CHARLES GIFT

The night air was thick with the scent of rain, the kind of oppressive stillness that preceded a storm. Inside his private chambers, Prince Charles stared at the bundle before him, the weight of his decision pressing heavily on his shoulders. He had been waiting for this moment, for the perfect time to make his statement—to send a message that would pierce through the walls of the emperor's hollow reign.

With a slow, deliberate motion, Charles unwrapped the cloth, revealing the severed head of the emperor's most trusted assassin. It was an act of defiance, a symbol of everything the emperor had wrongfully taken. The leader of the emperor's assassins had once been a tool to secure his power, but now, the man's head was the ultimate message to the one who sat unrightfully on the throne.

"Take this to the emperor," Charles commanded, his voice cold and unwavering. "Tell him it's from the rightful heir."

The guards exchanged uneasy glances but said nothing. They knew better than to question their prince. Quickly, they gathered the head and departed, carrying the dark gift to its destination.

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The emperor sat alone in his chamber, staring at the gleaming surface of his throne. His fingers drummed nervously on the armrest, the sound reverberating through the stillness of the room. But when the guards arrived, carrying the grim package, the emperor's composure cracked. His pulse quickened, a dark fury beginning to rise in his chest.

They placed the head before him, the very man who had once been his tool for maintaining control now reduced to a mere trophy. He was no fool—he understood the message Charles had sent. But it didn't stop the fury that surged within him.

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Flashback:

Years ago, before the throne had been taken, the former emperor—his father—had looked upon his sons with pride, but it was Charles who had garnered the most affection, the most hope. Their father had always seen Charles as the destined leader, a crown to pass on, a legacy of strength and wisdom.

"You are the one who will carry this empire, my son," the former emperor had said, his voice filled with pride. "You are born to lead."

But those words of admiration, of faith in Charles' future, had come at a heavy cost.

When the former emperor had passed, the empire had been thrown into chaos. It was not a peaceful transition of power, as one might have hoped. The emperor's death had opened a bloodied path, one paved by the ruthless ambition of his sons, each of them scrambling for the crown that had once been promised to Charles. But the emperor who had taken the throne had not simply secured his position. No, he had slaughtered his brothers to do so.

One by one, he had hunted them down. The eldest, the second, the third—each of his brothers had fallen to his blade. The prince who would become emperor had shown no mercy. But Charles had been different. The emperor had not killed him—no, Charles had been left alive, crippled and broken by the brutality that had come for the rest of their bloodline.

The former emperor's last words to his sons still haunted him: "You are born to lead." But the emperor had not earned the throne through love or rightful claim. He had earned it through blood and treachery, through a series of dark deeds better left unsaid.

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Back to the Present:

The emperor's eyes narrowed as he stared at the head before him, his fist clenching. The flashbacks of that bloody time, the moments where he had felt the thrill of securing his reign, now seemed like nothing more than a trap. The ruthlessness that had earned him the throne had now made him a prisoner of his own actions.

But it was not just the death of his brothers that haunted him. It was the crippled figure of Charles, the one who had escaped his wrath only to be left with nothing. The prince's survival, despite everything, was a reminder of the emperor's own fragility. The throne had been his by force, but the cost had been steep, and Charles' continued existence was a mark of his weakness.

The emperor's thoughts were dark, his mind consumed with the memory of the bloodshed that had crowned him. "I did what I had to do," he muttered under his breath, his voice tight with barely-contained rage. "I took the throne by my own hand. They were weak. And Charles—"

He stopped, his eyes flashing with hatred. "Charles, the one who still taunts me from the shadows. His survival is my failure. His defiance will be his downfall."

He stood up suddenly, the fury in his eyes burning brighter than ever. "This head—this gift—will not be the end. It will only be the beginning."

The emperor's gaze lingered on the severed head for a moment longer before he turned away, his mind already focused on how he would crush the very prince who had once been his closest rival. A reminder of the price he had paid, and a warning to anyone who dared question his rule.

Author note

What do you think the emperor will likely do to Charles...??

Please comment your answers and please drop your comment for this book generally,your supports and comment means alot to me.