Inside the royal palace, the eting room was now quiet.
Alex and Charlotte were the only ones left. The heavy doors had closed behind the others, leaving just the faint ticking of a wall clock and the soft rustle of Charlotte’s breathing.
Alex stood in front of her chair, fingers lightly brushing the tips of her hair—where snowy white strands had begun to turn an ominous purple.
He t her eyes. "Are you disappointed in ?"
Charlotte blinked, caught off guard. "What do you an by that...?"
"I an exactly what I said," Alex replied. "Are you disappointed in ?"
Charlotte shook her head. "No. I’m not."
"Don’t you hate ?" he asked.
Her voice rose a notch. "No, I don’t."
"You do, don’t you?"
Even louder this ti. "No, I don’t."
"You want to kill , right?"
Charlotte suddenly yelled, "No, I don’t!"
Alex’s own voice snapped as he grabbed her shoulders. "Yes you do, don’t try to lie, Now tell the truth!"
Charlotte’s control shattered. "I don’t know!" she scread.
Tears spilled from her eyes, tracing down her cheeks. "I don’t know anything anymore..."
"All my life," Charlotte yelled, voice breaking, "I tried to prove to Father that I could shine too!"
"I wanted him to be proud of . I wanted to surpass my brothers, to beco a good ruler. So I did everything I could. I built my own faction. I went to Zenith Academy. I passed the entrance exam. I gained supporters. I did everything..."
Her hands clenched into fists in her lap.
"So why," she choked, "why were his last words before dying... that I should give up my claim to the throne?"
Her gaze lifted to Alex, raw and hurt. "And then there was you. The second person after Father that I tried my hardest to prove myself to. The first person I relied on—the one I believed would never betray ."
Alex’s eyes softened. "So, in your eyes, this is betrayal... huh."
Charlotte’s lips trembled. "Yes. It is."
She swallowed hard. "But you know what the saddest part is?"
Alex exhaled. "What is it?"
Charlotte’s voice dropped to a whisper. "Because I know you did it for my own good. I know this is your way of looking out for . But still... still I can’t suppress this feeling of betrayal and hatred burning in my chest."
She grabbed his shoulders, fingers digging in. "Yes, I do feel betrayed. I do hate you for what you’ve done. You stole sothing that was rightfully mine. Sothing that has been my goal from the very beginning."
Alex poured a glass of water and handed it to her. Her voice had grown hoarse from all the yelling and crying.
Charlotte took the glass with shaking hands and drank.
Alex watched her quietly. "I’ll take all your hatred and disappointnt," he said. "But answer one thing."
Charlotte wiped her eyes and looked up. "What is it?"
"Why do you want the throne?" Alex asked.
"Because of Father..." she started—but her voice faltered. "But he’s already dead..."
Alex’s gaze hardened. "Answer now. Why do you want to beco queen?"
Charlotte’s mind stalled. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, struggling. "Because... because..."
Alex clicked his tongue. "You’re taking too long."
Sweat began to bead on Charlotte’s forehead. ’Why... why do I want it...?’ she thought desperately. "Yes, because of what Mother sa—"
Alex cut in sharply. "The dead don’t matter. The living do. That’s not a reason. Give sothing else."
Charlotte’s thoughts scrambled. "Because... because... yes, because I want to take care of the empire and its peop—"
Alex suddenly shook her by the shoulders, shouting, "Don’t you dare lie, Charlotte! I know that’s a lie. You might care about the people a little, sure—but that’s not the real reason."
Charlotte froze, stunned into silence. Her mind felt like it was cracking; no answer would co.
Then the voice crept into her head again.
{ Say it. Say it—it’s because you want him. You want power. }
’No, I can’t,’ Charlotte answered in her mind.
{ Say it, Charlotte. Say it. }
’No... it’s not true.’
{ It *is* true. You wanted the throne because of the power that ca with it. Because you wanted his acknowledgnt. You wanted him to see you as worthy of his affection, too. Now that your father is dead... say it. }
Charlotte’s lips trembled. "No... no... no..." she muttered under her breath. "It can’t be true. I can’t say it. He’ll hate . He’ll leave too... just like Father... I can’t... I can’t..."
Alex watched her, eyes narrowing. ’Looks like it’s working...’ he thought. ’I don’t like putting her through this, but if I don’t push now, I’ll never find out what’s happening to her.’
His system’s voice echoed in his mind.
[ You were right, Host. She’s talking to soone. Her energy readings are spiking—surpassing even Grandmaster level. ]
Alex’s eyes widened slightly as he noticed another change—Charlotte’s hair slowly deepening in color, white strands bleeding into purple, inch by inch. Killing intent began to seep out of her, thick and suffocating.
Then she started laughing.
Unhinged, uncontrollable laughter poured from her throat. "Hahahahaha..."
Half of her hair had turned a vivid purple now.
Suddenly, Charlotte flung the glass she was holding straight at Alex’s face.
He caught it without thinking, water sloshing over his hand.
He looked back to where she had been sitting—
There was no one there.
Bam!
Charlotte’s weight crashed into him from the side, tackling him to the floor. Alex hit the ground with a grunt. "What are you doing, Cha—"
Before he could finish, Charlotte’s hands grabbed his collar and yanked him up.
Her lips crashed onto his.
Her kiss was deep, desperate, and overpowering, lasting a full ten seconds as Alex’s eyes widened in shock. The taste of salt and sothing darker filled the mont as she pressed closer.
He forcibly pushed her away and broke the kiss, half in shock, half in anger. "What the hell are you doi—"
He clamped a hand over his own mouth, trying to steady his breathing.
With his other hand, he grabbed Charlotte by the neck—not enough to choke, but enough to hold her in place—as he stood up, pulling her with him.
By now, both of Charlotte’s eyes had turned a cold, unnatural grey. More than half her hair blazed in purple, creeping higher toward her roots.
Alex stared at her, heart pounding for a different reason now. "What happened to you...?"
Charlotte only smiled back—a twisted, dangerous, almost lustful smile that didn’t belong to the girl he knew.
Alex’s expression hardened.
"Looks like I have to change the question," he said slowly. "Who... are you?"
----
----
A/N:
So how was the Chapter? Tell in the comnts!
Thanks for the golden tickets:
@Atolabi_Daniel_4069,
@Hoàng_Gia_Bảo_4354, @lazysloth123,
@M12ths, @Unknown_6, @LaggingPenguin,
@DaoistLIML1o, @Brandon_Weeks_5518,
@Afolabi_Daniel_4069, @axion_lightedge,
@TriumphAnt1, @Hype_Scentrix,
@supersan, @BluuuuTea
I really appreciate the support, guys. 😊
Reviews
All reviews (0)