Chapter 83

The whispers had never truly stopped. They had merely become quieter, more insidious, woven into the fabric of the court like a hidden thread of poison.

Aeliana had heard them in the corridors, in the veiled politeness of the nobles, in the careful phrasing of their well-wishes. Congratulations always sounded hollow when paired with hesitation, with uncertainty.

A half-human heir.

It was a question none of them dared ask outright, but she could feel it lingering in every bow, in every glance cast toward her stomach when they thought she wasn't looking.

Will the child be strong enough?

Will they be like their mother? Like a human?

What if they are unfit to rule?

Aeliana had spent months earning her place here, fighting for respect, forcing them to see her not as a foreigner but as their queen. And yet, with a single revelation, it was as if she had been reduced to nothing more than a womb carrying a question mark.

She clenched her fists beneath the heavy sleeves of her gown as she moved through the palace halls, her every step measured, controlled, unyielding.

They would not see her falter.

Not now.

Not ever.

But when she passed a group of nobles in hushed conversation, their words just barely carrying through the air, she almost stopped in her tracks.

"Perhaps the emperor should consider alternative options."

"If a stronger heir could be secured..."

"He could always take another mate."

The blood in her veins ran hot.

Aeliana turned sharply, her voice a blade against the quiet.

"Speak freely," she said.

The nobles froze.

One of them, an older lord with sharp cheekbones and eyes that reminded her of a serpent, had the audacity to lift his chin, feigning innocence.

"Your Majesty," he murmured, offering a flawless bow, but there was no true respect in the gesture. "We were merely speaking of the future of the empire. A ruler must always consider all possibilities."

Aeliana stared at him. "And what possibilities are those?"

A flicker of hesitation crossed his face, but he recovered quickly. "Only that the emperor has a duty to ensure the strength of his bloodline."

Her fingers curled at her sides.

Strength of his bloodline.

She could kill him for that alone.

Instead, she smiled-a slow, calculated smile. "And you believe that the heir I carry does not meet that standard?"

A tense pause.

One of the younger nobles shifted uncomfortably, suddenly realizing the danger of this conversation. But the older lord held her gaze, unrepentant.

"It is not for me to decide," he said smoothly. "Only time will tell."

Aeliana exhaled slowly, forcing herself to remain still, to think.

She could have struck him down here and now.

But this was not a battle to be fought in the shadows.

This was something Tharx needed to address in the open, in front of the court.

And Aeliana would make sure of it.

She smiled, tilting her head. "Indeed. Time will tell."

Then she turned and walked away, her steps silent but certain.

Tomorrow, there would be a reckoning.

The court was full when Tharx entered the grand hall the next day, his long strides measured, effortless, absolute.

Aeliana stood beside him, her face unreadable, her presence a quiet storm.

The nobles had gathered like carrion birds, waiting to see what would happen, waiting to measure the emperor's response to the doubts they dared whisper behind closed doors.

Tharx did not sit upon the throne.

Instead, he walked to the center of the room, his golden gaze sweeping over them like a slow, deliberate burn.

He let the silence drag out, thick and suffocating, until not a single soul dared breathe too loudly.

Then, finally-

"I hear there are questions about the strength of my heir."

No one spoke.

No one dared.

Tharx's lips curled, but it was not a smile. It was something sharper, colder.

"You wonder if my child will be fit to rule."

Still, no one moved.

Aeliana watched the nobles carefully, reading their expressions, the way some of them tried to remain impassive, while others had the sense to look afraid.

Tharx exhaled slowly. Then, with the quiet finality of a war drum before battle, he said-

"My child will be strong-not because of what they are, but because of who they are."

A ripple moved through the court.

Tharx took another step forward.

"My heir will not be measured by the blood that runs through their veins. They will be measured by their will, by their strength, by what they become."

The weight of his words settled over the nobles like iron shackles.

He let them absorb it before he continued, his voice deceptively soft.

"And let me make something very clear-"

He lifted his chin slightly, his expression carved from stone.

"If anyone-anyone-suggests otherwise, they will not live to see the day my child takes the throne."

It was not a threat.

It was a promise.

Aeliana swore she saw one of the younger nobles go pale, his throat working as he swallowed thickly.

She did not smile.

She only watched.

Tharx shifted his gaze across the room, his golden eyes locking on the lord from the night before-the one who had suggested alternative options.

The older man met his gaze with forced composure.

Tharx let the silence stretch, let the tension wrap around them like a noose.

Then-

"Kneel."

A murmur of shock rippled through the court.

The noble's lips parted slightly, as if he might argue.

Tharx did not give him the chance.

"Kneel," he repeated, his voice like a death sentence.

The noble's jaw tightened. He hesitated for a heartbeat too long.

Tharx's fingers twitched at his side.

Aeliana knew that if the man did not kneel now, he would not leave this hall alive.

A beat of silence.

Then-the noble fell to his knees.

Tharx watched him with something like quiet amusement.

"As you should," he murmured.

Aeliana saw the way the court shifted after that.

Saw the way the nobles looked at Tharx-not just as an emperor, not just as a warlord.

But as a ruler.

A ruler who would not bend, would not be swayed, would not allow weakness in his rule.

And she saw something else, too.

Fear.

Not just fear of Tharx, but fear of her.

Because she was not a passive queen.

She was not a silent bystander.

She had been the one to tell him about the whispers.

And now, they all knew it.

They knew that their doubts had reached the emperor's ears.

And they knew who had put them there.

Aeliana stood beside Tharx as he turned to leave, as the court bowed low before them.

But before they exited the hall, Tharx leaned down-just slightly, just enough for only her to hear.

"You see now," he murmured, his voice almost thoughtful.

Aeliana lifted her chin. "See what?"

Tharx's lips barely moved.

"What happens when they question what is mine."

Aeliana's breath hitched.

She turned her gaze forward, hiding the small, slow smile that crept onto her lips.

Yes.

She saw it now.

She had never feared the court.

But after today-

The court feared her.