that he had stabilized imperial authority instantly, to the point where it was unbelievable that he had not received imperial education.

It was a slight flaw that he was keeping a woman known as the Tigrium princess confined in the imperial palace.

In any case, he was so elegant it was hard to believe he had grown up without proper upbringing, buried in the countryside. It was a different kind of beauty from Hugrey Ulpaz, who was famous for his looks. More delicate and soft, one might say?

Reyna Tilbit looked at the handsome emperor’s face and tried hard to hide her displeasure. What luck does that unsightly Chloe Liden have, to inspire possessiveness in such fine men?

Her frail body? Her childlike face? Her weak nature? Well, whatever her mysterious charm might be, that woman was destined to die within two days anyway.

To kill that irritating woman, she had to humor this emperor for now. She needed to outmaneuver both the emperor’s surveillance of the woman and the duke’s protection, and even incapacitate the duke.

“Today, I am here not as a representative of House Tilbit, but to make a proposal to Your Majesty on behalf of the wolf shapeshifters.”

“That sounds quite grand.”

“I would like to confirm if the soundproofing here is secure.”

“This is getting grander by the minute. Speak freely. No one but this attendant can hear what you say to me here.”

“Please dismiss the attendant.”

“……”

Calcus Traskan was silent for a moment before dismissing the attendant.

After confirming the door was closed, Reyna Tilbit finally revealed her purpose.

“The wolf shapeshifters have decided not to accept Duke Hugrey Ulpaz’s imprint partner.”

“…What?”

Emperor Traskan asked back, furrowing his brows. He seemed not to understand.

Well, of course he wouldn’t understand.

This lion emperor might know about commonly known characteristics of wolf shapeshifters like imprinting, mates, and the existence of alphas, but unless one was a wolf shapeshifter, they wouldn’t know that re-imprinting was possible when a wolf shapeshifter’s mate dies.

After all, it was something that happened with very low probability and frequency.

“The wolf shapeshifters have concluded that we cannot accept a mate of tiger shapeshifter origin. As you know, the wolf shapeshifters determine the will of our race through a gathering of the highest elders. Of course, the alpha’s decision is most important, but this issue is one that we had to decide while excluding the alpha.”

Reyna Tilbit spoke confidently while looking straight at the emperor. So far, she had only spoken the truth. But from now on, she would have to mix in lies. And the more something was a lie, the more confident an attitude one had to show for it to sound like the truth.

“I’ve never heard of not accepting a mate. I thought imprinting and mates were characteristics of wolf shapeshifters. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“That’s right. Usually, it can’t be changed. But there are exceptions. Re-imprinting changes the mate.”

“Reyna Tilbit, are you mocking me? Do you think I don’t know the meaning of imprinting?”

Irritation flashed across the emperor’s face.

“I’m telling you a secret because I think our race’s interests align with yours, so whether you believe it or not is up to you to decide. If you don’t want to listen, I’ll withdraw. I can find other means. Though for Your Majesty, I may be the only option.”

“…Do you know what I want?”

“Of course, it must be Chloe Liden. Isn’t that why you’re keeping that woman here in the palace, despite the criticism?”

The emperor was gradually getting drawn in. She needed to push forward even more confidently.

“Your Majesty wants that woman, and we don’t want her.”

“The duke wants her too. He has to. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes. But if his imprint partner changes, his feelings for Chloe Liden will disappear as if they were a lie.”

“Haha, stop talking nonsense. How can the imprint partner change?”

“If another woman imprints on him, it’s possible.”

“So, I’m asking how that’s possible.”

The emperor’s voice rose. It meant he was that much more excited. It also meant he had become interested in Reyna’s story.

“Normally, they can’t go into heat except for their imprint partner, but during the heat period, everyone goes into heat the same way. I plan to incapacitate the duke and force him to imprint on me. Then his imprint partner will change.”

This was the blatant lie. As long as the imprint partner is alive, intercourse with another woman is absolutely impossible.

