The Queen Who Fights Back (by Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 100

Chapter 100

Before Andrew, Violet, and Brooks had the chance to audition for the elite task force, they all found themselves stationed within the war zone’s boundaries. Yet, despite being so close to the chaos, none of them had ever actually stepped onto the front lines.

Some among them belonged to special operations units, while others were tasked with covert missions that required stealth and precision rather than open combat.

Each had honed their bodies and sharpened their skills to an exceptional degree—none could be called average by any measure.

However, their youth and the nature of their duties meant they hadn’t been deployed to real battlefields. In other words, although they had spent endless hours drilling in secret, preparing for the task force’s rigorous demands, none had firsthand experience in true combat.

Zoria, after all, was a land untouched by war—its peaceful existence meant there were few, if any, opportunities for these young operatives to prove themselves amid gunfire and explosions.

So, despite being special ops members, Andrew, Brooks, and Aurelio were still green when it came to actual combat missions.

The only ones with genuine battlefield experience were veterans like Oliver, who had served in field units and faced the brutal realities of war.

Oliver had been watching Nova closely ever since she had pulled off that unbelievable AK-18 teardown. His admiration for Bloodforge, the legendary weapons maker, was genuine, and the excitement shining in his eyes was far from feigned.

But beyond admiration, Oliver was quietly assessing Nova from the shadows, trying to unravel her true capabilities.

Though he hadn’t yet uncovered all her secrets, the more he observed, the more he realized Nova was far from ordinary.

The most astonishing revelation was that she seemed shockingly familiar with mercenary life.

“You’ve dealt with mercenaries before?” Oliver broke the silence, curiosity lacing his voice.

Without hesitation, Nova answered simply, “Yeah.”

The moment she admitted it, the dozen people gathered before her froze, stunned into silence.

Yet Nova continued, her voice calm and unwavering.

“I’ve traveled through all kinds of countries, run into mercs more times than I can count. That’s all stuff I picked up from talking with them.”

Her expression remained impassive as she spun a web of convincing lies, delivering them with the ease of a practiced storyteller.

In truth, before returning to the Blake family, Nova had rarely resorted to falsehoods.

But now, to maintain her role as the Blake family’s third daughter, she found herself weaving more stories each day, adapting to the persona she was expected to play.

With Andrew fueling the narrative, everyone accepted Nova’s tale without question.

“Nova wandered off when she was a kid and spent over ten years lost,” Andrew elaborated, stretching the story for maximum effect. “She only resurfaced recently, can you believe it…?”

Suddenly, the room fell utterly silent, as if everyone had simultaneously grasped the gravity of her past and instinctively closed their mouths.

What fate could befall a girl who seemed so vulnerable if she ended up entangled with criminals?

Wasn’t it just like those dreadful news stories that replayed endlessly on the screens?

Even Violet, who had never been fond of Nova, opened her mouth to speak but forced herself to remain quiet.

‘Nova… the girl I’ve always despised…’ Violet thought, a knot of conflicting emotions twisting inside her.

‘All this time, I thought she was just some spoiled rich girl…’ she muttered silently, suddenly uncertain.

‘So she didn’t actually grow up pampered and coddled?’

“Thanks for stepping up and telling us,” the selection officer said, turning his attention to Nova.

“I’ll go talk to them. If we can settle this with money, let’s avoid any trouble. Otherwise, it’ll just jeopardize our mission.”

He glanced around the group, ensuring everyone caught his message. “Eyes on me, folks.”

Nova’s quick thinking had set the wheels in motion.

Encouraged by her suggestion, the selection officer approached the mercenary squad to negotiate face-to-face.

Without hesitation, the mercs agreed to accept the toll fee just to let them pass.

Just as Nova had predicted, these mercenaries chasing danger didn’t mind earning some easy cash on the side.

Why refuse free money?

Once the payment changed hands, the mercenaries caused no trouble—they simply waved the group through without a second glance.

As they passed the mercenary camp, the tension was palpable; everyone held their breath, afraid that even a loud exhale might provoke the mercs to reconsider.

Yet Nova remained completely unfazed. She strolled casually, her eyes drifting over the shabby tents scattered across the camp.

Ahead, a group of mercenaries gathered around grimy, rickety tables, shouting and laughing like wild beasts, smoking, drinking, and tearing into chunks of meat as if they hadn’t eaten in days.

These were the lowest rung of the mercenary ladder—so far down they didn’t even have proper places to rest.

