NOT THE USUAL CINDERELLA (Season 2)

ELIANA'S SECRET MEETING

"Prince Enzo's a good man, sure to get a good girl too. I will pray that Prince Enzo will soon find the soul mate of Prince Enzo." Enzo laughed again at Deanda's words aimed at him, glancing at the Gracetian king whose unfriendly eyes were staring at him.

"Truly this fierce and grumpy Gracetian king was so lucky to have a beautiful and kind-hearted empress like you Deanda. You two are like heaven and earth. Without the heavens, the earth would not be able to live, and without the earth, the sky would be lonely. You guys are a really good couple." Enzo said as he turned his eyes towards the chessboard that was in front of him.

"I'm sorry, whether it's a compliment or a mockery. I assume you're jealous of me for not being able to catch up with me immediately." Alvero said to Enzo as he glanced at his wife's pretty face.

"Well..." Enzo took a deep breath while looking at the chessboard before finally his eyes moved back to stare at Alvero seriously.

"We're starting now our chess game? Deanda, you must pray a lot if you do not want your husband to lose to me in the game of chess, although not necessarily your prayers are answered. You've probably heard in terms of leadership and self-defense your husband is the best in the country. But chess? He's not as good as me. I'm a grandmaster in the chess world." Enzo said with his face showing a confident and proud attitude.

(Grandmaster in the world of chess is the highest title for people who are recognized as the greatest in playing chess).

“If you don't believe, you can ask Alvero. If the Gracetian king is too embarrassed to admit my merits, you can ask the other palace residents.” Enzo said as he made a sound with his lips, making Alvero hold his breath at a glance, then glanced at Deanda who chose to observe the chessboard in front of him without responding to the words from Enzo just now.

As soon as he saw the chessboard, Deanda's mind floated everywhere, imagining if he was playing chess and what strategies he would run to win the game.

"Enzo, you know I'm not good at chess. How about this time you let my queen help me?" Enzo immediately grew shocked to hear Alvero's request.

"Bah... Alvero. Are you so desperate to face me, that you asked your wife for help playing chess?" Enzo said with a mocking smile decorating his lips.

"Why? You want to reject it? Are you afraid to face the fact that your chess game could be defeated by a woman? Is that really Enzo?" Alvero instantly countered Enzo's ridicule which quickly swept his lips away.

"Deanda, listen to the arrogant words of your husband. Don't blame me if later your husband will be careless after losing to me. You have to prepare yourself well to hear a long scolding from him. And also prepare to calm him down." Hearing Enzo's words, Deanda simply smiled as she glanced towards Alvero who pulled one end of her lips up, forming a smile that looked disdainful.

"Ah, come on, we can start now. This time it's up to you to ask your wife or the rest of the palace to fight me to play chess." Enzo said in a relaxed tone while moving one of his pawns because like the rules in place, who has a white chess piece is entitled to start the game, and the current one playing with the white pawn is Enzo.

"No need for a palace. I just need my wife's help to defeat your arrogance in a game of chess." Alvero said as he moved one of his chess pieces after Enzo.

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"Our strength is not enough to fight against the palace which for some time has been controlled by Alvero. Even these few years when he was still a crown prince, he had already done many things that could be said to be like a king due to Vincent's incompetence." Eliana who was talking to a man in one corner of the western palace could only clench her hands realizing what the man had just said was a reality.

"I have reminded you often. Never underestimate Alvero, the more powerful he gets. You shouldn't miss an opportunity while he's still not as strong as he is today. Moreover, seeing how the figure of the empress was also not a woman that could be underestimated. I've heard she has great martial skills like her husband. No wonder he's Federer's son of a bitch. He must also have a troublemaking talent like his father. Besides, from the people at Adalvino's company I heard he had a watered-down brain. If they continue to be together for a long time, it seems like you will no longer have the chance to make Dion the next Gracetian king." Eliana snorted annoyedly at the words of the man, who seemed to try to blame him for not far away from the day he got rid of Alvero, even though there were many ways he had done but always ended in failure.

"You know every effort I've made since Alvero was a kid. If it wasn't for Alexis Federer it wouldn't be possible for Alvero to still be able to breathe air at the moment! But you know how Vincent has been protecting Alvero since the kidnapping. Although he was only silent because of his weakness, but unbeknownst to us Vincent still tried hard to protect Alvero so we no longer have a chance to get rid of him! Even you know how Vincent prepared Erich and Ernest specifically to always be near Alvero, in addition to this time Alvero's ability to protect himself has progressed so rapidly in recent years!" Eliana said in a tone filled with overflowing emotions as she recalled the many attempts she had made to get rid of Alvero, often failing, and mostly because of the intervention of Alexis as the leader of the exclusive army of the kingdom who was directly responsible to the king of Vincent at that time.

Eliana knows there is not enough evidence to make Alexis or Vincent blame him for some of the bad things that happened to Alvero when he was a child, but Eliana knew for sure that Alexis had long enough to observe his movements and always tried to find evidence in order to drag him into the realm of law. And Eliana felt so lucky to have a man standing in front of her right now. A man who is willing to do anything for her, including cruel and dirty things to remove traces and evidence of Eliana's involvement in several events in the palace and company.

"If when Alvero was a child you always failed, what do you now expect when Alvero's position is so strong? Moreover, you see how he does not like you so much. I'm sure in the near future he'll figure out a way to get you out of the palace like he got Desya out of the way." Hearing the man's words, Eliana's face increasingly showed her anger.

"Don't just criticize me and remind me of all my failures. Do you think you have a much better mind than me?" Eliana said with her clenched hands toward the wall behind her.

"Right now if you want to be safe, you only have two options. Forget to keep trying to usurp the position of the Gracetian king. With the wealth you managed to steal from the kingdom, you can even live a luxurious life like a queen. Second choice if you want to keep Dion as the Gracetian king, you have to get rid of Alvero. And to get rid of Alvero you have to separate Alvero and his wife, because that woman is Alvero's biggest weakness right now." Hearing the man's words, Eliana could only round her eyes in shock, hearing how the man gave her an idea of the two options.