Scene: Chris' Private War Room – One Day to the Wedding
The war room was unusually quiet. Maps of the empire still glowed faintly on the walls, the hum of the surveillance systems faint in the background. Chris stood at the center, his robe undone at the collar, his crown resting lazily on the edge of the obsidian table. He looked powerful… but there was a softness to his gaze tonight.
The double doors opened with the silent grace of programmed motion.
Amara stepped in, dressed in a blood-red cloak that kissed the marble floor. Her presence was strong, confident — the weight of her soon-to-be title already molding itself to her spine. But Chris saw past the steel. He always did.
He didn't look up immediately.
Instead, he asked quietly, "Amara… the cheque. Have you given it out yet?"
She paused. Just for a second.
"I haven't," she replied. "I've been watching. Listening. Everyone around me has power in their mouths, but not in their hearts."
Chris finally met her eyes. "I gave you five hundred billion Blackwood Credits. Enough to build an army or end a famine. That cheque… it wasn't just a gift. It was a test."
Amara stepped closer. "I know. You wanted to see if I'd give it to someone blindly. Or if I'd hold it. Measure worth, not loyalty."
"And?" he pressed, now leaning against the table. "Have you found anyone worthy of it?"
Amara's jaw tightened, her expression unreadable. "Not yet. Worthiness has become rare in this empire, Chris. Most people want power… but they wouldn't bleed for it."
Chris gave a half-smile, the kind that knew things before others did. "I suspected as much."
Then he reached for a smaller envelope and placed it beside the untouched cheque she now handed back.
"What's that?" she asked.
Chris looked at her, softer now, his voice lower. "Another cheque. Same amount. But this one… is for the one who would die for you. Not me."
Amara blinked, caught off guard.
"You're marrying me, Amara," Chris said. "But you'll need someone by your side when I'm ruling or gone to war. Someone who believes in you, not just my shadow."
She swallowed.
"You're building an empire, my 02," he said. "You should also test for loyalty — not just to me, but to you."
He stood tall now, brushing her shoulder gently as he passed her.
"Choose wisely," he added. "The future doesn't belong to the powerful. It belongs to those who know who to trust."
The doors closed behind him, leaving Amara in the middle of a room full of maps… holding two cheques that could change the fate of two souls forever.
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