Chapter 66

The doors to the grand hall swung open, the heavy sound echoing like thunder against the stone walls.

The nobles were already gathered, seated in their golden-trimmed chairs, their expressions a mixture of anticipation and simmering resentment. The weight of the past few days-**Veraxia's execution, the failed rebellion, the coronation marred by bloodshed-**hung over them like a noose.

And yet, despite it all, they had come.

They had come to watch.

To see if their new queen would bend.

If she would play the silent consort.

Aeliana walked into the chamber with purpose, with absolute command, flanked by Tharx's highest-ranking generals. The crimson robes she wore billowed behind her, the gold insignia of the empire pressed against her chest.

Tharx entered behind her, a shadow of dominance, of ruthless control. He did not speak.

He didn't have to.

Because this was not his moment.

This was hers.

She stepped onto the dais, stopping just before the throne.

And then, she spoke.

"This empire was built on war."

Her voice carried through the chamber, sharp, unyielding.

She let her gaze sweep over the nobles, over the ones who had doubted her, whispered behind her back, plotted her demise.

"It was built on conquest, on blood, on the bodies of those who refused to submit. But for too long, it has also been built on corruption."

A shift rippled through the court-a flicker of unease.

"You sit here," Aeliana continued, "inherited power passed from father to son, title after title given to those who have never proven themselves worthy of it."

Her gaze hardened.

"That ends today."

A murmur spread through the court, hushed whispers-a reaction, a warning.

Aeliana lifted her chin.

"No noble shall hold power without proving their loyalty."

The whispers grew louder.

"The empire will be ruled by strength, not by blood."

The reaction was instant.

Nobles rose to their feet, outrage bleeding into their expressions.

Lord Varron, one of the older noblemen, stepped forward, his face twisted with fury. "This is madness! Generations have built this court-"

"Generations of leeches," Aeliana interrupted, "draining this empire, growing fat on land they do not rule, hoarding wealth they did not earn. No more."

A murmur of agreement. Of hesitation.

Not all the nobles were against her.

Some of them-**the younger ones, the ones who had watched their fathers send soldiers to die while they feasted in the safety of their estates-**some of them understood.

But others?

They would fight her until the end.

A voice rose above the crowd, sneering.

"A queen who does not come from the empire does not get to rewrite its laws."

The voice came from Lord Typhon.

He stepped forward, arms crossed over his broad chest, his expression dripping with contempt.

"You were an outsider. You still are," he spat. "And no matter how much power you believe you have, you will always be a human playing at being queen."

The chamber went still.

Aeliana felt Tharx tense behind her, a shift in the air-a silent promise of violence.

He would kill him.

She saw it in his stance, in the way his fingers itched toward his sword.

He would cut Typhon down where he stood.

Aeliana moved before he could.

She stepped down from the dais, approaching Typhon slowly, deliberately.

His lips curled into a smirk. "Have I offended you, my queen?"

Aeliana's pulse thundered, but her face remained calm.

She stopped just before him, then-before he could react-

She grabbed the dagger from his belt.

The motion was swift, smooth-effortless.

Typhon flinched.

Aeliana turned her back to him.

Then, without a word-

She drove the blade into the throne.

The metal sank deep into the black obsidian, a sharp crack splitting the silence.

Aeliana turned back to him, her expression unreadable.

Then, she spoke.

"If you want my throne, take it from me."

Silence crashed through the chamber.

The challenge hung in the air.

Lord Typhon's face paled, his fingers twitching slightly-but he did not move.

He would not.

Because he knew.

The moment he reached for that blade, he would die where he stood.

Because Tharx would never allow it.

Because he was afraid.

Aeliana smiled, but it was not kind.

She stepped back, her voice ringing through the chamber.

"No?" She tilted her head. "Then kneel."

His jaw clenched, his pride warring with his survival.

But in the end-

He knelt.

The court followed.

One by one, the nobles dropped to their knees.

And Aeliana knew-

This was the moment she had won.

The torches outside the palace flickered in the wind, casting shadows across their chambers.

Aeliana stood before the window, her back to Tharx, the fabric of her ceremonial robes hanging loosely off one shoulder.

The weight of the day-**of the court's submission, of the blood she had spilled, of the throne she had claimed-**settled into her bones, but she did not feel burdened.

She felt alive.

She heard his footsteps before she felt him.

Tharx stopped behind her, his presence towering, consuming, inescapable.

He didn't speak.

He didn't have to.

His fingers brushed over her shoulder, tracing the exposed skin, his touch hot, deliberate.

Aeliana exhaled slowly, her pulse thrumming.

Then-he leaned in.

His lips brushed against her throat, his breath a whisper against her skin.

"You surprised them today," he murmured, his voice dark, rich with something dangerous.

Aeliana smirked, tilting her head just slightly, inviting him closer. "Good."

He growled softly, his teeth scraping along her neck. "I should punish you for stopping me from killing that insufferable noble."

She turned in his arms, meeting his gaze head-on.

"You're welcome."

Tharx's golden eyes flashed.

And then-he kissed her.

Not soft. Not gentle.

It was a collision, a battle, a claiming.

Aeliana matched him, met him with equal fire, her hands tangling into his dark hair, tugging just enough to make him growl against her lips.

He lifted her effortlessly, pressing her against the stone wall, his body hard against hers, unrelenting.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, her breath coming in sharp gasps as he pressed kisses down her throat, his teeth scraping, marking her.

She shuddered, clawing at the laces of his tunic, desperate for more, for all of him.

He let her.

But only for a moment.

Then, he gripped her wrists, pinned them above her head, his mouth hovering over hers, teasing, cruel.

"You think you can challenge me?" His voice was a dark whisper, filled with sin and promise.

Aeliana smirked, panting.

"I don't think. I know."

Something in him snapped.

He tore her robe from her body, the soft silk pooling at their feet.

She gasped, but he was already there, his mouth on her, his hands exploring, taking, worshiping and destroying all at once.

Tharx was not gentle.

Neither was she.

Aeliana arched into him, her nails dragging down his back, his skin burning beneath her touch.

He grunted, cursed, pressed her harder against the wall, his body against hers in every possible way.

She had never felt more powerful.

Had never felt more claimed.

And when he finally thrust into her, she gasped his name, her head falling back, her body unraveling beneath him.

Tharx growled, biting at her shoulder, his grip on her hips unforgiving.

He didn't take his time.

Didn't hold back.

He ruined her, shattered her, rebuilt her in his image.

And Aeliana gave him everything.

Because tonight, she was not just his queen.

She was his equal.

And she would burn the world beside him.