The Boy's POV
The courtyard air turned thick, heavy enough to choke. I watched as the soldier—that new recruit Soren had punished—stepped forward when the guards tried to drag him away. His wrists shook, but not with fear… with defiance.
"Enough." His voice wasn't the timid tone of a raw recruit. It was firm. Commanding. Like thunder wrapped in silk.
Soren's eyes narrowed. "Stand down, soldier. You've earned your—"
"I said enough!"
And then… it happened.
He reached up, unfastened the straps of his helmet, and pulled it off. The torchlight revealed his face—sharp jawline, piercing eyes, features carved into every coin, every banner, every memory drilled into us since birth.
My heart slammed against my chest. My knees nearly gave way.
It was him.
The one face we were forbidden to doubt, to question.
The face that ruled the Blackwood Union.
Chris Blackwood. Blackwood 1. The King.
Gasps exploded around me. Soldiers dropped to their knees like wheat in a storm. Some even slammed their foreheads into the ground.
But me? I just stood there, frozen.
This whole time… I had been leading patrols, fighting battles, making decisions… and the Supreme Ruler had been right there in my ranks, watching. No wonder Soren's gaze always lingered, no wonder backup came stronger than expected—Chris had been among us.
I couldn't breathe. My lips parted, but no words came out.
Chris's eyes swept over us, cold yet alive with fire. He turned toward Soren.
"You dare put lashes on me?" His tone carried no anger, only absolute power, like a man who already knew he could destroy and didn't need to shout it.
Soren immediately fell to one knee, bowing his head. "Forgive me, Majesty. My loyalty demanded I treat you as a soldier until you chose to be King."
Chris's gaze flicked to me. I felt it burn through my skin, straight into my soul.
"You," he said.
My heart stopped.
"You led this team. You didn't falter even when discipline pressed against your conscience. You didn't shield me." His lips curved into the faintest smile, cruel and proud all at once.
"You've proven you belong in command."
The soldiers were still on their knees. Soren remained bowed. I just stood there, trembling, my mind caught between awe and fear.
He had risked everything—disguising himself, fighting alongside us, bleeding with us. But for what? To test us? To test me?
Chris Blackwood, the King of the world, had been in my squad. And now, he was staring straight into my eyes.
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