LightReader

Chapter 695 - Drew

Amara's POV

The throne room felt colder than usual. The air was thick — not with tension, but with disbelief.

I could still hear his words echoing in my head: "Then you leave me no choice. I strip you of your power."

For a second, I thought it was a bluff. Chris never needed to raise his voice — his silence always spoke louder than anger. But this time… this wasn't silence. This was a verdict.

I looked at him — the man who once held me like the world was ours to share — now staring at me like I was just another subject of his empire.

"Chris…" my voice trembled, but I caught myself. The entire court was watching — ministers, guards, even Soren Vask stood like a statue, his loyalty slicing through the room.

"Chris, you can't do this to me," I said, taking a step closer. "I built this empire with you. I—"

He raised his hand. Just that small gesture — and every soldier in the hall lifted their rifles in sync.

"You helped build it, Amara," he said, his tone calm but cruelly final. "But you forgot — the empire was never yours to rule. It's mine."

My heart dropped.

For a moment, I didn't see the emperor. I saw the man I used to wake up beside. The one who used to whisper my name like a promise. But that man was gone — replaced by Blackwood 1, ruler of a world that now saw me as nothing more than a dethroned queen.

"You're making a mistake," I whispered, holding his gaze. "Strip me of my power, and you strip the empire of its balance."

He tilted his head slightly. "Balance?" He almost smiled. "No, Amara. Balance is weakness. Power doesn't need balance — it needs control."

His voice sent chills down my spine.

The guards began to move closer, ready to escort me out like I was just another criminal.

I clenched my fists, refusing to show fear. "You'll regret this, Chris," I said. "You always do when emotion blinds your logic."

For a split second, something flickered in his eyes — pain, maybe guilt. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"Remove her from the throne," he ordered.

And as they dragged me away, I realized something terrifying:

He wasn't the same man I once loved.

He wasn't the same ruler I once believed in.

He was becoming something else — something the empire might not survive.

But I wasn't done. Not yet.

If he thought stripping me of power would silence me, he'd forgotten who taught him how to rule in the first place.

He may have taken my throne... but I still had my mind — and my vengeance.

— To be continued…

More Chapters