Chapter 433: The Caged Empress

Skylar Blackwood – Stripped, But Not Defeated

I walked with measured steps, flanked by guards on either side.

Escorted.

No—exiled.

Stripped of my power in a single sentence, as if the years I spent ruling meant nothing.

As if the empire I held together had never been mine to lead.

Chris thought he had won.

But power is not just a title. It is loyalty. It is influence. It is control.

And I still had those things.

I kept my face blank as I was led into my chambers—not a prison, but a gilded cage.

The doors shut behind me, and the guards took position outside. I was still the mother of the heir. Still Chris's wife. He would not throw me away completely.

But he had made one mistake.

He underestimated me.

I walked to the window, gripping the railing as I gazed down at the empire.

It was still mine.

And if Chris wanted to take it back, he would have to do more than issue a decree.

He would have to destroy everything I built.

And I would not let that happen.

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