The first Empress overturned the world

After the conversation between Edosa and his second son, it was set in stone that Iyare would become a body double. The two children were called the following day and informed of this development.

Edosa was spoiled by his mother, as he was her only son. He never really liked the hardships of the training ground. If not for his father's pressure, he would have long given up. Seeing that his sister would help him take up the hard labor, he was happy with the plan.

Anyway, his mother would pamper him at home anytime he had to pretend to be his sister. So, he agreed to it.

"Iyare, starting today, I will personally train you," Edosa said. Nobody asked her if she was willing. Iyare balled her hands into fists. She did not know when her grandfather discovered her secret. She had been planning to learn and then slowly carve a path for herself. She did not know if she would succeed before being given away in marriage. After thinking it through, Iyare felt that being her brother's body double might also be beneficial. She could learn openly, and she believed her family would learn to treasure her like her brother once she achieved some success in his name.

Once the conversation was over, Iyare's hair was shaved like her brother's, and the news of her "falling sick" and needing to shave her hair spread throughout the residence and soon across the kingdom.

All this happened within two days. Her brother thought he could rest easy, but his grandfather, a strict general, insisted he continue training until the heir selection date.

Fourteen days passed in a flash, and soon it was the day of the selection. To ensure fairness, General Edosa invited all the notable figures within the Army for ranking. There were a total of twelve judges. General Edosa was not part of the judges, claiming he did not want his personal feelings to influence the outcome. Everyone agreed this was a fair approach.

Although tradition dictated that the first son was the heir of the family, there had been cases where first sons ruined their families. Some families began to set expectations for their first sons' rights.

Osaro looked at his son with pride. Over the last few days, he had secretly pushed his son to train harder for the competition. He had watched the two boys train over the years and knew the difference between them was minimal. Osaro believed that with the extra training, his son would definitely win.

"Remember all I have told you," Osaro said, feeling the need to add more pressure. This was his only chance to reclaim his rights. After all, as a first son, where would he put his face if he lost the position of heir?

"I remember, Father. Over the last few days, I have paid attention to his weaknesses. I will definitely be victorious," Osagie declared confidently.

On the other hand, Osaze simply looked at his daughter, unsure of what to say.

"There will be four rounds. Whoever wins three out of four will be the winner. If there is a tie, there will be an additional round," General Edosa's subordinate announced.

"Edosa and Osagie, come to the stage," he called.

The first round was wrestling. Each contestant would wrestle two professional wrestlers carefully selected by General Edosa. The first to defeat their opponent would win the round. If neither won, the one who lasted longer before losing would win.

This was the round Iyare feared most. Although she had watched her brothers practice and listened to their teacher, she had never had an opportunity to practice herself.

Bang

The gong sounded, marking the start of the competition. Osagie hurried to the stage and began wrestling his opponent. Wrestling was his strength, and he aimed to win quickly. His father had told him he must prove he was far superior to Efosa.

Iyare's opponent noticed the worry in her eyes and decided to end the match swiftly. He lunged at her. Iyare, seeing his move, sidestepped and locked him in a powerful grip. Dust rose as they grappled fiercely, their feet digging into the earth.

Iyare's opponent was surprised by her firm grip. He had not expected her to be so strong, especially since she looked scared. Underestimating her, he used less force than needed. With a mighty heave, Iyare toppled him.

The match had been as swift as Iyare's opponent imagined, but he had not expected to be the one on the ground.

The opponents were not the only ones surprised. It took the referee a moment to blow the whistle, signaling the end of the first round.

Osagie was shocked that Efosa had won before he had even figured out his opponent's strengths. He began to suspect that the other wrestler had gone easy on Efosa. He looked at his father to communicate his doubts, but Osaro shook his head.

To prevent favoritism, General Edosa had selected Efosa's opponent from Osaro's subordinates and Osagie's opponent from Osaze's subordinates. There was no way Efosa's opponent would go easy on him.

Seeing his father's response, Osagie became worried. He had hoped to tie with Efosa. Wrestling and sword fighting were his strengths, while Efosa excelled in archery and strategy. He was confident he could win in combat if they tied in the first four rounds. Now, having lost the wrestling round, he feared defeat.

"Next, we move to archery," the subordinate announced.

There were six targets divided into three distances. The winner would be decided by the number of bullseyes hit.

"Osagie will go first," the subordinate announced. Osagie was happy to hear this. Since it was not his area of strength, he felt that going first would reduce the pressure and lead to better results. The first target was fifty feet, Osagie picked up the bow and arrow and shot at his first two targets in succession.

Then he moved to the next target, which was hundred feet away. This time, he shot the arrows one at a time. The first arrow missed the bullseye. He took a deep breath and shot the second arrow, this time hitting the bullseye.

The last distance was a hundred feet. Osagie was more careful when he shot these arrows, yet he still missed the bullseye, even though he hit the target. This result was the best he had ever achieved at a hundred and fifty feet—usually, he wouldn't even come close to the bullseye.

When it was Iyare's turn, she took the bow and arrow with confidence. As she released each arrow, it hit the bullseye. All six arrows shocked everyone present.

Osagie felt his eyes were playing tricks on him. Even though Efosa was better with arrows, he rarely hit the bullseye at a hundred and fifty feet. Moreover, Efosa had never shot arrows with such ease. Osagie sighed, but he knew it was nearly impossible to win this round since Efosa had always been better at archery.

"Efosa wins. Next is swordsmanship: the first person to make their opponent surrender wins," the subordinate explained.

Osagie was worried that what had happened during the wrestling round would repeat itself, so he raised his hand.

"What is the matter?" General Edosa asked.

"Grandfather, I suggest we fight against each other," Osagie said.

The judges present felt the suggestion was reasonable, but Edosa hesitated. After all, Iyare had never used a real sword in practice before. He worried she might unintentionally injure Osagie.

"Then, do not fight using a real sword," General Edosa suggested.

Osagie disagreed. He had planned to use this round to injure his brother, thereby gaining an advantage in the next round and the combat round.

"What do you think?" Edosa turned to Iyare.

"I agree with Osagie," Iyare replied. It was her first time touching a real sword—how could she give up such an opportunity? Hearing this, the general had no choice but to allow them to use swords.

Iyare weighed the sword in her hand and smiled, then touched it as though it were the most precious thing in the world.

Bang

The gong sounded, marking the beginning of the round. Osagie attacked with confidence, but his strike was blocked by Iyare's sword. Her movements were so fast that he was puzzled.

The fight continued for a few minutes, but Osagie could not gain any advantage. He felt that the person he was fighting was different from the Efosa he had trained against for years, even though the face was the same.

Moreover, there were no new moves—just faster and more accurate execution. The fight ended with Iyare winning once more.

There was no need to continue with the fourth round, as Iyare had won three rounds in succession. So "Efosa" was declared the winner and became the heir of the Edosa family. Osagie did not protest, knowing he was not a match for Efosa when it came to strategy and hunting.

"You really hid your skills well," Osagie said as he dropped his sword.

"Don't be angry, brother, but Grandfather said a warrior never reveals all their strength," Iyare answered calmly.

Efosa had always had a soft voice, so no one thought much of the slight change in tone.