The Warning

The heavy doors of the chamber swung open once more, and this time, the presence that entered carried an unmistakable authority.

Chris Blackwood returned.

The air thickened instantly, the weight of his footsteps pressing down on the room like an impending storm. Ethan, still holding the crown, straightened but didn't flinch. Skylar turned slightly, her lips parting in surprise, but her expression quickly hardened.

Chris stopped a few paces from Ethan, his sharp eyes scanning the younger ruler. Then, his gaze dropped to the object in Ethan's hands. His voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable force.

"First, I thought my wife told you—I don't tolerate disrespect toward her."

Ethan clenched his jaw but remained composed.

Chris took another slow step forward. "And second, what exactly is in your hands?"

Ethan met his gaze, his grip on the crown tightening instinctively. He exhaled and lifted it slightly, as if to prove his claim over it.

"It's exactly what it looks like. The removal of an outdated position. The empire does not need a Queen Mother holding authority," Ethan stated evenly.

Chris' eyes darkened. A slow, humorless smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. "Outdated?" He let the word settle between them before shaking his head slightly. "Ethan, you seem to be under the impression that you can rewrite the rules without consequence."

Ethan's smirk mirrored his. "I thought that was the privilege of a Supreme Ruler."

Chris' expression remained unreadable, but a flicker of something—something dangerous—flashed in his eyes.

"Privilege has limits. Even for you."

Ethan tilted his head. "Then tell me, Chris—where exactly do you believe those limits lie?"

Chris stepped even closer, the aura around him suffocating. Skylar could feel the shift in energy, a reminder that no matter what titles had been passed, Chris Blackwood was not a man to be dismissed.

"The limits are simple," Chris said in a low, controlled tone. "Your rule is absolute. But my existence is eternal."

Ethan's fingers twitched slightly around the crown.

"You may be the face of the empire, Ethan. But the soul of it? The foundation? That will always be me." Chris' eyes flickered to Skylar. "And my wife, the woman you thought to humiliate, stands beside that foundation."

Skylar lifted her chin slightly, her confidence renewed.

Chris turned his attention fully back to Ethan. "You rule because I allow it. And as long as you hold power under my shadow, you will respect what I built—including the woman who built it with me."

Ethan let out a slow breath, his smirk fading. He glanced at the crown in his hands, then back at Chris.

For a long moment, silence stretched between them.

Then, without a word, Ethan extended the crown back toward Skylar.

She didn't hesitate. She took it, her eyes locking onto his in silent warning.

Chris smirked slightly. "Good. Now, let's not have this conversation again."

Without another word, he turned and walked out of the chamber, leaving behind a room thick with unspoken tension.

Skylar adjusted the crown in her grip before stepping past Ethan, her voice low as she whispered, "Remember, Ethan—power is not just about who wears the crown. It's about who people follow."

She followed Chris, leaving Ethan alone with the weight of the lesson he had just learned.