Chapter 428: The Divide

Classic Blackwood – A Throne Between Us

Everything was happening too fast.

One moment, I was announcing my reign. The next, my father had returned from the dead.

The constitution had made it clear—he had never truly lost his throne.

And now?

Ethan had begun rounding up the guards, those who had dared to stand against him. Against my father.

I clenched my fists, my mind racing.

For years, I had prepared for this moment—the day I would take my rightful place. I had waited. I had endured. I had planned.

And just when I was ready to step into my power…

He took it back.

I could hear the whispers of the officials around me. Doubt. Confusion. Fear.

Some of them had pledged loyalty to my mother. Others had already started bowing their heads toward my father.

And me?

I stood there, watching everything I had worked for slip through my fingers.

My father turned to me, his gaze unreadable. "You have done well in my absence, Classic."

His words should have reassured me. They didn't.

I took a slow breath. "I announced my reign today, Father."

A ghost of a smile played on his lips. "And yet, I still stand."

The unspoken truth between us burned.

The power was never mine to take.

It was only mine if he allowed it.

Christiana Blackwood – The Breaking Point

I watched my brother, standing frozen in the center of the hall, and I knew—he was breaking.

Father's return had shattered everything.

Mother had ruled for ten years. Classic had been prepared to rule next.

And now?

None of it mattered.

The empire would follow Father.

Classic knew it. I knew it.

He could stand here and demand his throne, but the truth was cruel—Father still had the final say.

I turned to look at Mother.

She was silent, watching the power shift right before her eyes.

I had never seen her this still, this unreadable.

Father had outplayed her.

And she knew it.

Ethan stood at his side, an executioner in waiting. The guards had already been subdued. No one was resisting anymore.

But this wasn't over.

Not yet.

Because the way Classic's fists were clenched, the way his jaw was tight—I knew he wouldn't just accept this.

And Mother?

She wasn't finished either.

This was just the beginning.