It started with a throw, then ended with him betting his life.

Remia could guess why her beloved was taking such a stance, yet her heart brimmed with worry, not allowing her to contemplate what had just occurred.

She knew Alex played chess a few times with her mother. Was that enough to fight with the lion king, who had been playing for more than Alex lived?

Anais Foxtail also should've taught Burford a few moves, to say nothing of them having more than enough clashes.

Remia glanced furtively at her mother before retracting her eyes to the chessboard, for she was a part of the younger generation, clashing with beast youngsters.

But as Remia saw her mother sitting straight, her presence not getting weaker before Anais Foxtail, Remia's heart grew confident.

'Yes... I have my own battle to focus on. I can't focus on others now,' Remia stifled her kind heart, turning it into a different weapon. Her eyes sharpened, her focus heightened, and her mind flashed with a few moves.

The match had barely started, yet she already saw a victory!

But then, something odd happened.

"Damn it!" A particular rough voice boomed in the hall.

'Already?' Remia and everyone thought at the same time.

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'You have done a good job dealing with Burford, Alexander... But did you have to go as far as betting your life?' Yumia thought while taking a seat by the table.

Her opponent was no one else other than Anais Foxtail. Every king from the Green Kingdom brightly pushed Yumia to clash with Anais, for they weren't confident in themselves against her.

Yumia liked challenges, for her love for chess was genuine. She also lacked good enemies for years, yet she couldn't focus well because of two things.

The fox girl and her in-law.

And it wasn't because Yumia's heart skipped a beat for the youngster. As an older lady with experience and someone who had already opened her heart to Alex, Yumia left enough clues for Alexander regarding her feelings.

It was already too much, for they were indeed in-laws. Her daughter probably saw through her intent already, too. But as Alex was more of a normal guy, he didn't see his mother-in-law as a possible partner.

'Beasts except foxes speak through strength. We have told you about it, so your reaction to his insolence was perfect. Your follow-up leaves me worried, though,' Yumia thought as she extended her hand toward the first piece on the chessboard.

Alex shifted some principles to match the beasts and their common sense. In fact, some demi-humans from the Green Kingdom had a similar view, so Alex's performance left everyone wary of him.

They respected him, even if it was a little.

Nonetheless, it was a good start. Alex adapted to the new races, forming a relationship that spared him much effort. If he hadn't bet his life, everything would've been perfect.

He could build his relationship with other demi-humans after the show in his own way, slowly instilling his principles into them.

If there was a race that disagreed with him, he could as well just leave them.

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It was that simple, yet Alexander bet his life!

'And you, Anais,' Yumia's eyes gleamed with understanding as she reflected the gorgeous figure sitting before her, 'You wanted this, didn't you?'

Knowing about foxes and their queen, Yumia no longer doubted that Anais expected everything that had happened in the white hall. Perhaps, the fox girl didn't predict an appearance of a player with close ties to the forest fairies.

But as she offered a clash between Alex and Burford, Yumia inferred that Alex's presence was for her advantage.

'She doesn't want to side with the hungry demons, does she?' Yumia thought while extending her hand for the second piece.

Her thoughts were faster than the game, reading everything around her, including the chessboard.

If Anais' goal was to have the Green Kingdom's representatives win against the beasts, then the chances of her achieving it were higher in chess. It also would save people from wasting their lives.

Yumia's thoughts swirled in her mind, thinking about many things. But as she was about to lift the third piece, an ear-splitting voice reverberated through the white hall.

Everyone peeked at the source of it, Burford Fang.

"Damn it!" he held his head, grabbing his long mane while staring at the chess board with trembling eyes.

Alex sat straight like a king on the opposite side, smiling as he took the first victory.

Yumia and Anais narrowed their eyes, analyzing the chessboard. They just needed one glance to know how the lion king lost.

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And it was surprisingly... "Scholar's mate."

In four moves, Alex destroyed the lion king.

"I won!" A young beast shouted before quickly covering his lips, for other matches were ongoing. He was a man from the younger generation, one hundred and twenty years old youngster.

His chessboard flashed with a green light on his side, signaling that he was indeed the victor. That was how people knew whether they won or lost. Of course, there were also draws.

Even the most stupid beasts would understand their loss in such a way.

"Congratulations, young one," Anais laughed while moving her pieces, facing the absent-minded forest fairy. At this point, Yumia could see through Anais' goal, for the fox girl even purposely made gaps on the board, allowing Yumia to win at any time.

Thus, it was boring, and Yumia couldn't really care about the game anymore. She seemed lost in thought, yet her focus remained on Alexander and Remia. These two were her pride, for they slaughtered their opponents.

"T-Thank you, Miss Anais!" A young beast with a lion mane bowed to the queen of a foreign race.

His move didn't surprise anyone, for Anais was popular in the Beast Kingdom. Everyone knew about her intellect and wish to keep the Beast Kingdom together.

In the past, she could've won many territorial wars. Yet, she kept a moderate size of her people's lands, promoting self-growth and self-reflection for foxes and other beasts.

She did much good stuff for the kingdom.

"It's my job to thank you, young man. Keep working hard," Anais gestured to the young beast to sit down before shifting her eyes to Yumia. Her hues gleamed as if conveying a message to the forest fairies' queen.

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And in the next move, Yumia finished the fox girl.

Anais faintly smiled, leaning her little face toward her right hand, "I lost."

The Green Kingdom won the chess matches with a significant lead.