Arrival back at the main palace left Winter speechless, for its expanse was vast beyond anything he might have imagined. It was excessively glorious, quite literally spanning the size of roughly three modern cities joined together.
However, before reaching the palace, they would have had to pass through the main city. A festival was underway, forcing them to take the northern route of the Kingdom, which added an extra thirty minutes to their journey back to the palace.
The Land of Peace, as it was known, was divided into four regions, referred to as the Northern Sphere, Eastern Sphere, Western Sphere, and Southern Sphere. The Western Sphere was regarded as the principal city of the immense Kingdom and the most prosperous of all, a region that also led directly to the Kingdom's main palace.
While travelling, Winter gradually began to receive the memories of this body, and it was a relief to learn of these matters before reaching the palace. Otherwise, he would have been left without any foundation from which to begin, should he truly wish to complete the quest bestowed upon him by the system. Of paramount importance among its conditions was the conquest of the Queen of this Kingdom, who was not his birth mother, as he was the son of a concubine. He had been solely favoured by his father due to the deep affection the King held for his mother, as well as the grace and benevolence of the kind Queen herself.
For many years, the Land of Peace had been plagued by wars against demonic species originating from the Forest of Winter, located within the Eastern Sphere, a region long abandoned. These creatures had swiftly spread across the other three regions, yet the valiant warriors of the Kingdom had managed to defend the Northern Sphere and the Western Sphere, bringing a fragile and temporary peace to those lands.
At present, these demonic beings primarily populated the Eastern Sphere and the Southern Sphere, laying waste to what remained of the populace. The King had grown weary of seeking solutions, for these beings had multiplied beyond measure in both strength and number. He could not risk dispatching his warriors to reclaim those territories, as doing so would dangerously diminish the manpower safeguarding the current safe zones.
As a result of these circumstances, the Land of Peace had fallen far from its former splendour, and neighbouring kingdoms had begun to cast covetous eyes upon it, seeking to seize the Kingdom and expand their own dominions. The once mighty land, renowned for its warriors, was no longer held in high regard.
The world itself was deeply saturated with magical energy, granting warriors strength far beyond that of ordinary men, enough to stand against such beings. A select few were even blessed with magical abilities. However, their number did not exceed thirty within the Kingdom, making such gifts exceedingly rare.
These rare individuals were granted noble status and formed a party of heroes, tasked with defending the land and leading other warriors towards victory. Even so, it was evident that the Land of Peace lacked many crucial elements, severely hindering its chances of fully reclaiming its territories.
Winter, for his part, held little concern for matters of glory. Such pursuits were of no interest to him, for his desires were far simpler. He wished only to fuck every Milf, to pursue powerful and alluring figures, and to form a harem of otherworldly and formidable beings. His focus lay entirely upon his own amusement.
A man of refined tastes, indeed.
Nevertheless, the quest bestowed upon him by the system decreed that he must lead glory back to the Kingdom.
'Ugh. This shall be a vexation,' Winter thought with a faint frown as he entered the Presence Chamber of the palace, where both the King and Queen currently resided, along with two other members of the royal family, his siblings.
Gracefully, he inclined himself in a bow before the King and Queen, then raised his gaze to meet theirs with calm composure. His two other siblings stood nearby. His sister, Princess Rose, was the Queen's only biological child and, as was widely acknowledged, the most beautiful woman in the Kingdom. With her lustrous white hair, deep hazel eyes, slender figure, and a height of five foot nine, she was the object of countless dreams.
His brother, Prince William, by contrast, was his true sibling, born of the same concubine and indeed his younger brother. William was a capable young man in his own right, yet possessed the makings of a tyrant, unforgiving and severe. Even so, he invariably yielded before Winter, for Winter himself was a concealed tyrant of equal measure, burdened with profound instability of mind. This truth was known to no one save the two brothers alone.
Never once had William attempted to oppose the decisions of his elder brother.
