Chapter 2: Crown Princess selection 1
"This consort greets the crown prince" She said while bowing. During her stay, she acquired information from the maids there who informed her her husband had become the new crown prince as the old one died in battle. He hadn't chosen a crown princess yet, so all the consorts are trying their best to impress him.
"Princess consort Kaetrina" he replied, cupping his hands in greeting. "I never knew you were awake"
"His highness must've been busy as no one came to check up on me ever since I was left to die. I do not blame your highness for this as I have taken matters into my own hands when I wasn't given food. It would be shameful of me if I dared to bother your highness with my pitiful self" she replied with a soft smile.
Daesmond's eyes narrowed when he heard that. The former Kaetrina would ignore him after greeting him and would never fail to fight for her rights.
"Then consort Kaetrina would excuse this prince for not coming to see you"
"It's quite alright" she waved him off. "So, what brings the crown prince to this lowly one's abode?"
"I came to check up on you and escort you to see the Empress Dowager as she summoned me and my wives" he replied.
"I thank the prince for his concern. If you would excuse me for a bit, let me change into something for fitting to see the Empress Dowager" he gave a nod and left the room.
She went into the adjourning bathroom, took a shower and put on a fresh set of clothes. She also did a little makeup, all under 30 minutes. She tied her hair into a ponytail and put on a silver tiara, matching her white gown. When she came out, even the prince was blown away by how beautiful she looked. Her soft smile was different to the indifferent ones she normally gave and she gave off a fresh vibe that overpowered that of the other consorts.
She walked next to the prince, signifying her position as the first wife and the other wives trailed behind them. The reason why she did this was simple: to make the prince fall for her, to make Laila Jealous and to become crown princess. That way she can easily get rid of Laila and take control of the kingdom, killing two birds with one stone. The thought of that made her smile brighter, her smile dazing all that looked at her.
For the first time in his life, the prince looked at his first wife properly and noted she was more beautiful than his favorite consort. When he thought that, he shocked himself. How did his hateful wife become more beautiful in his eyes? He tried all he did to rid himself of that thought and even shook his head a few times. All of this didn't go unnoticed by Kaetrina and she smiled to herself. Her plan was going smoothly.
Soon, they reached the residence of the Empress Dowager. It was a grand building made of pure white stones and the interior was decorated with gold. They were directed to a hall where the Empress Dowager was seated on a golden chair, sipping tea. She looked not much older than 50 which was unusual for a woman who birthed the present emperor. She had almost no wrinkles on her face which made Kaetrina think the Botox treatment in this world is too great.
All of them bowed to greet her which she acknowledged with a small nod and signified for them to sit.
"I have summoned you all here to select the next crown princess among all of you. All the wives should stand and step forward" she said and the women complied.
"The criteria for the selection of the new crown princess would be based on cultivation talent, Elixir root, family background and etiquette.
There are only five Consorts participating in this selection and you would be sent each member of the Imperial harem to prepare you for this, including myself. I will give you the names of those five consorts and their mentors.
First is Consort Nina who would be mentored by Imperial consort Vena.
Second is Princess Consort Pearl, who would be mentored by Imperial consort Casscenda.
Third is Princess Consort Adina, mentored by Imperial consort Mina.
Fourth is Consort Laila, who would be mentored by Imperial consort Hannah.
Last is Princess Consort Kaetrina who would be mentored by me" Empress Dowager Trinka finished.
The selected five came forth and gave her a deep bow. All of them were jealous of Kaetrina and Laila who were definitely going to be the main competitors for the crown princess position. The rest were just for show.
None of them liked Keatrina and all hoped for Laila to win. Kaetrina didn't mind at all. She looked around, searching for the right person to use to control the Empire when she decimates the imperial family. She smiled brightly when her eyes landed on Princess Consort Adina and Pearl.
{They are cousins sent from a neighboring Kingdom for political ties with both royal families, the main one and the minor one. You can unite them under your banner and let them control this empire for you. You can use a unbreakable oath to bind them}
'Thank you for the information my lord'
'{Do as you see fit with it}
Kaetrina was happy that the Old god was helping her. It made it easier for her to get information. For the former Kaetrina, her story was written in stone. She was just a side character while Laila was the true evil woman and protagonist acting like a white lotus. According to the stories she had read as Addison, taking the protagonist aura away would be better than killing her at once.
Although she wanted to increase her strength, she looked forward to the start of the Crown princess selection.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone