Christiana's POV
I stared at the broadcast replay. Frozen. Speechless.
The man I had almost executed…
The one I interrogated in chains…
The one I labeled a threat to national security…
Was my father.
My mind was spinning, chest tight. The entire command center was dead silent. Even my top generals couldn't meet my gaze. They had seen the live footage. Everyone had. And now the world knew:
Chris Blackwood had disguised himself as a beggar. Entered his own streets. Tested his own people. And I… I had failed him.
I slammed my fist on the edge of the table.
"Where is he now?" I snapped, voice sharp as steel.
"Taken to the private royal chamber under emergency lockdown," one of my elite guards responded. "With the Queen."
I rose, slowly, my legs trembling beneath the weight of guilt and pride—twisted together like vines choking a tree. I barked my next command like thunder.
"No one, and I mean no one, is to step foot near him without my express order."
My brother was still recovering. My father had been comatose. And now… this? Disguising himself. Wandering the streets. Testing our loyalty? Our judgment?
I felt betrayed.
But I also understood.
This was his empire, and he wanted to see its truth with his own eyes—not through filtered reports or flattery from nobles.
I exited the command center, storming down the blackened marble hallway, coat trailing behind me like a battle flag. My thoughts were a storm.
Was I being sidelined again?
Did he not trust me anymore?
Or worse…
Was this all a message?
I reached the private wing. The guards stepped aside.
Inside, he sat on the royal bed, dressed once again in regal black and gold. Skylar sat beside him, her hand on his chest, silent tears in her eyes.
His gaze lifted.
"Christiana," he said softly, his voice stronger than I expected.
I stood at the threshold, conflicted, then dropped to one knee.
"I almost killed you," I whispered.
He didn't smile. He didn't speak. He just looked at me, and in that moment, everything shattered inside me.
"I don't know if I should resign," I added. "Or if I should execute myself for failing the empire."
Then, finally, Chris Blackwood spoke again.
"You will do neither."
To be continued…