Winter disregarded both siblings and fixed his gaze upon the Queen. She offered him a smile, which he did not return. His attention was drawn instead to her figure, which surpassed that of every woman he had previously conquered. There was an almost divine allure to her presence, an unmistakable mark of her lineage. Her long blonde hair cascaded to her waist, and her gaze, though unintentional, carried a subtle, dangerous allure. Her fitted gown served only to accentuate her form further, stirring a hunger within him that he made no effort to disguise.
'How does the King keep such splendour to himself? A selfish ruler, as expected.'
Winter briefly scowled.
Turning his attention to the King, he perceived an expression weighed down by profound concern.
He understood it.
With unrest mounting, it would not be long before the demonic species shattered the fragile peace they had managed to secure. Worse still, a looming conflict with another Kingdom threatened to erupt. Two immense dangers stood poised before them.
"I must apologise for the burden of worry I lay upon you, my children. I thank you for coming before me and for granting me hope. In time, I believe we shall discover a solution to our present predicament," the King, Johnson, declared in a resonant voice.
The Queen, Charlotte, followed with solemn resolve.
"Your father is troubled by what may yet come to pass. We must place our faith in the Kingdom and in our warriors. At present, it is our lack of strategy that restrains us."
Rose exhaled softly, sorrow clouding her gaze as she looked upon her parents. She remained silent, for she knew she had little to offer.
Meanwhile, the two brothers maintained expressions of unsettling composure. This was hardly surprising, as they had worn such faces since childhood, even in times of terror.
"Father, why do we not adopt my proposed strategy?" William suggested, his gaze sharp and devoid of warmth.
Winter's interest was stirred, and he inclined his attention to listen.
"Rather than concentrating our manpower upon only two of the four regions, merely because we have resigned the others to loss, why do we not divide our forces evenly?" William continued.
"We could assign five of our twenty gifted warriors to each region and distribute our army of over one hundred thousand accordingly, twenty five thousand to each. The sole advantage the demonic species possess over us lies in their superior magical strength. Their numbers do not exceed ten thousand. With tactical coordination and the support of our gifted warriors, we could overwhelm them through sheer force. Would you not agree, brother and sister?"
Winter's lips curved into a faint smirk.
William had truly demonstrated the extent of his tactical acumen. Naturally, his strategy was not conceived for the welfare of the Kingdom. It lacked a crucial element, one he deliberately chose to omit. This plan served only his own ambitions, drawing him one step closer to ruling the Land of Peace. Rose, on the other hand, weighed the proposal carefully and found herself in agreement.
For William, a single chess piece had been advanced. All that remained was Winter's consent, and once that was secured, the King and Queen would undoubtedly follow.
Winter turned towards him and asked curtly,
"And? Your proposal seems incomplete. Is there not something further you wish to add, brother?"
William inclined his head fervently. As ever, his elder brother had grasped the matter with sharp, perceptive insight.
Their parents waited in silence for him to amend his suggestion.
"Yes, there is," William said. "I humbly request that I be dispatched alongside the army to the Southern Sphere, to command the offensive. Should I succeed, as I am confident I shall, I ask that I be granted the right to govern that region of the Kingdom, Father."
The King's eyes widened. This was wholly unexpected, and in all honesty, he could not readily agree to such a demand. To cede a portion of the Kingdom in this manner risked igniting internal conflict among the nobles and even between the royal siblings themselves, for it would surely be deemed unjust. Even Rose and the Queen appeared opposed to the notion.
Winter, however, grew only more amused.
'Well played.'
He spoke without hesitation.
"Father, I am in favour of this. Let us proceed without delay with William's proposal. It is sound and well reasoned."
William was utterly taken aback by Winter's agreement. He scarcely believed his own ears. Yet Winter was fully aware of the game unfolding before him.
The Southern Sphere was second only to the Western Sphere in power. Had it not fallen to the demonic species, it would have surpassed the Northern Sphere in prosperity. Control of the Southern Sphere amounted to partial dominion over the entire Kingdom. This was precisely what William desired. More than that, he would command an army exceeding twenty thousand soldiers, supported by five of the Kingdom's gifted warriors. It was a decisive stride towards authority.
The royal family stood in stunned silence. Winter, whom they had expected to oppose the proposal vehemently, had instead endorsed it without resistance.
