Heena turned to survey the court, her expression settling into cold authority. "Now that we've given rewards, let us discuss punishment."
The chamber tensed. She looked at her attendant and her faction of ministers. "The Duke caused significant diplomatic damage, but as my husband and a war hero, his contributions cannot be ignored." She smiled thinly. "What punishment do you suggest?"
The Duke's faction dropped to their knees immediately. "Your Majesty, we know mistakes were made, but Duke Adrian always acted for the kingdom! We beg Your Majesty's forgiveness—please don't punish him!"
Heena looked at them like they were fools.
Her attendant—a sharp-faced man at Marcus level—stepped forward, hand over his chest. "Your Majesty, the Duke is a royal consort and war hero. Punishing him could cause political instability."
The Duke's supporters exhaled in relief—too soon.
"However," the attendant continued sharply, "we cannot let him escape without consequences. The people would see it as favoritism. Justice must be visible."
"Her Majesty already stripped half his power! What more do you want?" someone from Adrian's faction shouted.
The attendant whirled on them. "How **dare** you raise your voice before Her Majesty! That power belonged to the Empress—she merely redistributed what was always hers. She didn't destroy the North's livelihood." He turned back to Heena, bowing. "Your Majesty, by law, execution would be excessive given his family's contributions. But I humbly request you impose punishment that demonstrates the Empress does not play favorites—so the families of those who died in the southern massacre know justice was served."
Heena's lips twitched. She lowered her hand subtly, giving him a covert thumbs-up. He returned it with a slight money gesture—their pre-arranged signal.
She had to suppress a smile. This attendant was gloriously money-minded—give him enough gold and he'd orchestrate miracles. Before court, she'd paid him handsomely to undermine Adrian's position, and he was delivering spectacularly. The previous Empress had excellent taste in allies.
Heena took a breath, appearing to deliberate. "You're right, my attendant." She turned to the Duke's faction. "But your concerns also have merit. I cannot punish someone who acted to protect the kingdom—even if misguided."
Adrian's supporters smiled tentatively.
"However," Heena's voice hardened, "we cannot let massacres and broken treaties become jokes. Therefore, by my imperial order—"
The room held its breath.
"—from this day forward, Duke Adrian Valorian is demoted from First Royal Consort to **Second Concubine**."
**Shocked silence.**
Then gasps, whispers, disbelief rippling through the assembly. Even Duke Robbiston looked stunned.
From royal consort—the highest spousal rank, equal to kings in other courts—to *second* concubine? Not even first concubine, but *second*? It was a devastating insult, a public humiliation that would echo through generations. His family name, his legacy—all tarnished.
Marquess Halverton stammered, "Y-Your Majesty, this is—"
"Final," Heena cut him off. "Unless you'd prefer I investigate further treaty violations? Perhaps find grounds for harsher punishment?"
Silence.
"I thought not." She stood. "Court adjourned. Duke Robbiston, you'll receive your orders by evening. Everyone else—dismissed."
As ministers fled, Heena smiled to herself. Adrian would return from his "vacation" to find his power halved and his title destroyed.
*Welcome home, darling husband.*
As soon as the last minister filed out and the massive doors groaned shut, Heena released the breath she'd been holding . Her shoulders dropped, the regal mask slipping for just a moment. Normally she would've swept out immediately after court ended, maintaining that image of untouchable authority until she was safely back in her chambers.
But she couldn't.
Her leg throbbed with sharp, stabbing pain that radiated from ankle to knee . She didn't even know when it had happened—sometime during her confrontation with Seraphina, maybe? But damn, it hurt like hell. Moving would mean limping, and limping would mean showing weakness to anyone still lingering in the corridors.
So she stayed, perched on her throne like a queen carved from ice, waiting for the pain to dull enough that she could walk without wincing.
A familiar golden shimmer materialized beside her. System 427 appeared as his miniature lion form, floating at eye level.
"Heena—"
Heena's head snapped toward him, eyes cold as winter steel. "What did you just say to me?"
The lion froze mid-air. His ears flattened. "...Master?"
Heena's glare intensified.
System 427's eyes immediately went big and wet, tears practically sparkling in them . "Isn't that enough? I've already been calling you 'mother' for three dimensions! Fine, I lost—I just lost *one time*! You can't make me do it again and again!"
A smirk curved Heena's lips . She leaned back against the throne, crossing her arms despite the pain shooting through her leg. "Oh? And who was it that told me I couldn't control that male lead in World Seven? Who bet me that if I lost, I'd have to call *him* father for an entire dimension?"
The lion deflated.
"So how is it," Heena continued sweetly, "that when I won and told you to call me mother, you're suddenly begging for mercy?"
System 427 drooped so low he nearly touched the floor, his golden mane looking decidedly less majestic. He muttered something incomprehensible under his breath.
Heena just sighed, the amusement fading from her face. Her leg pulsed with another wave of pain, reminding her why she was stuck here in the first place . She looked at the system seriously. "Hey, System. How much stronger is this female lead's system?"
The lion stopped his sulking immediately. He looked at her, and something shifted in his expression—from playful to genuinely concerned . "I... can't say."
Heena's eyes narrowed. "Why can't you say? Do you want me to fight in a fire pit without even knowing how dangerous it is?"
"It's not that." System 427 floated closer, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "This system isn't even registered in the records . I don't know how she even *has* this system. It's like... it doesn't officially exist. No registration number, no administrator trail, nothing."
Heena nodded slowly, processing that information. An unregistered system meant unpredictable rules, unknown capabilities, and no oversight. Dangerous.
The lion tilted his head, studying her with those large golden eyes. Then he asked the question that had clearly been bothering him since court ended. "Why didn't you punish her more severely?"
"Her?" Heena asked, though she knew exactly who he meant.
"Seraphina. You had grounds—she entered the Imperial High Court without proper authority, addressed royal consorts by name without title, disrupted official proceedings . You could've had her beaten, stripped of her noble title, thrown in prison. You had every legal right. Why just remove her from court?"
Heena was quiet for a long moment. Then she met the system's gaze directly. "Tell me—why didn't I kill the male leads when they tried to poison me?"
System 427 blinked, confused by the sudden shift. Then understanding dawned. "Because... because of their strong halo ."
"Exactly." Heena gestured with one hand, wincing as the movement jarred her leg. "Just like the male leads have plot armor, the female lead has it too—probably even stronger ."