After a few hours, the final category had arrived, and the warriors of Amazon Lily were cheering wildly—for Nolan, who wanted nothing to do with any of this. He glanced at Hancock, who was gritting her teeth so hard he half-expected them to crack.
Poor woman. She was getting humiliated in front of her own people, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it. Her own subjects were rooting for some random guy instead of their empress. Nolan could practically hear the sound of her pride shattering into a million tiny pieces.
"Can we, uh… not do this?" he muttered, stifling a yawn. He was genuinely trying to be nice, but the lazy stretch made it look like he was mocking her—like his victory was already set in stone.
Not that he was wrong. Even if the entire island jumped him at once, he could still flatten them all without breaking a sweat.
"That, I cannot permit!" Hancock snapped, her voice trembling with barely contained rage. Her dignity was on the line. If Nolan quit now while he was two points ahead, it would just be the cherry on top of her humiliation sundae. She couldn't let that happen.
"You like digging your own grave or something?" Nolan asked, giving her a weird look. Did she enjoy being embarrassed? Of course, he didn't get it—he wasn't exactly the type to overthink things.
"The battle of strength will now proceed!" Gloriosa announced, trying to move things along before Hancock exploded.
Nolan raised a hand. "Yeah, real quick—what do I get if I win?" He rubbed his eyes, another yawn threatening to escape.
The crowd erupted into murmurs, tossing around ideas until—
"Then you'll have me!" Marguerite suddenly shouted, puffing out her chest. "If you win, I'll be your wife!"
Chaos. Absolute chaos.
Warriors started shouting over each other, offering themselves up as prizes like Nolan had just won some bizarre dating game show. His face went pale. What the hell is happening?! I don't want any of you! All I wanted was Robin's—
"SHUT UP!" Gloriosa's roar silenced the crowd. She cleared her throat, then gave Nolan a sly wink. "How about m—"
THWACK!
A wild coconut smacked her in the head. The crowd erupted again.
"You're advertising yourself, old bag?!" someone yelled.
Nolan stared at Gloriosa, his expression deadly serious. The crowd held their breath. Does he… like older women?
Their fears vanished the second he spoke.
"If you'd been in your prime, I would've been delighted to partake of you," he said, yawning again like he was discussing the weather.
Gloriosa's eyes widened. The warriors around her gasped. None of these younger fighters had ever seen her in her glory days—back when she was the most beautiful woman on the island. And now, this random man was acknowledging her past beauty like it was obvious?
Nolan scratched his head, then suddenly grinned. "Friends. I wanna be friends with your empress." His smile was so pure, so innocent, that it practically sparkled.
Hancock's face turned red.
Not from anger.
From sheer, flustered confusion.
Hancock's face burned crimson as she stomped toward Nolan, her chest heaving like she'd just run a marathon. Gloriosa watched carefully, thinking, Eh, she'll be fine.
Then—THUD.
Hancock's knees buckled. Her eyes rolled back. A puff of smoke burst from her head like a teakettle, and she face-planted right into the dirt.
"Category Third is hereby ended!" Gloriosa announced, waving her arms like she was directing traffic.
The crowd exploded.
"HE DEFEATED THE EMPRESS!"
"WITH JUST WORDS!"
"SO STRONG! SO COOL! I CAN'T TAKE IT!"
Nolan sighed so hard his whole body deflated. Why can't I just have a quiet life?
"Mm… I'd like to rest," he muttered before flopping onto the ground like a sack of potatoes. SNORE.
Silence.
Then—the sound of fifty women suddenly realizing they're alone with a sleeping man.
Every warrior's eyes locked onto Nolan. Their pupils dilated. Their breathing quickened. You could practically hear the gears turning in their heads.
If I carry him home… I can feed him… bathe him… cuddle him… mate. Then maybe feed him again… play a little… mate again. Did I mention mate?
Gloriosa felt the air grow heavy with intent. She whipped her head around—oh no. The crowd was inching forward, hands twitching, lips curled into hungry smiles.
"BACK OFF, YOU ANIMALS!" Gloriosa barked, throwing herself between Nolan and the mob. "SANDERSONIA, MARIGOLD—GRAB THESE TWO BEFORE SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING ILLEGAL!"
Hancock's sisters scrambled over, hoisting their unconscious empress over one shoulder and Nolan over the other like two very different sacks of trouble. The crowd whined in disappointment as the trio disappeared into the palace.
Gloriosa wiped her brow. Crisis avoided. She turned to the crowd, arms raised.
"THIS YEAR'S WINNER IS… OUR HONORED GUEST!"
Not a single protest. Just thunderous applause and dreamy sighs.
Somewhere in the distance, a lone warrior whispered,
"…Do you think he'll wake up by dinner?"
---
Hancock groggily opened her eyes, the soft sheets tangled around her. For a blissful second, she thought—It was all a dream, right? There's no way this empress actually lost!
Then reality crashed down like a slap.
Her hand flew to her chest, clutching the fabric of her dress. Every time that man's face flickered in her mind, a strange, prickling heat spread through her body—something she'd never felt before. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. Her skin flushed red from her collarbone to the tips of her ears.
What… is this? She gritted her teeth, torn between fury and something far more confusing. She had lost. In front of her entire kingdom. The humiliation should have been unbearable. Her pride screamed at her to throw down her crown and vanish into the jungle.
But… who would rule after her? The thought of leaving Amazon Lily in chaos was almost as unbearable as defeat.
Still… where did that man even come from?
Her thoughts drifted, her scowl softening for half a second—until she rolled over and froze.
A face. Right beside her. In her bed.
Nolan slept peacefully, his breathing slow, his stupidly handsome features relaxed. Hancock's breath hitched. Her traitorous heart did a backflip.
"WHAT!?"
Her shriek could've shattered glass. She bolted upright, scrambling back so fast she nearly tumbled off the mattress. A man! In my bed! In my palace! Somewhere in the distance, she swore she heard Gloriosa cackling like a mischievous old hag.
Nolan stirred, mumbling something incoherent before rolling over and sinking deeper into sleep.
Hancock's face burned hotter than magma. She shot out of bed like a cannonball, hands pressed to her cheeks as she stormed out of the room—only to skid to a halt at the sight of her warriors.
Dozens of eyes blinked back at her.
Silence.
Then—
"Empress…?" one whispered.
Hancock's composure shattered. With a strangled noise, she took off running down the hall, sandals slapping aganst marble as her warriors burst into laughter behind her.
Somewhere in the palace, Gloriosa sipped her tea, grinning.
---