"Are you… certain, my child?" the Queen asked softly.
Without hesitation, he responded,
"Yes, Mother. However, I would also wish to put forth a motion."
The King blinked twice, smiled, and reclined slightly upon his throne.
"Proceed."
"Father, if William is to shoulder the burden of the Southern Sphere, then I propose a necessary balance, one that will prevent disorder and preserve unity. Let the Supreme Military Authority of all four Spheres be temporarily centralised under myself for the duration of the war. Each Sphere's commander shall retain autonomy upon the battlefield, yet all matters concerning resource allocation, rights to reinforcement, the flow of intelligence, and approval of deployments shall pass through a single war council under my command.
In this manner, no Sphere shall fall in isolation, and no victory shall give rise to division. Is that not so?"
William froze. A trace of disappointment flickered through him, for Winter had struck cleanly at the heart of his ambition by assuming Supreme Military Authority. Why had he not conceived of this himself?
Still, he could not oppose his elder brother.
The Queen appeared to agree at once, as did the King. For Queen Charlotte, this arrangement ensured a balance of power among the siblings. She did not elevate her own biological child above the others, but regarded them all equally, and thus harmony among them was paramount.
The King smiled.
"You never cease to astonish me, both of you. And you, my princess, shall continue to oversee the lower internal affairs of the palace. You are truly my children."
Winter inclined himself in a respectful bow.
He was now one step closer to restoring glory to the Kingdom, just as the system demanded. His next objective, however, lay elsewhere. His gaze shifted to Charlotte, lingering with undisguised desire upon her ample bosom. He could almost discern the faint outline beneath the delicate fabric, and his body responded instinctively.
'I shall settle this matter tonight.'
***
Later that night, Winter made sure to arrange a meeting with the Queen in her private chambers, unable to wait any longer to undress her and fuck her until she lost all sense. Being with the daughter of a god — a literal demigod — was something he never imagined he would have the chance to do.
He found it astonishing that the entire kingdom was unaware of her divine heritage.
A short while later, Winter arrived at Charlotte's quarters and carefully entered after knocking and receiving permission. She was sitting on her bed, wearing a nightgown made of an even thinner fabric, revealing the shape of her breasts and her bare skin beneath. It was almost as if she was inviting him with the way it accentuated her body.
So seductive.
The room was quite large, about the size of a modern apartment, with several candles lit around, casting a soft glow suitable for the nighttime. A huge window in the corner was open, allowing the breeze to flow in, causing the curtains to sway and occasionally revealing the full moon's light on the floor.
"Good evening, mother. I hope I'm not disturbing your rest with this meeting I requested," Winter said gently.
Charlotte chuckled and crossed her legs.
"No, my child. What brings you here?" she asked.
"Well, I have a proposal to make, but first, I want to share a secret with you."
"Mother, does the King, my father, know that you are the secret daughter of the Great God of the Sea, Poseidon?"
The Queen was shaken by the question. She immediately trembled and looked at Winter in horror.
"...How did you find out about this?"
"Ha. So it's true after all. Don't worry, I'm the only one who knows."
"I asked how you came to know."
"I don't think you need to know. Just listen to my proposal, which is meant to keep this secret forever, since it seems you never want anyone to find out, right?"
Winter approached her with a sly smile.
"My terms are straightforward. You assist me, and in return, I will greatly aid you by keeping this secret. In fact, I will eliminate anyone who discovers it, no matter who they are."
The Queen clenched her hands as Winter moved very close to her face.
"What are your terms?"
"Disrobe completely, reveal your bare body to me, and I will fulfill my promise. Refusing won't benefit you at all, but honestly, it doesn't harm me either, don't you agree, mother?"
Her eyes widened in shock at the seriousness of his words. She thought she must have misheard.
"Did you say—"
"Yes, I did. Do as I ask now… Or should I make you?"
Her body stiffened.
"I… I… I… will comply."
With that, her expression darkened as she began to undress, and Winter's grin grew even more wicked.
'How was that so easy?? Hahaha. What a wonderful world, indeed.'