Skylar's POV
The moment I stepped into the courtyard, I could feel the eyes on me. The whispers, the gazes that flickered away when I glanced in their direction. It was subtle, but there was a change in the air. A shift in the way the palace felt.
I was no longer the powerful 02—the wife of Chris Blackwood—the one who controlled vast sections of the empire. Now, I was just Skylar. The woman who had been discarded, forgotten, betrayed.
I had barely taken a step towards the entrance when the door to the main hall swung open. Several guards rushed out, their expressions hard and unyielding.
I froze.
"Skylar Blackwood," one of them called out, his voice commanding, "You are under arrest."
A chill ran down my spine. The words didn't make sense. This couldn't be happening. Not to me.
"What are you talking about?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady, though my pulse was racing in my ears. "I am still Chris's wife. I am still 02. You can't arrest me."
The guards didn't flinch. They simply moved closer, the iron grip of their hands tightening on the weapons at their sides. They had been given orders, and I wasn't going to be able to talk my way out of this.
"You are no longer 02," the lead guard said. "Your title has been revoked. You are to stand trial for treason."
Treason. The word hit like a hammer.
"Who gave this order?" I demanded, taking a step back. "Chris would never—"
"You can take that up with him," the guard interrupted, stepping forward. "But until then, you will come with us. Now."
The words burned, but there was no room for negotiation. I couldn't fight back—not here, not now. They had prepared for this, for the moment when I'd become a liability to the empire's stability.
As they reached out to seize me, I felt a mix of disbelief and anger surge through me. How had it come to this? Chris had been my world, my partner, my everything. And now he had let them drag me away like this. Like nothing.
I was no longer the Queen. I wasn't even the Empress.
I was just a prisoner.
I glanced up one last time at the door to Chris's chambers, hoping to catch a glimpse of him, to make him see me, to realize what was happening. But the door remained closed. He had already made his decision.
The guards roughly seized my arms, pulling me away. I stumbled, trying to steady myself, but they had their hold on me. I was helpless.
I turned my gaze forward, the palace that once felt like home now feeling like a cold, distant prison.
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