Maybe they earned decent money, but at the end of the day, they were selling their lives for someone else’s dirty work.

For them, survival was the only victory—each day a battle to make it through.

No one knew when death might come knocking; maybe tomorrow they’d fall on some forgotten battlefield, their passing unnoticed.

Mercenaries weren’t official soldiers. When they died, their bodies were abandoned on the field, their names forgotten.

While alive, these mercs charged headfirst into hell, raking in money ordinary people could only dream of. But when they fell, their bodies were left to rot, unclaimed and uncared for.

That’s why mercenaries squeezed every drop of life from each moment, never letting time slip away.

When night fell, sleep was the last thing on their minds—they couldn’t afford to let their guard down.

Instead of resting like normal people, they popped pills to stay alert, drank heavily, devoured meat, spent sleepless nights in dingy casinos, or sought comfort with working girls—anything to drown out the lingering dread from battle.

Back then, Nova had survived in this hellish world, scraping by day after day.

Now, seeing it all again stirred a mixture of memories and bittersweet emotions within her.

“Nova, what’s on your mind?” Andrew asked, staying close by her side. He noticed the shadow over her face and couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking.

Lost in her thoughts, Nova didn’t immediately answer.

Meanwhile, the group had already moved past the mercenary camp and onto a bustling street alive with activity.

“I guess I’m lucky,” Nova said suddenly.

She couldn’t help but compare herself to those mercenaries stuck at the bottom—constantly struggling just to survive another day.

In many ways, she truly was fortunate.

‘How does she make this look so easy?’ he wondered, baffled by how someone as small as Nova could effortlessly drag his six-foot frame along without breaking a sweat.

Outside the hotel, Andrew yawned, still half-asleep and trying to piece together Nova’s plan.

“Seriously, Nova, why drag me out here so late? You get the creeps walking alone, so now I’m your bodyguard?” he joked.

Nova didn’t give a straightforward answer. Instead, she glanced at him coolly and said, “Are you the type to cry?”

“Cry? Me? Come on, I’m a grown man—that’s not really my style,” Andrew replied, squirming a little in embarrassment.

‘Crap, my underwear’s riding up again…’ he cursed silently, attempting to adjust it without Nova noticing.

They turned down a few side streets and arrived at the entrance of a dim alleyway.

Though foot traffic was sparse that night, Andrew immediately spotted the casino ahead. It stood out like a sore thumb—loud, crowded, and pulsing with energy, its neon lights piercing through the gloom.

Huge red letters loomed above the entrance: “Seduction Casino.”

Inside and out, gamblers bustled nonstop, transforming the area into a chaotic nighttime marketplace filled with noise and excitement.

“Seduction Casino?” Andrew echoed, eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at Nova.

He paused, then sneakily reached behind his back, trying to discreetly fix his wedged underwear with zero dignity.

“Nova, don’t tell me you’re really planning to—”

Before he could finish, Nova delivered a swift kick to his backside.

Not only did her kick yank his underwear tighter than before, but the sharp sting nearly made Andrew howl like a wolf.

Before any sound escaped, Nova clapped a hand over his mouth with lightning speed.

He didn’t get a chance to scream or complain.

The pain from the kick was sharp but fleeting—like when an adult swats a kid’s backside: it stings enough to teach a lesson but causes no lasting harm.

Nova’s combination of a sharp kick and a firm hand over his mouth left Andrew no room to protest. The sting made his eyes water immediately.

Within moments, his eyes were red and glassy, as if he’d just cried his heart out.

“It’s game time,” Nova said, her voice cool and steady.

Still dazed, Andrew was hauled forward by the collar, dragged right up to the front door of Seduction Casino.

Two burly guards blocked their path, stepping forward with broad shoulders and barking in thickly accented Veldorian.

“ເຈົ້າແມ່ນໃຜ? ສິ່ງທີ່ຕ້ອງເຮັດຢູ່ນີ້?”
[Who are you two? What are you doing here?]

Seduction Casino wasn’t a place that let strangers wander in at will.

Newcomers had to check in at the casino office first—real name registration only. Full name, nationality, ID, all the paperwork. No one got past the doors without proving their identity.

Getting stopped at the entrance was exactly what Nova expected.

She didn’t flinch. Instead, she pulled Andrew—still sniffling from the pain—into a look that mixed nervousness with desperation.

Then, in flawless Veldorian, she answered calmly and convincingly.