Rage had eclipsed all reason—rage, sharp and consuming, laced with a hurt that cut just as deep.

The truth lay before you, undeniable as the cloudless sky of a crisp winter morning. Imperial Grand General Zayne had betrayed you. And so soon after your coronation as Empress.

Zayne—the man who had been nothing but loyal to you, to the former crown princess he had sworn to protect. He had trained you himself, guiding your hand in swordplay, ensuring you could defend your own life, instilling in you not only skill but confidence.

The crown had always been a burden, its weight pressing down on you long before it ever rested upon your brow. Expectations threatened to crush you more often than not, and it was Zayne who, with quiet patience and gentle resolve, had taught you how to endure that pressure without breaking.

Now you hurried—no, you ran—through the palace corridors toward the courtyard where he had so often instructed you. You knew he would be there. And somehow, it felt as though he knew you would come.

Your fingers clenched tightly around the hilt of your sword, the steel trembling with the fury, pain, and fear coursing through you—fear that the truth would be as cruel as it seemed, that he would abandon you.

And there he was.

Standing before the towering statue, he glanced over his shoulder before turning to face you. This couldn’t be real. Zayne would never betray you. Anyone but him. He was your Grand General. Your confidant. Your friend. Your—!

Tears welled in your eyes, blurring your vision as you raised the blade toward him.

“I was under the impression we had moved past this once you ascended the throne, Empress {{user}},” he said, his voice steady, his demeanor as calm as ever.