But she had to make the emperor believe it. If he knew she was trying to kill Chloe Liden, there was no way the emperor would participate in this plan.

“Is something wrong with your mind? Does that make any sense?”

The emperor’s face twisted horribly. He was glaring at Reyna as if looking at an insect.

“It’s possible if Your Majesty helps. Please incapacitate Duke Hugrey Ulpaz. Make him like a half-corpse that can do nothing but go into heat. Then I plan to forcibly take him.”

“It seems the wolf shapeshifters even send completely insane women as negotiators. I don’t want to hear any more, so leave.”

“Your Majesty doesn’t have any other options either, do you? I heard Chloe Liden loves the duke, so if the duke keeps being imprinted on Chloe Liden, is there any way to separate them? There isn’t, right? So join hands with me. The duke will probably enter his heat period tomorrow. At that time, wolf shapeshifters become very weak to attacks, so you just need to attack him enough not to kill him. Of course, you can’t kill him. The wolf shapeshifters still need him. Just attack him enough so he can’t resist me.”

“Are the wolf shapeshifters barbarians? How could you…”

That’s probably just you lion bastards. Having how many women for one man.

Her plan was to take out and kill Chloe Liden when the emperor and the duke were fighting, so that neither could protect her.

Once Chloe Liden dies, the duke’s imprint will naturally disappear. Of course, that doesn’t mean he’ll readily re-imprint.

It’s just that the physical imprint is broken, but the mind still retains affection for the mate.

But it’s not completely impossible.

He’ll go into heat anyway, and since his imprint partner is gone, she just needs to make him imprint on her. Even by force.

She intended to make it happen by any means necessary. For that, Calcus Traskan needed to capture the duke.

Of course, neither of them should know that Chloe Liden had died in the meantime. She had arranged for the story to be that the Tigrium king had kidnapped and killed Chloe Liden, so there was no danger of the emperor’s anger being directed at the wolf shapeshifters or herself when he later learned of her death.

The duke, who would have re-imprinted on her, would naturally obey her unconditionally and be unable to hold her responsible.

Tuscan Staxton would incur the wrath of the Elaion emperor in exchange for eliminating Chloe Liden, who was a thorn in his side, but he probably figured it wouldn’t be much of a blow anyway, and they weren’t on good terms now either, so he was willing to bear that much.

In fact, she hadn’t revealed to the elders’ gathering that she intended to use Calcus Traskan to distract the duke and incapacitate him. If she had revealed this too, it’s uncertain whether they would have agreed.

This had to remain a secret agreement between her and Calcus Traskan alone. And of course, it had to succeed no matter what.

No matter how much the heat period hits, the only one who could properly face off against Hugrey in this imperial palace is the lion emperor, and only when they clash will there be a chance to spirit away Chloe Liden.

“There isn’t much time. Once the duke’s heat period passes, even if Your Majesty wants to fight then, I won’t have a way to re-imprint on him. You must decide today. After incapacitating the duke, please send him to the outer palace where I’m staying. That’s the extent of my proposal. If you do that, I’ll send Chloe Liden to Your Majesty.”

“What if I lose to the duke, and he learns of your scheme?”

“A wolf in heat becomes weak and easy to defeat. At least for a lion shapeshifter. However, the unexpected can always happen. If that happens, the duke will kill me. But I’m willing to take that risk. If you want something, you have to take risks. Don’t you agree?”

This time, every single word was sincere.

Things could go according to her plan, but everything could also end in failure. Even in heat, the duke might be able to defeat the emperor, and she might fail to kill Chloe Liden.

If so, she was willing to take responsibility. It was a plan that started and ended entirely in her head. If she feared mere death, she would be unworthy of being either the alpha’s mate or the alpha’s mother. This was also why they couldn’t accept a weak woman like Chloe Liden as the alpha’s mate.

“You use that great spirit for such dirty purposes.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty.”

Reyna Tilbit responded to the emperor’s sarcasm without changing her expression, bending her knee.