Classic's POV
I got the summons while training with the Shadow Division—Chris's personal elite unit. When you're part of the Blackwood bloodline, silence doesn't last long. Especially not in this empire.
Especially not now.
The walk to the imperial chamber was slow and heavy. Not because I was afraid—no. Fear had long been stripped from me. But because I knew... this wasn't just another meeting.
This was a test.
The guards at the entrance said nothing. They opened the grand doors, revealing Chris standing by the panoramic view of the empire. Hands behind his back. Crown gleaming under the palace lights.
"Classic," he said, not turning. "Where do you stand?"
No greeting. No pretense.
Just the question.
I stayed still. "I stand with the empire."
He turned slowly, his gaze piercing. "The empire is tearing itself apart. Skylar has gone public. Christiana is scheming in the dark. Amara's loyalty is tested. And you... you've said nothing."
"I was watching," I said. "Waiting."
"For what?"
"For you to decide if this is still your empire… or theirs."
Chris walked toward me, stopping only inches away. His presence, as always, was thunder wrapped in silence.
"I need to know if your silence is loyalty," he said, "or hesitation."
I met his eyes, unblinking. "I was born into this power. I didn't earn it—but I will protect it."
He studied me for a long moment.
"You'll speak when I command it," he said. "You'll act when it's time."
"And until then?"
He leaned in slightly.
"You stay close... and you watch."
I gave a slight bow. "Yes, Blackwood One."
As I turned to leave, I felt the weight of everything on my shoulders. I wasn't just a spectator anymore.
I was a ticking blade.
And soon, I'd have to choose not just where I stood—but who I would bleed.