Chapter 85

The great hall was silent.

A silence so thick, so absolute, it pressed against Aeliana's skin like an invisible weight.

The nobles stood gathered before the throne, their fine robes pristine, their polished expressions carefully schooled into unreadable masks. But beneath their composure, she could feel it.

The tension.

The anticipation.

The fear.

Tharx stood at the front of the chamber, not upon the throne, but before it. He never sat when delivering decrees. He stood among them, a ruler who demanded respect not from the height of a chair but from the weight of his very presence.

Aeliana was at his side, as she always was, her fingers curled into the folds of her gown as she gazed out over the court.

She knew what was coming.

The nobles suspected it.

But none of them were ready.

Tharx's golden eyes swept across the assembled lords and ladies, measuring, waiting.

No one dared speak.

When he finally did, his voice rang through the hall with the weight of absolute finality.

"My heir will rule this empire-regardless of their blood, regardless of their gender."

A ripple moved through the court.

No one spoke.

No one moved.

But Aeliana saw it.

The flickers of reaction.

The way some nobles stiffened, their hands clasping tighter, their throats bobbing with suppressed words.

The way others cast furtive glances at one another, their eyes darting like cowards who lacked the strength to voice their dissent.

The ones who had already whispered in the dark.

The ones who questioned whether a half-human child could truly rule.

But Tharx had seen it too.

And he did not tolerate hesitation.

His gaze sharpened. His jaw set.

"If any of you believe otherwise," he said, voice deceptively soft, "step forward now."

A breathless hush.

Aeliana almost expected someone to rise to the challenge.

But they knew better.

Tharx was not a king of pleasantries.

He was not a ruler who debated his own decisions.

To oppose him meant exile at best. Death at worst.

Aeliana watched them, waiting, waiting.

But no one moved.

No one dared.

A slow, satisfied smirk ghosted over Tharx's lips.

"Then it is decided."

The weight of the words settled into the bones of the empire, into the walls of the palace itself.

And still, no one spoke.

Aeliana could almost hear their thoughts.

They wouldn't fight him. Not now.

But they wouldn't forget.

Dissent did not always need a voice. Sometimes, it simply waited.

And Aeliana would not be caught off guard when that day came.

When Tharx turned to her, his expression was unreadable.

But his fingers brushed hers-a brief, silent confirmation.

He had said what he needed to say.

The battle had been fought without a single blade drawn.

But Aeliana knew wars were not won in a single day.

When they returned to their chambers, Tharx wasted no time removing his ceremonial armor, the heavy plates landing against the stone floor with a dull clang.

Aeliana stood near the window, staring out over the capital, her arms crossed as she let the weight of the moment settle over her.

"You were prepared for them to object," she said finally.

Tharx scoffed. "Of course I was. I expected at least one of them to be fool enough to test me."

Aeliana turned, studying him. "They will not forget this."

His lips twitched. "Neither will I."

She exhaled slowly, shaking her head. "You have changed."

He paused.

That golden gaze flicked to hers, sharp, assessing.

"I do not change," he said simply.

Aeliana smiled-just slightly. "Liar."

He frowned. "You mistake my patience for softness."

She took a step closer, tilting her head. "And yet, you gave them a choice."

His gaze darkened. "It was not a choice. It was a test. If they had spoken against me, they would no longer be breathing."

Aeliana let out a breath of laughter, shaking her head. "And still, there was a time you would not have even bothered with the test. A time when you would have simply removed anyone who might question you before they had the chance to do so."

Tharx didn't respond.

Because he knew she was right.

Aeliana crossed her arms, watching him carefully. "You're not just ruling for yourself anymore."

She let the words linger, heavy in the space between them.

"You're thinking about the future."

Tharx exhaled through his nose, removing the last of his armor and rolling his shoulders. "I have always thought about the future."

"Not like this," she murmured.

His eyes met hers again, searching.

"You see me differently now."

Aeliana did not deny it.

She had always known Tharx to be a conqueror, a warlord, a man who took what he wanted and crushed whatever stood in his way.

But today, standing before the court, he had not simply crushed opposition.

He had built something.

Something greater.

For the first time, he had not simply ruled through fear.

He had ensured a future not just for himself, but for his heir. For their family.

She stepped closer. "You're not just fighting for power anymore."

Tharx watched her, silent.

"You're fighting for something bigger."

His lips parted slightly, his gaze flicking over her face as if reading every unspoken thought.

Then, finally-

"You are wrong," he murmured.

Aeliana blinked, caught off guard. "I am?"

Tharx leaned in, his fingers grazing her jaw, his breath warm against her skin.

"I am not fighting for something bigger."

He tilted her chin up, golden eyes burning into hers.

"I am fighting for you."

Aeliana's breath hitched.

His hand slid to the back of her neck, a silent claim, a vow.

"You and the life you carry," he whispered, his voice raw, rough.

Aeliana's chest tightened.

She had always known that Tharx was not a man who loved lightly.

His love was a battle, a war, a fire that consumed everything in its path.

And yet, here he stood, a man who had once ruled with nothing but conquest in his heart.

And he had just rewritten the empire's future-for her.

For their child.

Aeliana swallowed, lifting a hand to press against his chest.

"Then I suppose I should remind you," she murmured.

Tharx arched a brow. "Of what?"

A slow, deliberate smile curved her lips.

"That I do not need to be fought for."

He let out a breath of laughter, low and full of something else-something softer.

"Then what do you need?" he asked, tilting her face up to his.

Aeliana leaned in, just enough for their lips to brush.

"You," she whispered.

Tharx did not hesitate.

He claimed her mouth with his, deep and slow and unrelenting.

There was no throne, no empire, no future looming over them.

There was only this moment.

Only the quiet, breathless realization that they had changed each other in ways neither of them had expected.

And as Tharx lifted her into his arms, carrying her to their bed, Aeliana knew one thing for certain.

Their child would inherit more than just a throne.

They would inherit a kingdom built not just on war, but on something deeper.

Something unbreakable.

Something worth fighting for.