Chapter 88

The air in the grand hall was suffocating, thick with the remnants of violence and the lingering presence of fear. The nobles had barely regained their composure after the assassination attempt on Aeliana, and yet here they stood, waiting, dreading what would come next. The weight of the empire had never felt heavier than it did in this moment.

Tharx sat upon his throne, one hand resting upon the hilt of his blade, the other tapping against the cold metal armrest. His golden eyes burned with barely restrained fury, the kind that set entire civilizations ablaze. He had killed Lord Veylen without hesitation, without regret, and now the court had gathered to hear what came next.

They should be afraid.

Aeliana stood beside him, poised, unreadable, her face a careful mask. But inside? Inside, she was unsettled. Not by the nobles, not by the whispers of dissent still floating through the palace.

By him.

By how easily he had ended Veylen's life, how absolute his wrath had become.

She knew Tharx was ruthless. She had seen him command armies, crush enemies, tear down entire regimes that stood in his way. His power was absolute, his authority unmatched.

But this? This felt different.

This wasn't war.

This was personal.

Tharx shifted, adjusting the sword at his hip before finally rising to his feet, his sheer presence commanding the room in a way no one else could. He didn't need to raise his voice, didn't need to threaten them.

He simply existed, and that alone was enough.

His voice, when it came, was smooth. Controlled.

"This empire has survived because of strength."

The court listened.

"It has flourished under my rule because weakness is not tolerated. Betrayal is not forgiven."

Aeliana watched as a few nobles flinched, their faces carefully blank but their bodies betraying their unease.

"There are those among you," Tharx continued, his golden gaze sweeping across them like a blade, "who still whisper of doubts. Who still wonder whether my heir-my blood-should rule this empire."

Silence.

No one dared speak.

"Let me be clear." His voice was deadly soft, each word sharpened to a lethal edge.

"If another hand moves against my queen, if another breath is wasted in doubt, if another coward dares to threaten what is mine-"

His fingers flexed, his control razor-thin.

"I will erase them."

Aeliana could hear their hearts pounding.

She could see the way some nobles paled, the way others swallowed thickly, unable to look directly at him.

She wasn't sure if it was fear or awe that ran through her veins.

She had known he would not forgive an attempt on her life.

But she hadn't expected him to bare his soul in front of them.

Because this wasn't just about his rule.

This wasn't just about securing his legacy.

This was about her.

Tharx stepped forward, and the court leaned back as if his very presence was a physical force.

"Anyone-anyone-" he repeated, "who speaks against my heir will be exiled. Anyone who raises a hand against my queen will die screaming."

A chill ran down Aeliana's spine.

She knew the nobles would not question him.

Not after this.

But that didn't mean they wouldn't hate him for it.

Tharx gave one final sweeping look across the hall, then turned, reaching for her hand, pulling her into step beside him as he left the chamber. The moment they were alone, the doors shut behind them, the echoes of the heavy wood slamming like the sealing of fate itself.

Aeliana finally exhaled.

She hadn't realized how tightly she had been holding herself until now, how stiff her spine had become as she stood there, watching him declare war on anyone who dared defy him.

Tharx was still silent beside her, still seething, his anger simmering beneath the surface.

She knew he would kill again if given the slightest reason.

She knew, in this moment, he was not thinking of politics, not thinking of ruling.

He was only thinking of her.

And for the first time, she wasn't sure what to do with that.

She waited until they had reached their chambers before she finally turned to face him.

"Tharx," she said carefully.

He stilled.

His golden eyes locked onto hers, still bright, still burning. Still dangerous.

"You meant every word," she murmured.

He didn't hesitate. "I did."

Aeliana swallowed. "You would slaughter them all if they so much as looked at me the wrong way."

His head tilted slightly. "I already have."

She shouldn't have been shocked.

And yet, a cold weight settled in her stomach.

He took a step forward. "They will not take you from me."

Aeliana didn't move. "And if they try?"

His lips curled. "Then they will beg for death before I grant it."

A silence stretched between them.

She knew he meant it.

She had seen it in his eyes, seen it in the way he had ripped Veylen's life away without a second thought.

She should have felt safe.

Instead, she felt something else.

Something dangerous.

Something fragile.

"Tharx." She stepped closer, pressing a hand to his chest, feeling the slow, steady beat of his heart. "You cannot rule with only fear."

His brow furrowed.

"If you do, you will give our child a kingdom full of enemies."

Tharx's fingers curled around her wrist, holding her in place.

"You think me too harsh?"

She hesitated. "I think you do not realize how much you have changed."

He stilled at that.

Her fingers brushed against his tunic. "Once, you ruled for yourself. You took what you wanted because you could. But now"

She let her voice soften.

"Now, you are fighting for something else."

His golden gaze remained locked onto hers.

"You," he murmured.

Aeliana smiled, just barely. "And our child."

Something shifted in his expression.

For the first time, she saw hesitation.

She saw vulnerability.

Tharx was not a man who feared many things.

But she knew what scared him most.

Losing her.

Losing their child.

She reached up, letting her fingers slide against his jaw, forcing his gaze to remain on her.

"You do not have to fight this battle alone," she murmured.

His lips parted slightly.

She could **see it, feel it-**the war raging inside him.

Finally, finally, he exhaled.

A sound so small, so unguarded, she almost didn't believe it had come from him.

And then, without another word, he kissed her.

Not fiercely.

Not like a conqueror taking what was his.

But desperately.

Like a man who had come so close to losing everything, and could not bear the thought of it.

Aeliana melted into him, letting him hold her, letting him unravel.

Because she knew.

No matter what the empire thought of her, no matter how many shadows lurked in the corners of the court, waiting for the chance to strike-

She was his.

And that, more than anything else, was what they feared the most.