Shocked

Dictator's POV

The palace was tense, more than usual, as I processed the latest news. My mother, Skylar, the Empress, was pregnant again, and in a twist I hadn't expected, my father, Chris, had also made another concubine pregnant. The weight of these revelations settled heavily on me.

There were many things I had expected in life—power, control, the consolidation of the Blackwood Empire under my rule. But I had never expected to see my family life so intertwined with politics, with bloodlines and alliances being drawn tighter by every new life that entered the fold. A sibling, potentially another heir, and a concubine's child—that was a new dynamic, one I had to consider carefully.

I'd always known that power was as much about perception as it was about control. And now, with my father's actions, the balance was shifting. My mother's pregnancy, of course, was significant; she was my mother, the Empress, and I was her firstborn. But my father's concubine bearing a child as well… it could not be ignored.

The halls of the palace buzzed with whispered speculation. Those loyal to my father's lineage were eager to see who would emerge as the favored child. Others, ever the opportunists, whispered of the future consequences of these births. Would my father favor the new children, or would his loyalty remain with me, the heir to the Blackwood Empire?

I couldn't allow any weakness to be shown, not now. Not when so much was on the line.

I needed to prepare for what was coming. My father's empire was a machine, and each cog, each individual, had to be carefully considered. These siblings—whether by my mother or by my father's concubines—were part of a larger game. And I would be ready to play it.

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come in," I said, my voice steady, as I composed myself. The future of the Blackwood Empire—and my place within it—was about to get far more complicated.